Medicare

VirginiaA

Has anyone offered to purchase a supplemental medical policy for employees eligible for Medicare instead of offering them group medical coverage? Would something like this be legal in Ohio? We have a large percentage of employees reaching 65 in the next couple of years and the premium cost savings could be significant.

marc

I am in Nevada and its been over 5 years, but we did something like this for an older EE. Our group health policy had an age limit at that time - our only option was to purchase one of the types of policies you suggested.

Hunter1

I'm not an expert in this area, but I believe that if you have more than 20 employees, you have to offer current employees over 65 the same health coverage as those under 65. If the employee accepts the coverage, then your plan is primary, Medicare is secondary.

Pearce

A group health plan is always primary for an active employee whether or not the employee is entitled to or enrolled in Medicare.

VirginiaA

Thanks all of you for your input. I finally got a response from our broker and they are saying the same thing you did. We do have to keep them in the group health plan.