Questions & Answers
penalty. This means that you have three months prior to your 65th birthday, the month of your 65th birthday and three months after your 65th birthday to enroll. If you accept the automatic enrollment in Medicare Part B, or if you enroll in Medicare Part B during the first three months of your initial enrollment period, your medical insurance protection will start with the month you are first eligible. Otherwise: • If you enroll in Part B the month you turn 65, coverage begins one month after you sign up; • If you enroll one month after you turn 65, coverage begins two months after you sign up; • If you enroll two or three
months after you turn 65, coverage starts three months after you sign up; • If you sign up during the January-March 31 general enrollment period, coverage begins July 1.
Opting out of Medicare Part B
Q
I am a federal retiree who has continued with the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) after retirement. I have coverage with BlueCross/BlueShield (BC/BS). When I turned 65, I enrolled in Medicare Part A and Part B. I am considering dropping Medicare Part B. If I stop Part B
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Medicare coverage, what — if any — effect would that have on my FEHBP coverage?
A
Medicare Part A would be the primary payer for hospital stays, and BC/BS would be the secondary payer. BC/BS would continue to cover your other medical expenses as outlined in Section 9 of your plan brochure, and your coverage would not be reduced. However, if you drop Part B, BC/BS no longer will waive your calendar-year deductibles, your co-pays or your coinsurance amounts. If you drop Part B and decide to enroll again during one of the general enrollment peri-