I’m eligible for Medicare. What do I do?
The decision to enroll in Medicare is yours. If you do not apply for one or more parts of Medicare, you can still be covered under the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program. Your FEHB premiums will not be reduced if you enroll in Medicare.
- Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) is generally available premium-free, in which case we advise you to enroll.
- Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) requires the payment of a monthly premium. Some services covered under Part B might not be covered or only partially covered by your plan, such as orthopedic and prosthetic devices, durable medical equipment, home health care, and medical supplies (check your plan brochure for details).
- Medicare Part C (Medicare Advantage) offers private health care choices (like HMOs) in some areas of the country. You may suspend your FEHB coverage to enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan.
- Medicare Part D (Medicare prescription drug coverage) requires a monthly premium payment. Most Federal employees do not need to enroll in the Medicare prescription drug program since all FEHB plans have prescription drug benefits that are at least equal to the standard Medicare prescription drug coverage.
You may change your FEHB enrollment to any option of any available plan at any time beginning on the 30th day before you become eligible for Medicare. You may make an enrollment change under this event only once.
Further information about the FEHB Program and Medicare is on our website. You can find more information about Medicare by calling at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or at www.Medicare.gov.