There are so many rumors and misinformation about Medicare that I felt it important to get all the key players, i.e. VEBA, Kaiser, United Health and SDCCD HR in one place so that a group of us could all get the same information at the same time.
For more information, contact VEBA who conducts Medicare 101 workshops throughout the year. Call them: VEBA Post 65 Retiree Plan Member Services 619-961-2047 or by email post 65inquiries@mcgregorinc.com They also have handouts that we were given at the workshop.
Here are the highlights:
1) You cannot be on Medicare if you are employed and eligible for a Group Plan. I was wondering if we could save the district money if we are eligible for Medicare by being over 65 and having paid into the Medicare system for at least 40 quarters. This has nothing to do with Social Security eligibility.
2) What if we lose our classes, drop below 50% and are no longer eligible for Health Benefits?
a) Per the SDCCD HR representatives, if it appears to be temporary, we will keep our Health Benefits.
b) If we will lose them, we will get a letter from SDCCD HR. That makes us eligible to then go onto Medicare without having to wait for an Open Enrollment period.
c) If we are on Medicare, then get more classes so that we are once again eligible for SDCCD benefits, we can then go back onto the District plan
d) In other words, we can go back and forth.
3) There are a lot of Medicare plans out there. You can see them on the Medicare website. It also has a survey to help you decide what is appropriate for us. Here are the only Parts we need to be concerned with but what I show is just to give you an idea of what is covered:
a) Part A: Hospital Coverage and normally free for most people
b) Part B: Medical Coverage, doctor’s visits, lab work, preventative such as flu shots and mammograms and ambulance services. Cost is set by CMS and for a single person with income less than $85,000, or married filing joint whose combined income is under $170,000 per year, the current amount is $134 per month.
c) Part C: Medicare Advantage MOST include Medicare Part D prescription drugs and may include s Vision, Dental and Hearing. The Part C plan cost varies by plan. Part D cost is based on marital status and income level (same scale as Medicare Part B).
4) The easiest is to stay with our current provider. If you are on Kaiser, go onto Kaiser Medicare. If you are on United Health, then go onto United Health Medicare.
5) Two price systems in Kaiser for Medicare. I may have the names wrong, but basically they are:
a) Individual or “Street” plan is for people who were never in our VEBA Group plan and just approach Kaiser or United Healthcare to go onto their Medicare Advantage Plan
b) VEBA Group Medicare Advantage Plans are for those who worked for a VEBA employer, whether they were actually eligible for Health Benefits or not. For example, one Adjunct does not have District Health Insurance but because she works for the District, she is eligible for the Kaiser Medicare rate.
6) Current costs, keeping in mind that you are either single or a married couple, then it is based on income. For a single person whose income is less than $85,000, or married filing joint whose combined income is under $170,000 per year, the current rates are:
a) Part A: Hospital Coverage and normally free for most people
b) United Health Care Medicare Advantage: Part A free + Part B $134 + Parts C and D $367 = Total of $501 per month
c) Kaiser Senior Advantage: Part A free + Part B $134 + Parts C and D $204 = Total of $338 per month
d) For better information, contact VEBA Post 65 Member Services 619-961-2047
7) Heard about Silver Sneakers or Silver & Fit? ? We get free gym membership
8) Medicare payments are made by deduction from our monthly Social Security or they can bill you on a quarterly basis. Never pay it late.
9) You will hear and see a lot of ads about Part D for prescription drugs. DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES join any of them. Stick with the one that comes with Kaiser or United Healthcare.
10) VEBA conducts what they call Medicare 101 classes at their office several times throughout the year. What they did for us in this workshop, they told me, is similar to their Medicare 101. SDAFA (San Diego Adjunct Faculty Assoc) is going to work with VEBA to see if they can put on one of these workshops at each site, including Continuing Education.
11) The subject came up about retirement, STRS and Social Security. These have been covered in other workshops put on by SDAFA. Please feel free to go to the Facebook page for San Diego Adjunct Faculty Association, then look under Files for information about CalSTRS and also Social Security.
a) Through SDAFA workshops, we found out that Adjuncts can retire under STRS and continue working
b) Whether you can collect Social Security is based on what you paid in to it and over how many quarters. It is not based on your being a teacher. Yes, there is the WEP, the Windfall Elimination Provision, but you can find information there about it as well.
c) Paying into Medicare and paying into Social Security are two separate things. They really have nothing to do with each other when it comes to eligibility to collect benefits.
12) Question: When was the last time you went into People Soft, pulled up your paycheck and actually read it? From it, you can tell:
a) Your hourly rate
b) What retirement plan you belong to since there will be a deduction for it.
c) What you are being paid for since each class is listed separately.
SDAFA, aka San Diego Adjunct Faculty Association is for anyone teaching at any of the Community Colleges in San Diego County. We are not a union. We encourage you to belong to your union and vote in your union. One of our goals is Adjuncts helping Adjuncts, which is why I organized this Flex Activity.
To find out more about us, go to sdafa.org and join us on our Facebook page, San Diego Adjunct Faculty Association.
Prepared by Carlynne Allbee, Adjunct since 1982
San Diego Adjunct Faculty Association
SDAFA | Adjuncts Helping Adjuncts