Health Care For any of you US Federal-Postal annuitants out there

I retired in '05 from the USPS. I kept my Federal Employees plan (FEHB), it was fairly expensive, $350/mo or so, and I also joined Medicare part A and B as did the wife. We could afford it. So I was and am still paying double for HC. But every time I go to the doc, or hospital, or wife falls in hole and breaks her ankle big time and spends 2 years recovering with an ankle replacement, not a single charge did we pay. But now both those plans are costing me over $5K a year.

So open season for Feds and retirees happens now, I look around and Aetna has a plan that if you are already paying Medicare part B, they will pay you back some of that. And the plan is $275/mo for 2, same coverage as other plan. Currently I'm paying $430 plus the Medicare of $144x2 for both of us, that's over $5K/yr. Also the Aetna Advantage will send Social Security $75/mo each to cover part of the $144/mo to cover part of Medicare part B we both pay. And now my SS check will increase $75/mo and also the wife's. So supposedly I'll be paying now about $150/mo (actually I'm paying $275 but we both get a larger SS check) on top of the SS $144, saving me almost $4K a year for HC.

For you guys in countries that have actual health care, it's a nightmare here in the US. We have to have 'Choice' according to the legislature. Well, it's a zoo out there, actually a scam for the health industry that's paying for the politicians. It's impossible for a regular person to read through all these brochures to figure out what is the best/cost effective solution for HC costs. Hopefully I've made the right choice.

I know, this is pretty esoteric for most of you, but I felt pretty good about saving $4K/year. We'll see what happens, I can always change next Nov. And if there are any Fed annuatants out there maybe it will help.

$4000 a year is a good portion of a new car payment ..., up here health is covered by the 15% tax we pay on just about everything , kinda hard to figure exactly how much a year in total .... when it hits hard is when buying a big ticket item , think car ... a cheap import up here is pushing 40K then you add the 15% tax ($6000) on top ... drugs are covered for most with plan you pay monthly off your pay check , once 65 it changed to a co-pay plan run by gov. ..... seriously , no idea which system is better ....

I would worry about the small print and Aetna being able to cancel your insurance up your rates significantly.

US Federal Employees Health Benefit Plan (FEHB) does not allow the contracting companies to cancel insurance for members. FEHB is actually Obama Care (ACA) on steroids which Congressional members also get, if they desire, and if they wanted they could give it to the whole USA and my premiums would go down by half most likely and everyone in the US could afford HC. But again health care in the US is 'Private Industry', read Scam, and the scam money goes to the congressmen that benefit from the program and those that manage to navigate the federal system. Total BS. I'm just lucky I managed to get a 'Federal', actually Postal job for 15 years so I qualified. Others don't.

Aetna actually offers this same plan commercially, but I have no clue what it costs, probably about $10K or more a year, I should have asked.

My generic drugs under this plan are $10 ea/90 days. This could be provided to all US citizens if congress desired. But the health care industry and pharma has congress by the short hairs.

Not quite postal but 20 year retired USAF/military starting 1990. " your 20 years of services get you paid health care for life" actually until 65 where they dump you on to medicare.
EXCEPT...in 1997 Clinton + congress changed free retired military health care for life to "you pay" for your free health care until 65/medicare. You need to work, as I did, to get commercial employer health coverage. The military Tri-Care system here in New England satisfies the coverage you would have to pay for. It is administered by Tufts health care insurance and called US (United Serviceman) Health Care. After 65 you could voluntarily- forfeit Medicare coverage in lieu of USHC. You are theoretically getting a "few" extras over medicare. This option had been withdrawn from offer in 2010? Now it's only straight civilian medicare.

Over the last few years congress has seen fit to sky rocket our copays for (formerly free) prescriptions. Now I'm over 70 and until this past monday never needed much except routine periodical tests and annual physicals and a few maintenance prescriptions. Used to be no charge prescriptions, now its 2-$300 a year.
Interesting millitary pay in my time...
I added up all the money I made from 16 year old(1966) until USAF retirement 1990.
In my first post USAF retirement job I made the equivalent money in about 3-1/2 years. 1970 Nixon viet nam lottery draft after"stayed for the benefits" LOL
I understand the pay is better now.
I can't complain...I'm still healthy enough to get up at 5 every morning and work 7 days a week. I just don't make any money...over 90% goes to pay all the expenses. In the last 10 years I dont think I made much over $5K/year.

Here in the U K with our National Insurance contributions, and free prescriptions for those who are retired and drawing pensions below a certain threshold, ((and disabled) I consider myself lucky when I hear how much private health insurance in other countries is costing.
No wonder a lot of illegal immigrants come across the Channel in small rowing type boats to benefit from our generosity.

In Australia we have a good public health system as well as the option to have private health cover. Many doctors bulk bill and there is a prescribed list of fees. I don't have private health cover, so I rely on the public system. It means that if I need elective surgery, I must go onto a waiting list. However when I retired I needed a heart op and an op to stop the strokes i was having. I was sent straiught down to a large public hospital in Melbourne and became brand new in almost no time at all. I cannot believe that in the US, some people called Obama-care 'creeping socialism'. What is wrong with you guys - why do you cop that ?

Who funds the universities in America which educate medical doctors ?

I think the fed HC plans are better than the retired military. My brother is retired AF and they go mostly to VA clinics. It's not great. I was an army brat and we spent a lot of time in the military dispenseries etc, and all the docs were first timers. I had ear infections from about 4years old and all they did was fill me so full of penicilin that I got immune to it. Parent's finally took me to Johns Hopkins when I was maybe 12 or so and the guy gave me an antibiotic that was specific to the infection. Never had an issue again.

Actually I don't even need to go on Medicare, it's my choice and a lot of fed retirees don't take it, they stay with their FEHB plan. But both gives me total coverage for just about everything. And it's not like I can't afford it.

Yeah, for some here 'socialism' is a dirty word, but they're conflating 'socialism' with communism and throw it up as a straw man to hate and fear. What do they think car or house insurance is? And boy, don't let them touch my Social Security, now if that's not socialism?

Dr's are mostly self funded. Very few get grants. That's why there's all this inequality. The rich self perpetuate., and so do the poor.

Bernhard said:

Here in the U K with our National Insurance contributions, and free prescriptions for those who are retired and drawing pensions below a certain threshold, ((and disabled) I consider myself lucky when I hear how much private health insurance in other countries is costing.
No wonder a lot of illegal immigrants come across the Channel in small rowing type boats to benefit from our generosity.

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Free prescriptions start at 60, Bernhard......

And no doubt that’ll be raised before I get there

EstuaryBoy said:

Free prescriptions start at 60, Bernhard......

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OK, also
Free prescriptions start for anybody who is disabled at any age.

Those immigrants that come in row boats, never heard of health care except from an NGO and that's most likely free, if it's available.

acotrel said:

In Australia we have a good public health system as well as the option to have private health cover. Many doctors bulk bill and there is a prescribed list of fees. I don't have private health cover, so I rely on the public system. It means that if I need elective surgery, I must go onto a waiting list. However when I retired I needed a heart op and an op to stop the strokes i was having. I was sent straiught down to a large public hospital in Melbourne and became brand new in almost no time at all. I cannot believe that in the US, some people called Obama-care 'creeping socialism'. What is wrong with you guys - why do you cop that ?

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Any money spent to help American citizens who need it is labeled "socialism" by money fascists. Billions of dollars and thousands of lives spent in wars on foreign soil is considered "nation building" or "supporting freedom and democracy". It's easy to come up with positive-sounding labels for any bs you want to pull and just as easy to hang a scary label like "socialism" on anything you oppose.
WWII was fought to stop fascism, but it's been creeping back into vogue ever since using the label "conservatism" The label "liberal' is no longer considered strong enough for effective propaganda, so now it's the "radical left". If you can't see through the bs, you're going to be having it for dinner.

Spot on Danno. I have worked for almost 50 years, funded countless wars against who knows what, and have witnessed our democratic system, actually a "constitutional republic" erode into what Eisenhower warned to be the military-industrial-congressionial complex. And healthcare, as over 23% of gdp, has us all by the balls as well. Welcome to American Exceptionalism.

Remember in the UK the VAT is 20% and it is on more things than sales tax is in the USA. Im not saying good or bad just that
you have to look at the big picture .

Some things, like health care, you can't do/fund by yourself.

Whilst I obviously knew that the US didn’t have anything like the NHS and people needed insurance etc. I confess I never realised how complicated or expensive it was to get ‘good’ cover.

It definitely sucks for you guys.

Maybe independence wasn’t such a good idea after all...

Sad state of affairs. Especially when you see how many mid to upper level State and City employees and their unions are rather exceptionally good at looking after themselves.

Unfortunate that the bulk of our very high local and State taxes go to their excess pay and benefits, but not to the real people in need.

I got signed up for this 'Aetna Advantage' plan through the FEHB. In talking with them to sign up so I can get a rebate on my SS check for the medicare advantage, they told me the deal was that Aetna was sort of 'privatizing' medicare. So supposedly I get the same benefits as medicare, it's just that Aetna is providing a benefit to Medicare for me having both plans. Anyhow, I can change next year if I don't like it, but from what they tell me it's the same coverage as I had paying nearly $4K more. I'm not thrilled about the 'privatizing' though. That word usually means it costs more later when they get control of it.

Yeah, we spend more for health care than any industrialized country and still have millions of people that can't even go to the doc without going broke. Country was founded on hucksterism and the hucksters are still in charge. Then there's 74 million people that are fine with hucksterism or charlatans.

If I bought this plan on the private market, it would probably be about $10K.