Medicare A: Hospital insurance helps pay for inpatient care in a hospital or skilled nursing facility following a hospital stay, some home health care, and hospice care. There is no cost for Medicare Part A as long as you are eligible for the Social Security benefit.

Medicare B: This helps cover medically necessary services like doctors, outpatient care, and other medical services that Part A does not cover. Part B also covers some preventive services. Most people will pay the standard monthly premium for Medicare Part B.

If you continue on a UI health plan, you will not need Medicare Parts C and D.

Medicare C: These are Medicare Advantage plans that are health plan options approved by Medicare and run by private companies.

Medicare D: This provides prescription drug coverage. University health plans include prescription drug coverage as good or better than the standard Medicare prescription coverage. This means that this coverage is considered “creditable coverage” and that you will not have to pay the penalty if you later decide to enroll in Medicare Part D. Letters of Creditable Coverage for Medicare D are mailed each October to active employees and spouses and retirees and spouses over age 65.

If you decide to enroll in a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan, be aware that this action will permanently lose the University of Iowa health insurance. 

Active employees may begin to collect Social Security benefits while still working. If you are younger than full Social Security retirement age, there is a limit to the amount the employee can earn and still receive full benefits. When the active employee reaches full Social Security retirement age, Social Security benefits will not be limited based on their earnings. When active employees delay receiving Social Security benefits beyond full retirement age, the benefits would be increased by a certain percentage.

Social Security benefits are increased by a certain percentage (depending on date of birth) if you delay your retirement beyond the full Social Security retirement age. The benefit increase no longer applies when you reach age 70, even if you continue taking benefits.

If you or your spouse is an active employee and enrolled in a UI health plan, the UI health plan will continue to be your primary insurance. Therefore, it would be best to enroll in Medicare Part A effective on the first of the month you turn age 65. However, if your 65th birthday falls on the first day of the month, Medicare A should be effective on the first day of the preceding month.

Medicare A will not cost you and may supplement your UI health plan if you are hospitalized. You may delay enrolling in Medicare Part B until you retire from the University. There is a monthly premium for Medicare B; you should not need this coverage until you retire.

• If you get benefits from Social Security, you will automatically get Parts A and B. Your Medicare card will be mailed to you about three months before your 65th birthday. If your card shows Medicare A and B coverage, follow the instructions to delay Medicare B and keep Medicare A. The Social Security Administration office will mail you an updated card that shows just Medicare A coverage. Wellmark will contact you by mail with a request for your Medicare information. You must provide Wellmark with the requested information to ensure proper claims processing.

• You must sign up for Part A if you are not getting Social Security. You should contact your local Social Security Administration office three months before you turn age 65 to sign up for Medicare Part A.

To avoid penalties, we suggest you contact the Medicare office to inform them that you have primary coverage through your employer and do not need Medicare Part B.

• You should already be enrolled in Medicare A from when you turned 65.

• Contact your local Social Security office three months before your retirement date to determine your Medicare eligibility and enroll in Medicare Part B. Advise the representative that you have been working past age 65 and that your Medicare B coverage should be effective the first day of the month following your retirement date. Then, contact the Benefits Office and schedule an appointment with a Benefits Specialist.

If you are retired and enrolled in a UI health plan, Medicare Parts A and B will become primary insurance for you and/or your spouse/domestic partner on the first of the month when you turn 65. However, if your 65th birthday falls on the first day of the month, Medicare Parts A and B should be effective on the first day of the preceding month. If you continue on a UI health plan, it will be a supplement to Medicare, and it will include prescription coverage.

• If you get benefits from Social Security, you will automatically get Medicare Parts A and B. Your Medicare card will be mailed to you about three months before your 65th birthday. Then, Wellmark will contact you by mail with a request for your Medicare information. You must provide Wellmark with the requested information to ensure proper claims processing.

• If you are not getting Social Security, you must sign up for Parts A and B.  You should contact your local Social Security Administration office three months before you turn 65 to sign up for Medicare Parts A and B.  Wellmark will contact you by mail requesting your Medicare information. You must provide Wellmark with the requested information to ensure proper claims processing.

Your UI health plan will automatically continue as a Medicare carve-out, supplement your Medicare Parts A and B, and continue providing you prescription coverage. If you want to stop the University health plan, submit a letter with your signature or an email to the Benefits Office. Your UI health plan will end no sooner than the last day of the month that we receive your written notice.

If you become eligible for Medicare due to disability while receiving Long Term Disability benefits and are enrolled in a UI health plan, Medicare A and B will be your primary insurance.

Enrolling in Medicare as soon as you become eligible would be best because they offer limited enrollment periods. Not enrolling as soon as you are eligible can result in your being responsible for claims that should be paid by that program, along with increased premiums for late enrollment. You should not enroll in Medicare Part D. You may continue the UI health plan as a supplement to Medicare Parts A and B. Contact the Benefits Office as soon as you become eligible for Medicare for coordination of benefits.

Disabled Dependent  If your dependent or spouse/domestic partner becomes eligible for Medicare due to a disability and is enrolled under your active employee UI health plan, your UI health plan will remain their primary insurance. Your dependent or spouse/domestic partner should enroll in Medicare Part A. This will not cost you and would supplement your UI health plan if the disabled person were hospitalized.

The disabled person may delay enrolling in Medicare Part B until they are no longer on an employer health plan. There is a monthly premium for Medicare B, and they should not need this coverage if they are covered on a health plan due to your employment.

• If your dependent or spouse/domestic partner receives benefits from Social Security due to disability, they will automatically be mailed a Medicare card about two months before they become eligible.  If the card shows Medicare Parts A and B coverage, follow the instructions to delay Medicare Part B and keep Medicare Part A. Then, an updated card will be mailed that shows just Medicare Part A coverage. Send a copy of this card to the Benefits Office to ensure coordination of benefits.

• If you want to stop UI health coverage for the disabled dependent or spouse/domestic partner, you should contact Social Security to ask about Medicare eligibility and contact the Benefits Office to make your benefit changes.