-
To purchase an open-market plan, you work with an AlightRHS Benefits Advisor, who is
a licensed insurance agent by your
state.
- They do not have information on
-- and would not be legally allowed to discuss -- the
group plans available from HP or HPE.
-
Get your AlightRHS appointment early! In some states, AlightRHS
doesn't have a sufficient number of licensed agents. You are
competing for attention with employees and retirees of 150 other
organizations.
- AlightRHS agents vary in level of experience. Because AlightRHS helps
people get their state insurance sales license, that job is an
entry path into the insurance brokerage industry.
-AlightRHS Benefits Advisors receive sales commissions for plans they place in your cart.
-
Given AlightRHS's limited availability of licensed and experienced
agents in some states, it is best to explore your options online
before
talking to AlightRHS. You can do that without creating an AlightRHS
account or disturbing your current plan choices. Member advice:
https://www.hpalumni.org/Medicare-ARHSComparison
-
AlightRHS does not offer all Medicare plans potentially available in
your area. All plans are listed on the official Medicare site:
Advantage Plans: https://www.medicare.gov/plan-compare/
Medigap
and Drug Plans:
https://www.medicare.gov/medigap-supplemental-insurance-plans/
Prominent examples of plans that were not on the Alight website
for 2022:
- AARP/UHC. Not all AARP Medicare plans are on the
list of plans available from insurance sales agencies such
as AlightRHS -- you have to explicitly ask the
advisor for
the AARP/UHC plans. (Our AlightRHS contact indicated that this is
"UHC AARP's marketing requirement.") Check the AARP/UHC
website to see what is available in your local area:
https://www.aarpmedicareplans.com
To buy a Medicare Supplement plan, you need to join the AARP -- well worth the $16 per year for
the publications and other benefits. Alight will ask you for
your member number, which needs to be current. You do not
need to be an AARP member to buy an AARP Advantage or Drug plan.
- Kaiser. Kaiser individual Medicare HMO plans are generally not
on the list of plans available from insurance sales agencies --
including AlightRHS.
-
Regence. For 2022,
AlightRHS offered the popular Regence plans in ID -- unclear
if available from AlightRHS in OR, UT, or WA.
- The list price for a given plan is the same whether you
purchase it through AlightRHS or any other sales agency. You pay the
list price directly to the insurance carrier or HMO. Once AlightRHS receives their
commission from the carrier or HMO, your RRA or RMSA subsidy is paid
directly to you by HP or HPE. Details:
https://www.hpalumni.org/medicare-RRA
- COBRA premiums and
long-term care premiums are not reimbursable through your
RRA. Many other expenses are reimbursable. Details on
reimbursable expenses and how to document them: https://www.hpalumni.org/medicare-RRA
- If you have a problem, you work through
AlightRHS -- the insurance agency you purchased from. HP/HPE and their Benefits
Centers have no relationship with your insurance carrier or HMO.
AlightRHS has a special group to escalate issues with carriers
and HMOs.
You must carefully compare the alternatives yourself.
Overview of the AlightRHS alternative.
https://www.hpalumni.org/medicare-open-market
Next page: How to explore the AlightRHS alternative
- online before you call.
https://www.hpalumni.org/medicare-ARHS-online
Deadlines
Deadlines.
The HP and HPE enrollment deadlines are much earlier than
the Dec 7, 2022 national Medicare deadline
to adjust your coverage for the next calendar year. (The
national deadline does not apply if you have qualified life
event during the year -- such as starting Medicare.)
If you won't be able to resolve your Medicare situation
by the HP/HPE enrollment deadline -- for example, because
you can't get an AlightRHS advisor appointment in time, or you have
an application pending for an individual Medicare plan
through AlightRHS -- HP and HPE recommend that you enroll in
the best HP/HPE plan now and change
later if necessary.
There is a
confirmation and mop-up cycle after the stated HP/HPE deadline.
However, members report that changes made too far after the
original deadline may not be in place at your providers by
January 1.
HPInc: "You must
make corrections by December 16, 2022, at 6 p.m. Pacific Time (8
p.m. Central Time). After that date, you won’t be able to make
changes for 2023 unless you experience a qualified status change
and call the HP Benefits Center within 60 days."
--HP Enrollment Guides.
HPE: " If you need to correct your elections, notify the HPE
Benefits Center before December 31, 2022."
--HPE Enrollment Guide
You can change back to an HP/HPE group plan from
AlightRHS
individual coverage, as indicated in your
Annual Enrollment Guide.
If you have a problem, contact the insurance
agency you purchased from. In the case of AlightRHS, contact your Advisor. If
the Advisor can't resolve your problem, they
escalate it to AlightRHS' special group of Advocates.
(Because your are buying an open-market
policy via the agency , the company -- HP or HPE -- is
out of the picture -- except for providing the
subsidy.) Contact the Benefits Center if there are
problems with the subsidy payments.
Troubleshooting and contacts
