Q. I have Civil Service retirement and my husband is on my Blue Cross Blue Shield federal policy. He is older than I and will be 65 in September and will be signing up for Medicare. Will he still be covered by my federal policy as his supplemental policy when he signs up for Medicare, or will he then be on the South Carolina BCBS state policy? We reside inSouth Carolina. A. Assuming that he is retired, when he signs up for Medicare, it will be primary and, for him, your FEHB BCBS self and family enrollment will be secondary.
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Q. I am a federal employee and will retire under CSRS next year. I have kept up my medical benefits with Kaiser (self only) (FEHB) but I am also under my spouse’s medical plan with her private employer. When I retire, I plan to continue with Kaiser (self only) and with her medical plan until she retires. At the time of her retirement (she will not be offered health insurance from her employer in retirement), will she be able to enroll in FEHB as my spouse under my FEHB plan (I would change my enrollment to self and family) or…
Q. I just turned 65 and have already applied for Social Security at 64. I am covered by my 64-year-old wife’s Blue Cross/Blue Shield through her employer. She plans to work until age 70, and we will both be covered by BC/BS until that time. Should I refuse Medicare A and B for now until she retires at 70? What are the consequences? A. Enrollment in Medicare Part A is automatic unless you decline that coverage. And it’s not clear to me why you’d do that because you have already paid for it through payroll deductions while you were working…
Q. I am 60 and planned on working until 72, but I developed a serious spinal disease that has disabled me. I have applied for and will receive disability (I just learned today); am I required to apply for Medicare even though I am covered by my wife’s Blue Cross plan (she is a teacher and will be for about five more years)? If, on the other hand, I have an option to retain my plan or apply for Medicare, what should I do? A. Since you have already paid for Medicare Part A coverage through payroll deductions while employed,…
Q. I retired from the postal service in 2003. My health benefits continued under the federal employee health benefit plan. Now that I am turning 65, I need to know how I will be affected by Medicare A, B and D. I have Blue Cross Blue Shield’s Federal Employees Plan. What is automatic and what should I choose, if anything? A. While you will have to apply for Medicare Part A, which you have already paid for through payroll deductions, it’s up to you to decide if your need Part B, for which you would pay premiums. On the other hand, OPM and most…
Q. We have GEHA high option (Code 312) for our family. I just got the letter from Medicare about choosing Medicare Part B. However, even if I am on Medicare after retiring, my wife will have seven more years before being eligible for Medicare. Thus, I am considering continuing GEHA high for both of us and not taking Medicare B, since GEHA 312 covers expenses quite well and my wife would need health insurance. If I take Medicare B and drop GEHA, I would have Medicare A and B, but she would have no health insurance. Is the above correct?…
Q. I recently turned 65 and am retired and collecting Social Security and have Medicare Part A. My husband works for the government and has self and family health coverage. Am I still covered under his policy? A. Yes.
Q. I retired from federal service in 2003, am still working and continued my Federal Employees Health Benefits upon retirement. When I turned 65 last September, I and my spouse opted for Medicare Part A only. On a recent claim approved by the Government Employees Health Association, they sent a cover letter which stated: “Our records indicate that the member is a federal retired employee, and the patient is 65 (my spouse) or older and does not have Medicare Part B. Therefore under the change in Federal Law (5 U.S.C. 8904(B)) we are required to allow no more than the…
Q. Is there a specific time or age when a CSRS retiree can apply for Medicare Part A? A. To find out, go to www.medicare.gov/navigation/help-and-support/contact-medicare.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1 and click on “eligibility.”
Q. I recently turned 65 and signed up for Medicare Part B. I am still working. When I go to a doctor’s office and tell them I have both Part B and Blue Cross high option, what will Part B pay for? I continue to receive notices from Blue Cross telling me how much I owe the doctor with no indication that Part B has paid anything. I thought that Part B was supposed to pay the doctor the co-pay that Blue Cross doesn’t pay. A. While you are working, Blue Cross-Blue Shield will be primary and Medicare secondary. The notices…