Roseanne is a retired USPS employee with an extensive background in USPS retirement, disability retirement, OWCP, EEO, Labor Relations and HR. She conducts individual and group counseling and is able to comprehensively discuss the pros and cons of employees who are on OWCP, disability retirement and regular retirement. Roseanne will be happy to answer your postal retirement questions.
www.opm.gov/healthcare-insurance/healthcare/medicare/75-12-final.pdf
And in this above link validates what I have been saying, that it is a CHOICE if you take Medicare Part Bā¦.which is HEALTH insurance!! (FYI you already have health insurance!!)ā¦.As a federal employee, when you retire you carry over health insurance and life insurance and of course receive a monthly retirement check. After all these years, isnāt that what we have ALL worked for ??? the fact of āforeverā health insurance and life insuranceā¦and if married, a monthly check for the spouse and spouseās ability to be covered under your federal health benefitsā¦..this is WHY we are ALL HERE all these yearsā¦.the guarantee of federal benefits!
If you open above link and (READ IT!) you will see what I have been trying to relate to you. Go to page 3 and page 6. So in our Medicare part B saga, they sent hubby a card with Medicare Part A Hospital and Medicare Part B. The cardās instructions tellās you, if you want Medicare Part A and Part Bā¦.do NOTHINGā¦..cut this card out (as this is your Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B card)ā¦they will deduct Part B from your Social Security check and you will have Part A and Part B.
If you donāt want Medicare Part B, sign this card on the back, mail it in, they will send you another card validating only Medicare Part A. DONEā¦CHECK
SO DONEā¦that he now has the (replacement) Medicare card that states boldly Medicare Part A ONLY. Seems like Roseanneās plan is workingā¦.until the month you turning 65. Plan still working but NOW the push to get you to sign up for Medicare Part B is really AMPād up. To the point that your insurance company calls (at least ourās did) and interrogates you as to why you didnāt take Medicare Part B, (EXCUSE MEā¦.itās a choice!!). Then EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE THE CARD THAT SHOWS THAT HE DID SEND them the information of his decision to NOT take Medicare Part Bā¦. POINT: we have in our possession (sent by them) the NEW Medicare card that specifically says ONLY Medicare Part A. So while in a conversation with Social Security Office, they stated they donāt have that informationā¦that they are 3 ā 4 months behind on āpaperworkā and they ARE still going to reduce his SS check by the amount of Medicare Part B! Needless to say, how could they NOT have received the paperwork, we already have the card that validates he only has Medicare Part A. Wow!! What is going onā¦and how this even became an issue to have a conversation with SS or anyone about the choice to NOT take Medicare Part B. This happens when your insurance company sees that you are 65 and now begins paying ādifferentlyā because of Medicare Part A (becoming your primary hospital insurance). And so when you go to the doctor (after age 65) and have opted OUT of Medicare Part Bā¦.your FEHB insurance is going to want a letter from Social Security stated that you opted out. So that is a hassle, BUT DO IT anyway. OK hassle is probably not the best wordā¦..but when done, itās a triumph.
Why am I telling you thisā¦..because this is what you are going to run into and if you ROLL OVER, and NOT address it then you will wind up paying for Medicare Part B and FEHB, and why should you..!! OPM states, (see above link) that All FEHB plans are as good or better than medicare, I donāt think that even needs to be discussedā¦as I would rate that statement as DUH !!; additionally that you can NOT BE FORCED into taking Medicare Part Bā¦..but they did not say how MUCH YOU WILL BE ENCOURAGED. I will keep you all informed. I am calling them this morning to continue to see how I can get them on board. UPDATE: Called Social Security back, and spoke to someone else, and explained in EXACTING DETAIL, quoted the above FEHB~Medicare booklet and guess what, this was just 2 days later, (after hubby āstroking out on the phone with a very unhelpful federal employeeā¦with EXTREME attitudeā) the 2 day later SS worker said yes indeed, he sees where he āopted outā and then he āofferedā to send a letter so that you can send it to your insurance companyā, which is precisely what the FEHB insurance is going to want. SO yes, this is a real pain in rear, but now you knowā¦.you have NO excusesā¦because all I ever hearā¦.we were not told anythingā¦I GET IT, everyone is clueless, I KNOW thatā¦butā¦if you are reading this column you have resources and have had since 2010. I will keep you all informed to IF this letter came and how quickly.
Q&A, more via Postal Retirement Q&A August 2014 by Roseanne Jefferson ā PostalMag.
Contact Roseanne at roseanne.jefferson@icloud.com.
Union and NAME of Local/Branch
APWU - Philadelphia Retiree Chapter
Office held, if any
Retiree activist and advocate
Dan Kuralt,
I believe THESE were the most frequently asked questions. Many were not fully addressed and some were ignored:
Thirty-Nine (39) Questions for the APWU Q & A Related to HR 756
Union and NAME of Local/Branch
APWU - Springfield, MA Area Local 497
Office held, if any
President and Retiree
APWU Web News Article #:Ā 34-2017
Postal Reform Questions & Answers
Union and NAME of Local/Branch
Springfield, MA Area Local 497
Office held, if any
Past President and Retiree
Medicare Part B is a choice (right now). It won’t be if a bill, H.R.756 ā 115th Congress (2017-2018) Sponsor: Rep. Chaffetz, Jason [R-UT-3] (Introduced 01/31/2017) passes.
This bill would end the retirement set aside and give the money back to the USPS. All they need is for those employees that don’t have Part B, to be forced into it. The Bill does that. It moves you into Part B automatically. The bill calls for employees who don’t sign up for Part B to lose their FEHBP. So much for āvoluntary.ā
There is absolutely no reason for the set aside to be linked to FEHBP. Some think the USPS will use that new found wealth to put Humpty Dumpty back together again. That’s not going to happen!
USPS is run for big mailers, and they benefit by the lower costs that come as a result of the slimmed down USPS. They have the clout to prevent plants that have been closed from being opened. They benefit as a result of having as many jobs cut as possible.
I had a couple of posts on this issue a while back. Randy put a good picture of a person being thrown under a bus with the articles. My issue is that I and others are already paying for health insurance. We shouldn’t have to pay for Part B. We’re getting screwed already, as a result of Insurance payments being linked to Medicare.
With all of the claims about Medicare going bankrupt, they should not be forcing Postal employees into it. The Insurer’s should the pay the freight, Not Medicare!
Check out the bill. It’s not pretty!
Union and NAME of Local/Branch
NALC - Elmhurst, Illinois Branch
Office held, if any
City Carrier
Thank you so much for this article. If at all possible, could you email me as to if this is still true today. I am concerned that anything may have changed. Thanks.