Do you need Medicare Part D?

Should you consider getting the Medicare part D Prescription coverage? The answer is an unequivocal "NO!" for any federal annuitant or spouse who has the Federal Employee Health Benefit program (FEHB). You can find the answer to this question in Medicare’s own 2006 booklet. On page 48 of the 2006 Medicare & You booklet you can find specific information about your FEHB coverage. It states:

"As long as you still qualify, your TRICARE, VA, or, FEHB prescription drug coverage is not changing."

It goes on to state:

"If you lose your TRICARE, VA, or FEHB coverage and you join a Medicare drug plan after May 15, 2006, in most cases, you won’t have to pay a penalty, as long as you join within 63 days of losing TRICARE, VA or FEHB coverage."

The Medicare booklet does not tell us we should keep our FEHB. What it does do is imply that we should keep our FEHB coverage since it provides the same, or, in most cases, more coverage than any Medicare program. It does tell us that if we should lose our FEHB coverage for any reason at any time after May 15, 2006, we can join a Medicare program without paying any penalty.

A reminder: Any Federal annuitant with FEHB coverage does not need Medicare part D or any Medicare HMO coverage!!