Fehb and medicare

[Artfuldodger]

Three of the FEHB’s Medicare Advantage plans are available nationally for all federal retirees with Medicare Parts A and B: Aetna Advantage, APWU High, and MHBP Standard Medicare Advantage plans.

I had APWU High Option and went with Medicare parts A and B. A year later APWU randomly told me I should switch to their Advantage plan. This in no way effected my FEHB eligibility. We switched because they made it sound so sweet. We didn't like it as APWU's carrier is United Healthcare.
After a year we switched back to APWU's regular high option.

To answer your question;
To convert to one of the Medicare Advantage plans offered within the FEHB program you must be enrolled in Medicare Part A and B and a FEHB Plan that offers a Medicare Advantage option.

You could try a year of having Medicare A & B with a FEHB plan and then switch to one of those FEHB plans that have the Medicare Advantage option to compare to what you had the year before.

https://fedretire.net/fehb-medicare-advantage-plans-proceed-with-caution/

 

[Artfuldodger]

All FEHB MA plans offer some Part B premium reimbursement, which ranges from $50 per month with APWU High to $148.50 per month.

That was the icing on the cake that made me switch. I wonder if there is one of those FEHB MA plans serviced by someone other than United Healthcare? All of my family's doctors are affiliated with University Hospital in Augusta which is now part of Piedmont.
I think two years ago United Healthcare which serviced our APWU Advantage Plan said our hospital would no longer be a hospital we could go to nor none of the doctors affiliated with it. I think United Healthcare has a lot of power. First they were going to do this in July but folks raised so much cane they decided to wait until October's open season.
APWU High Option is serviced by the Cigna network which we like better than United Healthcare.

So if you have a High option FEHB plan and switch to their Advantage plan, your network might also switch from Cigna to United Healthcare or some other carrier.
I didn't know this when we did it, I thought it would have stayed with Cigna.

There may be some other FEHB MA choices in Georgia as well as those I posted.
https://www.fedsmith.com/2022/07/25/everything-you-need-to-know-about-medicare-advantage/

 

[Artfuldodger]

Piedmont and UnitedHealthcare have established a new network relationship, giving people enrolled in UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plans access to Piedmont’s 16 hospitals, more than 800 locations and the Piedmont Clinic’s state-wide network of physicians, effective Jan. 1, 2022.

They play the same negotiating games the cable companies play with TV stations.

 

[Oldstick]

Good info above Artfuldodger, thanks. I see from one of those links that I have to join Part B first before being eligible to move to other options. So that answers one of the first questions in my mind.