Medicare can be tricky when it is coordinating with Group Health Coverage.

This is especially true when Medicare enrollees WAIVE Part B coverage, thinking that they don’t need it because they have Group Health Coverage.

Our message to those people is BE CAREFUL. You must be certain that if you waive Part B coverage that you are not opening yourself up to claims exposure.

Never assume that a Group Health Plan will step in and cover claims.

Since CMS clearly states that the INDIVIDUAL is responsible to know (not the employer nor the insurance company) the Medicare coordination with other coverage, it is critical to be careful and do the research.

Here are some examples where things get tricky:

  • When an employer has fewer than 20 employees, Medicare is primary. With some insurance companies they do not even pay claims if Medicare does not approve. If one does not enroll in Part B, that means NOTHING is approved by Medicare. Translation: Costs that would have gone to Part B are not approved by Medicare and not approved by the insurance company. This is a big problem.
  • When an employer has fewer than 100 employees, Medicare that is DUE TO DISABILITY is primary. The same rules apply.
  • When someone is on COBRA and Medicare, Medicare is primary no matter how many employees the employer has. If the member on COBRA waives Part B, they face potential liability. People could easily assume that the rules would be the same as when they were active on the plan (vs COBRA), but that would be a mistake.

While we at BBG will help our clients get the right answer and try to fix things if someone has assumed the wrong thing, we urge everyone who is Medicare eligible to engage to find the right answers. We are not responsible for errors in Medicare enrollment, but we can be a resource for assistance.

No one should assume that waiving Medicare Part B coverage will be just fine. Getting the right answers and keeping the documentation is critical if you waive Part B.

Medicare 101