FAQ

  • There are 2 ways to get Medicare drug coverage:

    1. Medicare drug plans. These plans add drug coverage to Original Medicare, some Medicare Cost Plans, some Private Fee-for-Service plans, and Medical Savings Account plans. You must have Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) and/or Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) to join a separate Medicare drug plan.

    2. Medicare Advantage Plan (Part C) or other Medicare health plan with drug coverage. You get all of your Part A, Part B, and drug coverage, through these plans. Remember, you must have Part A and Part B to join a Medicare Advantage Plan, and not all of these plans offer drug coverage.

  • Thank you for your service. Yes, we encourage you to sign up for Medicare as soon as you can.

    • The VA has many factors to determine what benefit level you get, such as: time of service, disability level, combat wounded, etc.

    • The VA is a government entity.  Medicare is a government entity.  The government will not charge itself; therefore, Medicare does not work at the VA.  

    • If you have a Medicare Supplement, the VA is allowed to bill them for service.  

    • If you have a Medicare Advantage plan, the VA is NOT allowed to bill them for service. 

    • If you have VA benefits and do not want a Part D prescription plan, you will NOT be charged the late enrollment penalty for not having a Medicare Part D plan if you ever want to get one later on. 

    • If you have VA benefits and do not want to enroll in Medicare Part B, you WILL be charged the late enrollment penalty for not having Medicare Part B if you want to get it later on. 

    • You can have a Medicare advantage plan and it will not affect your VA benefits

  • This depends on your situation. If you’ve worked at least 10 years (40 quarters) under Medicare-covered employment and paid Medicare taxes during that time, you qualify for premium-free Medicare Part A and will be automatically enrolled at age 65 even if you’re still working. If your spouse has enough employment quarters, you can also qualify for premium-free Medicare Part A based on his or her work history.

    If you don’t have enough work history to get Medicare Part A without paying a premium, you can decide to delay enrollment if you already have health coverage through an employer or union (or through your own work or your spouse’s employer). Medicare Part B always comes with a monthly premium, so you may similarly choose to delay your Part B enrollment if you or your spouse are still working and have employer-based group coverage.

  • When you become eligible for Medicare, you may need to enroll in both Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) and Part B (Medical Insurance) to get full benefits from your retiree coverage. You have a limited time to sign up for Medicare without paying a penalty.