The Ohio Public Employees Retirement System has set the allowance for the upcoming Medicare Connector. OPERS Health Care Director Marianne Steger talks about the allowance and other details about the new program.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7V-mH5KWPj8
What about eye and dental insurance coverage? Will there be a way for us to
buy that too?
When I retired I didn’t want the OPERS health insurance until I went on
Medicare because I was also covered by my wife’s insurance. Additionally, I
took a lower monthly pension so that my wife would have health insurance
when she retired. However, I was told that if I didn’t take the OPERS
health insurance at retirement I woukdn’t be able to get it later. But now
how much OPERS is going to give us towards our monthly insurance cost is
based on not only age and lenght of service, but when we took OPERS
insurance, (I.E., we’d get more for waiting ’til we went on Medicare before
taking OPERS health insurance).
So we will not have our Medical coverage any more. No dental, no vision,
minimal health coverage, and we pay up front and HOPE they actually pay us
back. Pardon me if I don’t jump for joy. $200-400 a month to start, and
MAYBE it will stay the same, and MAYBE we can find coverage at that price.
Yipee.
Helen,
That’s not the way it will work. You will be able to select dental/vision
coverage either through the Connector or through OPERS. You will be
reimbursed through your Health Reimbursement Account. And there will be
many choices for plans.
–Ohio PERS
Sounds like a sales pitch…this is very confusing…
I guess you retire to become poor. I am waiting to see how this will
benefit us. I don’t think it will. All the government does is take, take,
take. Sad, very sad.
Confusing. Not much said about spouses, “money left over to buy spousal
insurance? Who is going to have money left over? Does this mean we have to
pay all our medical expenses up front and they reimburse us when they get
around to it, like a health savings account? Everyone knows costs go up
every year, retirees cannot afford this.
So in 2016, my mother, who is the spouse of the deceased OPERS retiree,
will have her health insurance benefit reduced by 1/3. She will lose
another 1/3 in 2017, and in 2018, there is no benefit at all. Thank you so
much.
No Vision or Dental directly from OPERS.If you can find it through a plan,
you’d be advised to take it
REMEMBER – We were always guaranteed a pension. We were Never guaranteed a
healthcare benefit. We all feel awful about losing what we had, but it’s
better than has happened to a lot of other governmental and business
retirees.
These changes are draconian. This has me very angry. Given we have a
Republican Governor and Senate in Ohio I think this is being influenced by
their policies. We better vote Kasich out and get a Democrat in…Because
of these changes we will have to get a plan for my wife through private
insurance and soon my medicare won’t be covered by the State…Absolute
partisan BS.
+rckz3 Unearned handout? Now that is much more partisan than anything I
mentioned. My wife earned healthcare by deciding to stay home and raise
our children (old school) We made that choice together and it had nothing
to do with reaping an unearned bounty like you so stupidly put it. My wife
had cancer which is why I am against the opers changes to discontinue
spousal coverage. If it were up to republicans who want to repeal the
affordable Care Act she wouldn’t be able to get healthcare once opers stops
covering her due to pre-existing . Healthcare is a very personal issue to
me so get lost and stop talking to me…
+kenpogodan If you don’t want to be called out, then stop publishing stupid
partisan stuff like ” My wife had cancer and if it were up to republicans
she wouldn’t be able to get healthcare once opers stops covering her.
You didn’t contribute any more than if you had no spouse. So why should
you be collecting any more in medical benefits than the rest of us? You
made a life style choice. So don’t be whining about what falls out of your
own choice.
+rckz3
Dude I’m done with you…you sound like a tea party fanatic who only thinks
of himself…You have no business saying anything about my wife’s issues.
This is my last response to you.
+Robin Barto Oh, but you never did “respond”…you merely reiterated your
whining.
I already know I am not eligible for Medicare Part A. More information on
what options are available for others in my situation would be helpful.
+Mary Dustin I thought I was ready to retire at 30 years at 62. I was hired
in 1985 and no medicare was taken out for me either. I didn’t make enough
in the private sector to be eligible for social security. My only other
option is joining my spouse’s future medicare plan but he doesn’t turn 65
until next April. I have no idea what to do? I hate to try to figure all
this out over the phone to PERS since they discourage one on one meetings I
need to take my husband with me. . 🙁