Talk of The Villages Florida - View Single Post - Medicare and/or government Ins plan
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Old 03-04-2014, 10:24 PM
Bizdoc Bizdoc is offline
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You will need to do Medicare B as FEHB plans automatically switch to Medicare rates for payment if you don't (so your copays would go up if you don't do Medicare). You should look very carefully at what your plan covers when it becomes second pay to Medicare -- switching to the "lowest cost" plan may not be the best move as some don't pay nearly as much for drugs as others and may not pay for out of network doctors.

If you have FEP Blue Standard (not Basic), you will have virtually everything covered except for a few copay drugs. You also have the freedom of Blue being accepted almost anywhere in the country (unlike many Medicare Advantage or Supplement plans). I cheerfully pay the extra bucks for standard as you never know what the year will bring (2012 saw us with well over 1/2 mill of medical bills after an accident, all paid by BC)

Your servicing personnel office can help with some of your questions as well as OPM. If you are a NARFE member, NARFE's website has lots of resources and your chapter service officer can help.

As to doctors accepting Medicare - that's what the vast majority of people living here have. Most of the comments about not accepting Medicare are for specific Medicare Advantage and Medicare supplement plans. And (other than the blankety blank anesthesiologists at the Villages Hospital), virtually everyone takes Blue Cross.