Medicare
If you or your spouse will be 65 or more when you retire, Medicare will play
an important role in your health insurance coverage. The Social Security
Administration is responsible for determining eligibility and enrolling
individuals in Medicare Parts A & B. Medicare Part A is hospital insurance and
Medicare Part B is medical insurance. Premium and coverage information is also
available from your local Social Security office. Enrollment requirements are as
follows:
Medicare Part A
- At age 65, whether or not you are retired, you are required to enroll
in Medicare Part A. This can be initiated by contacting your local Social
Security office once you are within 3 months of your 65th birthday and arranging a
telephone interview or by making an appointment at your local office for an
office visit.
- You will need to submit your most recent W2 form and a birth
certificate, or some other proof of date of birth. All supporting documents
you submit are returned to you.
Medicare Part B
Once you are 65 and retired, Medicare becomes the primary payer and Duke
would be secondary payer through the Duke Plus health plan. Therefore,
enrollment in Medicare Part B is required for retirees and covered spouses age
65.
- If you retire at 65 or later, but do not enroll in Part B at the
earliest opportunity you will pay higher Medicare premiums for this
coverage than you would have otherwise, and you will be required to pay
what Medicare would have paid for any medical services.
- Exception: If you are retiring after reaching 65, or are
covering a spouse who is 65 or older at the time of retirement, there is
only a conditional penalty for late enrollment. This penalty may be avoided
as long as you provide Social Security with verification that you were
covered by Duke's group plan during the period between reaching 65 and
retiring. You must obtain this letter of verification from Human Resource
Information Center and enroll no later than 30 days after retirement in
order to avoid this penalty.
Medicare Part D
Pharmacy benefits for Duke health plan members eligible for Medicare continue
under the same prescription benefits as an active employee. Duke retirees should
not purchase a plan under the Medicare prescription drug program (often referred
to as Medicare Part D) unless they qualify for a subsidized benefit under
Medicare. People with limited income and resources can contact Social Security
at 1-800-722-1213 to find out if they qualify for a subsidized benefit. If you
are approved for a subsidized benefit, then you must notify the Benefits office
within 30 days of the approval. Note: If you have additional questions on Medicare contact the Medicare
Hotline at 1-800-633-4227.
|
