Question on Part B Enrollment

[LostDollar]

Anybody in a large employer group health plan should also review any claims processed in the group health plan after they have applied for Part B with Social Security. My experience with one large insurance company indicates that you cannot automatically trust them to properly apply coordination of benefit rules in that situation.

 

[vic120]

Yeah, at my day job, enrolling into Medicare qualifies as a life event where I can drop the insurance outside of open enrollment. Could be this company has stricter rules?

So not only can it be done but it should be able to be done outside the companies open enrollment?

 

[Chazm]

So not only can it be done but it should be able to be done outside the companies open enrollment?

My experience in FL has been, enroll in Part B and then employer is forced to let you leave employer plan at any time of the year. You check the box that says life event Medicare.

 

[LostDollar]

If the real question is not if an eligible person can enroll in Part B but If they can withdraw from the GHP when they enroll in part B, then the employee should have received a current health plan manual at the beginning of the year. In that manual there should be a page that is titled with something that sounds like terminating or cancelling coverage. I just looked at a couple of generic plan documents online - one talks about voluntary withdrawal, the other specifically mentions medicare enrollment as a reason one can terminate.

With that page one can go back to the company's benefits coordinator and say two things
1) The decision about when a person can enroll in Medicare part B is not an employer controlled decision. That is clearly stated on the Medicare.gov site.

2) This manual shows (whatever it says about voluntary withdrawal or medicare). Please provide me with the appropriate form to make this withdrawal.

That's how I would approach it if the HR person is not showing the necessary knowledge to deal with the situation.

 

[DS4]

I have never run into a situation where an ee couldn't waive off the employer group health plan.

 

[vic120]

I have never run into a situation where an ee couldn't waive off the employer group health plan.

I am sure its misinfo, This is why I asked on the forum now I know how to handle these situations better, a few times in the past I waiting till employer OE to make the change.

I have seen some strange things though had one 4 years ago, Employer flat out refused to fill part B employer form for a woman who Quit. I even spoke with them myself Said No will not do it, Called Medicare and they would do nothing Except say she needs form filled.

 

[LostDollar]

How did you get the penalty waived on that one?

 

[TN_agent]

In that case they would have to contact former group health carrier(s) rather than employers and get CoCC with dates of coverage. Much bigger PIA. One of mine had to do that because a former employer had gone out of business so no one to fill out Part B form.

 

[somarco]

Some employer group health plans do not allow you to disenroll from the plan mid-year. Can only be done during open enrollment or upon termination of employment.

 

[Todd King]

Some employer group health plans do not allow you to disenroll from the plan mid-year. Can only be done during open enrollment or upon termination of employment.

But aren't there always exceptions to that such as documented divorce, death, retirement, getting fired, quitting, etc?