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Menu of Medicare topics for HP and
HPE alumni. (Whether
or not receiving benefits from or
subsidized by HP or HPE.)
(Updated Jul 16, 2022.)
Website operated by volunteers. Not officially endorsed or supported. Comments:
info@hpalumni.org
If transitioning to Medicare soon,
you have a lot of homework to do -- whether
receiving company benefits or not. As one member put it:
"You do need to engage in this process. Medicare does not do it
for you."
If formerly a regular,
direct U.S. employee of HP or HPE -- or are in the process of leaving –
join
the HP Alumni Association. No charge, thanks to HPAA's
Supporting Members. Join the HPAA
Benefits Group Covers topics such as COBRA and
retiree health benefits, annual enrollment, and transition
to Medicare.
Overview of U.S. health coverage
issues: Contacts, how to escalate, "Pre-2003" program
("2003" refers to the year in
which HP cut back the program, not your year of retirement.) Future of retiree healthcare, dental plans, which company
are you a retiree of?
https://www.hpalumni.org/health
Annual Enrollment
for U.S. retiree and COBRA health coverage.
Medicare via HP/HPE Advice based on member discussions.
General healthplan heads-up:
1. Technically, you have 31 days to change if you lose
coverage from an employer or other plan -- or have a status change
such as marriage, divorce, or transition to Medicare.
This is not unique to HPInc/HPE. A fundamental principle of health insurance is
that everyone continuously pays into the overall health
insurance system pool when they are
healthy. (For example, if you don't sign up for each of the
various Medicare elements when first eligible, you pay a
late enrollment penalty for years.)
If you have such a change, contact your
Benefits Center
ASAP -- or contact the insurance sales agency that you
bought the plan from, such as Alight Retiree Health
Solutions (formerly Aon Retiree Health Exchange)
Alight
Retiree Health Solutions contacts
"They couldn't do
the surgery because his insurance had been terminated. It took a
very long three-way phone call with the Benefits Center and UHC to
get his new coverage entered into the system."
2. You must examine health plan coverage every year.
Features for the same plan may change from year to year.
Plans may be closed or restructured. (One member bought a
low-cost drug plan. The plan was discontinued and they were
moved to a high-cost plan. Next year, the low-cost plan was
again available -- under a new name.) Tip: HPAA member advice on comparing health plans:
https://www.hpalumni.org/health-compare
Medicare heads-up:
1. You may have to take action. "Some people get
Medicare automatically, and some have to sign up. You may
have to sign up if you're 65 (or almost 65) and not getting
Social Security."
2. Deadlines. "There are certain times of the year when
you can sign up or change how you get your coverage."
3. Don't delay. "If you sign up for Medicare Part B when
you're first eligible, you can avoid a penalty."
HPAA members advise that
you
get started three months before your Medicare start date (which
is the
start of your birth month, or the previous month if born on the
1st.)
If benefits involve HP or HPE:
1. Be sure to go through the critical info in your Enrollment Guide
-- including changing HP or HPE plans, dropping and
re-enrolling, loss of spouse/partner's coverage, and
dependent coverage following your death. (HPInc: Inside rear
cover. HPE: Page 18.)
Tip: Lots packed into an Enrollment Guide. Even if you
have a paper copy, download the current file and use Adobe Reader's search feature to find specific
words or phrases. (Press Ctrl and F together on a PC
-- or Command and F on a Mac.)
https://www.hpalumni.org/EnrollmentGuides
2. Group plans are different from individual plans. Health plans provided through employers to
retirees and current employees
are "group" plans that have been customized for the
specific employer. They can be much more expensive than similar
individual plans purchased on the highly-competitive open market.
However, some members have found that HP or HPE group
plans provide better coverage for their
specific situation than open-market plans -- for example,
coverage of dependents, pre-existing conditions, or
medications. Group plans and open-market plans
with similar names from the same carrier may have very different coverage features. With Medicare
plans, even though there are government specifications for
open-market Advantage and Supplemental plans, employer plans
do not have to match those specifications.
HPAA member advice on comparing health plans:
https://www.hpalumni.org/health-compare
Fastest to follow
these stops in order...
For everyone.
Whether or not receiving benefits from or
subsidized by HP or HPE:
Medicare
Basics Medicare works differently! You have lots of work to
do.
Advantage vs.
Original Medicare Expensive traps in Medicare -- one could cost you for
years. From HPAA members and the official site.
Comparing
health plans Advice from HPAA members on how to compare
health plans.
If receiving benefits from or
subsidized by HP or HPE:
Medicare via HP or HPE
If receiving benefits from -- or subsidized by -- HP or
HPE. You can explore your options without
creating an Alight Retiree account yet (or without disturbing your current
Alight Retiree account settings.)
Troubleshooting and contacts
Next step:
Medicare
Basics |
