Retiree Specific
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
RETIREE
SPECIFIC
Will
these health plan
design changes affect Medicare
retires?
Will the
Coordination of Benefit (COB) method for the new plan design with
UnitedHealthcare (PPO Indemnity or the EPO Health Plan) change for
Medicare retirees? Will medical claims still be coordinated with
Medicare as primary and the MPS health plan as secondary?
The
deductibles under
the MPS PPO/Indemnity
Health Plan have significantly increased. As a Medicare retiree,
will I be faced with paying out-of-pocket for a deductible even after
my claims are coordinated with Medicare and my MPS health plan?
Why is the
vision plan,
covering routine vision
benefits, provided by
National Vision Administrators (NVA) being discontinued for MPS
retirees who are enrolled in the EPO Health Plan, and will retirees
still have coverage for eye exams under the MPS EPO Health Plan?
Will these
health plan design changes affect Medicare retirees? Back to top
Yes. Please refer to the
coverage
comparison chart that shows the new plan design for the health
plan and the pharmacy benefit.
Will the
Coordination of Benefit (COB)
method for the new plan design with UnitedHealthcare for the PPO
Indemnity or
the EPO Health Plan change for Medicare retirees? Will medical
claims still be coordinated with Medicare as primary and the MPS health
plan as secondary? Back to top
The COB method will not
change and Medicare will still pay first and
your health claims will be coordinated with the MPS health plan subject
to the new deductibles and annual coinsurance maximum. (Note:
Your MPS health plan currently provides Creditable Coverage for both
retail and mail order pharmacy benefits for Medicare retirees enrolled
in an MPS health plan, and therefore coordination with Medicare for
these pharmacy benefits is not applicable.)
The
deductibles under the MPS PPO/Indemnity Health Plan have significantly
increased. As a Medicare retiree, will I be faced with paying
out-of-pocket for a deductible even after my claims are coordinated
with Medicare and my MPS health plan? Back
to top
Possibly in certain situations as
explained in the following examples.
Why is the vision
plan, covering routine vision benefits, provided by
National Vision Administrators (NVA) being discontinued for MPS
retirees who are enrolled in the EPO Health Plan, and will retirees
still have coverage for eye exams under the MPS EPO Health Plan? Back to top
The PPO/Indemnity Health Plan
for retirees does not include the NVA
plan and over the years we received feedback from retirees on more cost
effective options available to them individually to obtain routine
vision benefits (i.e. coupons,
discounts, etc.). The discontinuation of the NVA benefit reduces
the retiree premium rate. Please note that one eye exam is
provided every calendar year through a UHC provider optometrist only
for those retirees enrolled in the EPO Health Plan, and both health
plans provide eye care related to accident or disease only.
