If you are over 65 and still working, you may have the option to choose your employer’s health insurance plan or Medicare. The best plan is the one that meets your health care needs, budget, and lifestyle. Is that Medicare or your employer’s health insurance? Answer: it depends.
Here are a few factors to weigh in making your decision.
Consider Medicare Before You Retire.
As more Americans over the age of 65 choose to stay at work, many aging workers and their employers view Medicare as a post-retirement health plan solution. That simply is not true. Employees 65 and older are eligible to enroll in Medicare, and it is often the better option. As employees enter the eligibility age for Medicare, they should consider all options for health care coverage, not just their company’s benefits.
Medicare Offers More Plan Options Than Employer Coverage
Most employers offer only a handful of health coverage plans for employees to choose from. By comparison, Medicare has hundreds of plans. The number of available plans can be overwhelming, but with that many options, it can work in your favor to find the exact plan that meets your specific needs. Also, many Medicare plans are offered by the same carriers that employers use for health coverage. If you favor your current insurance carrier, you may be able to continue using them through Medicare. Licensed Medicare advisors, like Medicare Choice Group, help you evaluate and find the best plan for your needs.
Medicare Typically Comes at a Lower Cost
Transitioning to a new Medicare plan means that some of your costs will change. Each Medicare plan is unique and tends to provide more benefits than employer coverage at a lower price. For instance, the prevalence of employer-sponsored high deductible health plans has made Medicare more appealing to eligible employees from a cost perspective.
Medicare is required if you work for a small company
If you work for a company or organization with fewer than 20 employees, you are required to enroll in Medicare when you turn 65. Employees run the risk of experiencing increased claim exposure since your group health plan is no longer the primary payer. Additionally, delaying could also increase your Medicare costs for life.
Weighing Your Options
Understanding health care options can be a daunting and complicated task because there are many layers of information to process. This is the same for Medicare. Unfortunately, many employers do not have the resources or regulatory expertise to help educate employees about Medicare. Because of this, most employees stay on their employer’s plan because it’s easier.
So, is Medicare the better choice? Older adults stay in the workforce longer than they used to, and as they age, benefits change, as do their health needs. So, when it comes to cost and quality, the smarter, more affordable option might be Medicare.
Free Medicare Consultation is Available
Medicare Choice Group compares your employer’s health plan to Medicare and provides a cost and coverage analysis from multiple carrier health plans to give you the best options possible.
For a free Medicare consultation with a trusted, licensed advisor, contact Medicare Choice Group at www.medicarechoicegroup.com or call 855-482-0574.
