Q. I am totally lost in getting real answers to our approach to health insurance in the coming years. I retired from CSRS in 2008 at the GS-15 level, and my wife will retire under FERS in 2014 at the GS-14 level. We both have our own FEHB. This year, when I turn 60, we are also eligible for Tricare, since I retired from the USAR. And then, when we turn 62, we are eligible for Medicare Part A, and then at 65, Medicare Part B. We are both in great shape, but we are having trouble trying to figure…
Browsing: Medicare Part B
Q. Will the government deduct Medicare Part B from your monthly annuity? A. Only if you apply for Medicare Part B. If you do, Medicare will either arrange to have the premiums deducted from any Social Security benefit you are receiving or, if you aren’t receiving any, notify OPM and the premiums will be deducted from your annuity.
Q. I am a retired special agent with the federal government. I am 65 and have to sign up for Medicare Part A. I am a contractor with the federal government. My wife and I are covered by the FEHB. My FEHB plan is great, and we will have this insurance until death. Aside from some small additional out-of-pocket costs covered by Medicare Part B, do I need to sign up for Part B? How much on average must I pay for Part B coverage? A. Medicare Part B is an optional benefit. It’s up to you to decide if…
Q. If after retirement (qualified for FEHB and/or Medicare coverage), I temporarily live overseas and am removed from FEHB/Medicare coverage area for a couple of years, can I suspend this coverage or am I stuck paying premiums even though I can’t use it overseas? A. No, you can’t suspend that coverage. And yes, you’d be stuck with paying the premiums for your FEHB enrollment and Medicare Part B if you elected that coverage. Part A is free because you paid for that coverage through payroll deductions. Note: To lower your FEHB premium costs, during an open season you could change…
Q. I will retire after age 65. My husband is already older than 65, and we are both covered by my Blue Cross Blue Shield FEHB. I realize I don’t have to make a decision for either of us concerning taking Medicare Part B as long as I’m employed by the federal government. After I retire, I realize BCBS will be constrained by law to pay no more than the Medicare fee schedule amount for services rendered for either of us should I chose not to take Medicare Part B for either of us. Can my doctor require me to…
Q. My question concerns what happens when I turn 65. I am 63; what happens with my Civil Service health benefits? I have been told to keep these benefits and not go on Medicare. Is that still true? I would get better coverage with my Civil Service. I am single and would not be eligible on a spouse’s plan, etc., and do not have Social Security benefits. A. You should continue your enrollment in the Federal Employees Health Benefits program. And you should enroll in Medicare Part A because you already paid for it through payroll deductions. As for Medicare…
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. How can I get my Medicare Part B premiums deducted from my annuity? I will be 65 in November 2012, and I am retired from the federal government. Will I get info on Medicare? A. You’ll have to ask Medicare to do that for you. To find out how, go to www.medicare.gov/basics/socialsecurity.asp.
Q. I am a FERS retiree since September 2007, at which time I was 50. I elected survivor benefits for my spouse, who is 14½ years older than I am. She was 64 when I retired. I elected to remain in FEHB. Additionally, I did not stop working, as I took a job with a private firm before my retirement date and had medical benefits with that firm, in addition to my FEHB coverage. When my spouse was eligible to receive Medicare Part B the following year, she elected not to take it based on a briefing we received by…
Q. My spouse is covered under my FEHB family plan. We are both covered by Medicare Part A. When I retire, I do not plan to add Medicare Part B to my Medicare Part A. Can husband elect to take Medicare Part C and still be eligible to remain on my FEHB family plan? Also, if I changed to a FEHB self-only plan after he enrolls in Medicare Part C, could I include him later in an FEHB family plan or would he lose his eligibility forever? A. Your husband would continue to be covered by the self and family…