Video highlights under-65 health care
The Ohio Public Employees Retirement System has released the July health care chat with OPERS Health Care Director Marianne Steger.
This month Steger talks about the 2016 health care plan for those under 65. She also addresses member questions about our health care coverage.
You can click here to access the video, which we’ve posted on our YouTube channel.
Michael Pramik
Michael Pramik is communication strategist for the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System and editor of the PERSpective blog. As an experienced business journalist, he clarifies complex pension policies and helps members make smart choices to secure their retirement.
First you take away spousal insurance for those under age 55, then you offer it back if I pay for it, then you decide the retiree should pay a percentage of there own insurance (plus dental and vision), now you tell me the office co-pays, deductables, and drug co-pays will increase. When is this goiny to end? I payed into a system 30 plus years that provided family insurance at no cost to the retirees before me along with a decent COLA. Now that it’s my turn you feel you have no abligation to provide at the very least ‘affordable health insurance’. Maybe your next video you can show how an average wage earner (under 65) can retire and pay for all this.
I have watched the videos and attended the seminar in Toledo and I’m still not clear on what to do. I am in the group without enough quarters for Social Security, I will not turn 65 until Feburary 2016. I live in Flordia during the winter. What do I do? Will I recive information to take to Social Security to get on Medicare or does PERS send me information on what to do. I am at a total loss and can’t miss out on sigh up deadlines.
Charles,
About six months before your birth month (so really soon) you will receive information from us regarding the OPERS Medicare Connector administered by OneExchange. A couple of months after that, we’ll send you info about signing up for Medicare Part A and Part B, how to enroll in a plan through OneExchange and how you can be reimbursed for your Med A premium if you don’t qualify for premium-free Med A. We also will send other information, including an enrollment guide with OneExchange, and you’ll then be able to set up an enrollment call with OneExchange.
–Ohio PERS
What is fair is fair. I earlier posted a comment about a person who had a lot of difficulty getting though the information to register for an appointment.
I just got off the phone with a representative from one exchange and it could not have gone smoother with the registration for my appointment. The information provided by OPERS was all on file so the representative knew everything that OPERS knows about you.
There were questions that needed to be answered and you should have a list of you prescription meds and the dosage as well as your Medicare card with the effective dates of Part A and Part B.
My representative was knowledgeable and helpful. His name was Jason from their call center in Utah.
If the rest goes as well as this first encounter did, this should be less formidable then everyone thinks it will.
Be prepared and it should go well.
Thank you For The Video.
At a time when an increasing number of OPERS members face hearing and vision challenges, surely it would behoove OPERS to release transcripts of these chats as well as supplying them on YouTube.
–Charles Morrow-Jones
What Is this E-mail About.? I Thank You James Donahue. Due To I’m Not on OPERS Medicare. Thanks.
James,
It’s an email alerting retirees that we have posted our July health care chat with OPERS Health Care Director Marianne Steger. We produce this video monthly.
–Ohio PERS
This videos title was about non Medicare retirees info. Very little info was provided and none about the New plan required for the re employed . And all the questions were about Medicare eligible retirees.
Other than cost going up a unspecified amount I learned nothing
Brian,
More than half of the video addresses the 2016 plan for non-Medicare participants. It begins at the 1:20 mark. If you’d like more information about the plans solely for re-employed retirees, click here to watch the June health care video, which was solely about the re-employed retiree plans.
–Ohio PERS
I agree Brian. Whatever they do we have to go along with anyway. Looks like they are putting the cart before the horse on Cadillac tax.
no mention of WHY any of that medical information is necessary (like kind and dosages and such).
No mention on how safe it is NOT for giving personal info over the phone or online.
I for one do NOT want to give my SS number over any phone or online.
Why can’t they simply access our existing information to protect us from harm?
Something isn’t right with this forced requirement to call and give such information.
Will PERS pay for any loses due to misuse of that information by ANYONE?
And what about those of us that do not have internet or even a computer (have to borrow others and that is a pain in the rear).
They need to know your medications, dosages, etc., in order to find the cheapest drug plan for you. If you go to medicare.gov on the computer, you can compare costs of drug plans, but in order to compare costs and find the cheapest plan, you need to enter your specific drugs, dosages, etc.
I have been a county employee for 34.3 years. I am retiring in one month. I remember when I came in the county everyone told me you are in the best retirement system there is. This was true. I watched everyone before me enjoy all the benefits that I could not wait to receive. Then the changes started. I now have a premium to pay for my health, dental and vision along with a premium for my wife of $350.00 a month for health along with dental and vision. It sure puts a new swing on retiring.
I was one of the people hit with under 55 on my husband’s retirement. When I went to a meeting about this in Cambridge Ohio the young man stated “only 4000” are affected by this. Well he should have been one of us….not very fun! I also had 10 plus years with OPERS and Sers which would also have given me insurance after 55! Also taken away. In 2018 I will no longer be eligible for any insurance under my husband’s retirement. So when it comes to “Trust” you the Board have made it very difficult, when I have been “Hit” three times by your actions.
I left several comments to oneExchange with concerns about my experience with literature and
call for the enrollment appointment. I hope they share them with OPERS. The areas of concern
are: lack of, and correct information not communicated in the literature sent to us in the mail
which delays decisions on the initial call for enrollment, selecting a plan, receiving the auto reimbursement benefit, etc. I was told that it will possibly take until April before we receive our
1st reimbursement benefit, even though we pay our 1st insurance premium 10 days after the
enrollment registration in 2015. I changed my enrollment call twice because I discovered from
oneExchange that the accurate plans will not be posted on line until later in the 1st week of
October. All the plans we are being referred to presently are not accurate in coverage and costs.
The push to place all of us 65 and older in the Medigap plan is huge. Even one of my prescriptions
won’t even register on the Exchange’s Personal Profile on line. We have to ask ourselves why
make a call early to enroll when we don’t have accurate information to make a decision on a plan
until October, then pay the insurance company 4 months early before we even receive our 1st
allowance benefit. Someone didn’t think this out and is just throwing us out to dry. OPERS
has served its members much better than this to stab us in back now. OPERS should be the main
communicator for enrollment information to eliminate confusion. OPERS sent us what allowance
we will receive including the additional $300 for the next 3 years. Now oneExchange says they
will be sending us the amount we will receive. OPERS has to lead in this transition. Thanks.
Lori,
Nobody is asking you to call OneExchange to enroll early. In fact, OneExchange cannot enroll you in a health care plan now. That will not be available until October, after Medicare sets rates for 2016. OneExchange is available now for you to set up your enrollment call. We also have said that we will be with our members all along the way, hand-in-hand with OneExchange, and that still holds true.
Also, we are encouraging all participants in the Connector to be prepared to submit manual claims for their reimbursements for the first two months to give the auto-reimbursement process a chance to begin.
–Ohio PERS
I broke my back while working for State of Ohio. How long is my family covered for on my OPERS INSURANCE PLAN?
Bill,
We can’t answer that question in the blog. Give us a call at 800-222-7377, and we can help you.
–Ohio PERS
Mass buying is well and alive today and in the future. Health insurance costs will rise dramatically due to lack of buying power for OPERS individuals and not because we have a National Healthcare Act.
I have just finished viewing the under-65 health care video. I am confused as the end questions involved the connector. I was under the impression that the connector will be used for those that are Medicare eligible while a policy for those under 65 retirees and under 65 re-employed retirees will be offered through OPERS. Am I missing something? Also, how will OPERS know if a re-employed retiree resigns from their OPERS position so they are enrolled in the appropriate medical insurance For 2016? Thank you.
Maria,
The video “highlighted” the under-65 health care plan for 2016. We also took member questions, and most of them these days are about the Connector.
We will know that you have resigned when your employer certifies the end date of your employment to us. Deposits into your reimbursement account will begin the following month.
–Ohio PERS
My husband belongs to OPERS. Will he be billed directly by the insurance he chooses?
Frances,
In the Connector, yes. Then he’ll submit the bills through OneExchange for reimbursement.
–Ohio PERS
I am upset. I called the 1 888 287-9945 number to get information, a recording is trying to get me to pay money for a so call free trip. Because I did not respond yes, the recording says goodbye. Why are they trying to sell me something when they are supposed to be giving me information? Older people are ripped off enough without getting ripped off by people supposed to help them. F. Jackson
Frances,
You called the wrong number. The correct number is 1-844-287-9945. The OneExchange number does not begin with “888.”
–Ohio PERS
So OPERS will not pay this tax by increasing what retirees have to pay. If the big guy cant afford to pay more, how can us little guys afford it?
Holly,
The tens of millions of dollars that it would cost OPERS would affect the amount of coverage we’d be able to provide all health care participants going forward.
–Ohio PERS
Mike,
When will you and Ms. Stiger post a health care video for over 65 re-employed retirees for 2016 along with premiums. Thanks…..
Fran,
Thanks for asking. That likely will be in early October after Medicare sets the rates for 2016.
–Ohio PERS
Is there someone I can call and ask how much my med care inc. is going to cost me. I need to know so I can see if I can afford to work. I am undr 65 working part time for a county agent. I would like to give them plenty of notice.
Steve,
We’ve mailed out the 2016 open enrollment kits, and they have that information. For more info, contact us at 800-222-7377. You also may contact OneExchange at 844-287-9945 about your future Medicare coverage, but please realize that they do not have any records on you because you are under 65.
–Ohio PERS
I’m having to cherry-pick the information we need regarding spouse coverage for health care. My husband is 70; I’m 62. It would be helpful to have one section, one brochure, one pdf, one video — something! – that simply lays out what happens next for the under 65 spouse ( I turn 65 in January 2018). I also searched for a (calculator) page at the OPERS website that would do-the-math for me to give us some idea about how costs would increase. I found nothing, so if it’s there, it’s well-hidden.
During our initial conversation with One Exchange (scheduled for another talk in late October), they would only answer questions about my husband, because I’m only the spouse. They said we could find everything we need at the website, regarding my health care costs. Very confusing, frustrating and unnerving.
I disagree with anyone who says Obamacare is the problem. Why should cancer or other catastrophic health problem send anyone to the poorhouse – regardless of when or where they’ve worked? Thank you for what you do, PERS. I just wish you communicated it a bit better.
Cynthia,
There is a calculator available via your OPERS online account at opers.org. This calculator will tell you how much your 2016 premiums are for you and your entire family. In addition, you should have received your 2016 open enrollment statement that includes a cost statement showing your 2016 premiums and your husband’s HRA allowance amount to be used for reimbursement of a plan he selects through the OPERS Medicare Connector.
You reference an earlier call with OneExchange. Because you apparently are not eligible for Medicare, OneExchange won’t be able to help you. The Connector is only for those participants who are eligible for Medicare Parts A and B.
–Ohio PERS