- 293
A personal lines customer of mine has been disabled since 2020. He went on Medicare Parts A & B in 2022. He's currently 64, and will be T65 Sept of 2025.
His wife, is T65 in Oct 2024. She recently received her Medicare A & B for a 10/1 effective date.
My customer has health insurance through his former employer (as he is not currently or actively working any longer due to the disability) It's not COBRA.
His wife has been covered under this same plan as well.
My Insured said that his HR dept manager said that his wife wouldn't have to enroll in Part B, since she would have insurance through his carrier until he T65, then 2 people from Social Security said the same thing as the HR dept did. However, today, he was given another answer from someone else at Social Security! This person said "If he wasn't ACTIVELY working, then the insurance wasn't creditable and his wife would get a penalty if she didn't elect to keep Part B"
"Employer or union coverage:
If you or your spouse (or family member if you have a disability) are still working and you have health coverage through that employer or union, go to page 21 to find out how your coverage works with Medicare. You can also contact the employer or union benefits administrator for information. This includes federal or state employment and active-duty military service. It might be to your advantage to delay Part B enrollment while you still have health coverage based on your or your spouse’s current employment"
I've not run into this situation before, so I went to the Medicare and You book... I can see that it uses the phrase "still working"..
His employer is covering his insurance and has been/ will be till he's 65... His wife is covered as well.
so to be 100% sure, I'm reading.... If she DENIES Part B until next September, when her husband T65, there will be a penalty, because her husband is NOT still working, even though he's covered under the group health insurance.
His wife, is T65 in Oct 2024. She recently received her Medicare A & B for a 10/1 effective date.
My customer has health insurance through his former employer (as he is not currently or actively working any longer due to the disability) It's not COBRA.
His wife has been covered under this same plan as well.
My Insured said that his HR dept manager said that his wife wouldn't have to enroll in Part B, since she would have insurance through his carrier until he T65, then 2 people from Social Security said the same thing as the HR dept did. However, today, he was given another answer from someone else at Social Security! This person said "If he wasn't ACTIVELY working, then the insurance wasn't creditable and his wife would get a penalty if she didn't elect to keep Part B"
"Employer or union coverage:
If you or your spouse (or family member if you have a disability) are still working and you have health coverage through that employer or union, go to page 21 to find out how your coverage works with Medicare. You can also contact the employer or union benefits administrator for information. This includes federal or state employment and active-duty military service. It might be to your advantage to delay Part B enrollment while you still have health coverage based on your or your spouse’s current employment"
I've not run into this situation before, so I went to the Medicare and You book... I can see that it uses the phrase "still working"..
His employer is covering his insurance and has been/ will be till he's 65... His wife is covered as well.
so to be 100% sure, I'm reading.... If she DENIES Part B until next September, when her husband T65, there will be a penalty, because her husband is NOT still working, even though he's covered under the group health insurance.
