Enroll In Medicare When You Become an Eligible Retiree to Minimize Your Payments

The Joint Health Management Board at the Fresno Unified School District is reminding you of the importance of enrolling in Medicare once you are eligible. The District’s Health Care Plan indicates that you must enroll in Medicare Parts A & B as soon as you become eligible for Medicare as a retiree. This requirement only applies to retirees in the Fresno Unified School District Employee Health Care Plan. Active employees age 65 or over are not required to enroll in Medicare.

Your specific Coordination of Benefits (COB) changes once you become eligible for Medicare as a retiree. For PPO Plan ‘A’ and Plan ‘B’, once a retiree is eligible for Medicare, the District Plan will pay secondary, even if you do not enroll in Medicare.  For Plan ‘C’ (Kaiser), you must be enrolled in Medicare Parts A & B to be eligible to enroll in Kaiser Senior Advantage.

It’s important that retirees and/or spouses enroll in Medicare once becoming eligible, either by age or disability. The Medicare Part A & B premiums are the sole responsibility of the retiree and are not paid for by the District.  You usually don’t pay a monthly premium for Part A coverage if you or your spouse paid Medicare taxes for at least 10 years while working. If you aren’t eligible for premium-free Part A, you may be able to buy Part A if you meet certain requirements. If you have limited income and resources, your state may help you pay for Part A and/or Part B.