TRS Retired Medical Insurance..it's changed!

[HogHunter34]

I assume the OP is less than 65 & the TRS is primary plan. Once you hit 65 Medicare becomes primary & any other coverage you have becomes secondary. My question is do most supplementary plan options fall under an HSA plan? I’ve heard Medicare has a supplemental part & is that sufficient or do you still need to seek a private supplementary plan? I don’t have much experience with this but I do know that my dad who retired with the state has Medicare as his primary & his ERS Humana plan picks up as secondary & it pays 100% after copay

[Rush2Judge]

What is this pension thing that some of you talk about? And a former employer providing health insurance after retirement? And in your 50's!?!? Now I know you are talking nonsense.

[Huntingfool]

Bingo! Sorry to any and all going thru this.

And if you don't think insurance, etc is all a scam I don't know what to tell you. The medical industry and insurance are in bed together and the consumer is the one suffering with no real alternative thanks to obamacare.

A few years ago I had tennis elbow and went to the doctor. He gave me a band to wear and I paid the doctor on my way out. A few weeks later I received a bill for the band. It was from a 3rd party (never mentioned in dr office) and not part of the doctors office visit. The bill was for over $100 dollars. I called them to discuss and they said that was the "negotiated rate" with the insurance company and that was it. I did a quick internet search for the band and WalMart had it online for $18 (SAME BAND). I called back to discuss and they said they didn't care what price WalMart was selling it for, that was the "negotiated rate". I hung up and called back a 3rd time but this time I asked for their sales department and didn't mention any previous conversations. Within a minute, the sales lady said I could buy the band from her for $25. Same company, same band. I said thank you and asked to be transferred to billing immediately. This time, I didn't let them talk. I told them their sales department just informed me the cost of the band was $25 and that is ALL I was paying. They ended up accepting the $25. If this sounds like a fair business model, I don't know what to tell you and this is just one of the smallest examples.

So once again, IN. BED. TOGETHER!! Pure scam and we are the ones getting screwed. I have more examples of friends without insurance paying 1/3 of the cost I pay as the insurance "negotiated rate" for the exact same services.

So cancel all your insurance and do what your friends are doing - pay 1/3 of the cost out of your pocket. If you have a heart attack, stroke, transplant, etc. you will only have to pay 1/3 of the total bill - sounds like a plan to me

[kumathebear]

Sorry to read this Kuma. My wife is also a retired teacher and is having to deal with these same issues. The health insurance industry is headed down a very bad road for reasons I'm not sure I understand.

Thanks Buddy and sorry your wife AND you are going thru the same thing. I've been reading the responses and I would bet your wife had/has the same issues?

Before 2019, again, Susan paid her co-pay for office visits. Same with prescriptions. When she had hip replacement surgery she had to write a check for what was remaining of her Out of Pocket, which we understood.

The whole reason for my OP was again, she was told by initially her long time physicians office it had changed and there are a LOT of those on TRS that were NOT aware until 2019 hit.

Per her conversations with former colleagues, this mainly applies to those who have retired and not current practicing teachers. But ALL are worried where their $$ are going and the downward spiral the Texas Legislators are willing to screw them with!!

For those who say just forget ANY health care insurance, pray that you are not injured or have a condition that really sucks the $$ out of your family! Anything, depending on your age, is better than nothing it all but it still does not make it right for 30+ years of salary investment into a plan?!

I resisted commenting on one response that insinuated keeping us Ole' Folk living when not working and retired was killing the system. Everyone get's old and hopefully can retire so some should rethink their comments or pull their head out of their southern orifice and Wake Up!

I would bet most if not ALL on TBH have worked their butt's off and been responsible citizens..and of course there are many who are not even close to retirement that may have NO clue as to what they are facing.

Take care QB and hope you and your wife enjoy the days ahead, God Bless!!

[bowhntrmatt]

Healthcare costs are ridiculous. TRS is even worse. All the way around, from insurance to retirement packages. It is a joke.

I just got a $1400 bill in the mail from the birth of my second child. She is about to turn 2. We were double-insured at the time of her birth (my wife and I both had family coverage)
Such a freakin scam.

[Huntingfool]

Healthcare costs are ridiculous. TRS is even worse. All the way around, from insurance to retirement packages. It is a joke.

I just got a $1400 bill in the mail from the birth of my second child. She is about to turn 2. We were double-insured at the time of her birth (my wife and I both had family coverage)
Such a freakin scam.

Having two different insurance coverages does not mean you have no out of pocket cost - been that way for years. You still have deductibles and co insurance that have to be paid. To my knowledge there is no such thing out there where you pay zero for medical cost

[manwitaplan]

BS... our healthcare costs and insurance premiums were skyrocketing long before Obamacare.

Negatory sir! Go back and do your research. The issue were kids being on insurance until 26 and preexisting disease. According to the dems. Yes insurance was high for some but the majority was covered. Now not so much due to an 08 and 12 congress hell bent on the governemnt controlling the need to provide insurance to all.

Well it did not work out and we are still screwed.


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[HogHunter34]

Sounds like the moral of the story is to try your best to stay healthy via good dieting and regular exercise to avoid a lot of chronic care and hope no catastrophic diagnosis comes along. I know that may sound like luck to some but there are some chronic conditions that can be minimized or avoided with striving for better overall health

[Huntingfool]

Everyone should strive for doing their best to stay healthy via good diet and exercise no matter what their insurance coverage is. That should be a given for everyone. Truth is many folks do not take care of themselves - overweight, use tobacco, never exercise, etc. -- then when it comes time to face that reality they do not want to pay for THEIR decisions.

Health insurance has been and never will be there to keep anyone from paying anything out of their pocket for their health conditions. Rather it is there to share the cost with you for your medical care - If your policy has an out of pocket maximum you have to pay of $6000 for on a transplant that cost a million dollars then anyone here would take that deal in a minute.

No, health insurance is not perfect - But the fact is insurance companies are not here for the "public good" - they are companies like any others that must make a profit or they will go out of business. They also pay out millions of dollars in claims for transplants, heart attacks and strokes every day. It is not cheap to pay for many people's bad lifestyle choices. The truth hurts.

So if you hate health insurance then self insure yourself and be prepared to incur and pay for a catastrophic claim on your own -------- then count on filing for personal bankruptcy.

[DRT]

Everyone should strive for doing their best to stay healthy via good diet and exercise no matter what their insurance coverage is. That should be a given for everyone. Truth is many folks do not take care of themselves - overweight, use tobacco, never exercise, etc. -- then when it comes time to face that reality they do not want to pay for THEIR decisions.

Health insurance has been and never will be there to keep anyone from paying anything out of their pocket for their health conditions. Rather it is there to share the cost with you for your medical care - If your policy has an out of pocket maximum you have to pay of $6000 for on a transplant that cost a million dollars then anyone here would take that deal in a minute.

No, health insurance is not perfect - But the fact is insurance companies are not here for the "public good" - they are companies like any others that must make a profit or they will go out of business. They also pay out millions of dollars in claims for transplants, heart attacks and strokes every day. It is not cheap to pay for many people's bad lifestyle choices. The truth hurts.

So if you hate health insurance then self insure yourself and be prepared to incur and pay for a catastrophic claim on your own -------- then count on filing for personal bankruptcy.

While there is some wisdom in what you say you are remiss on two facts. First the TRS insurance has been expensive and pitiful for at least 33 years. That's how longbive carried my wife on mine.
Second I have seen a steady decline in the quality of the coverage I have with the passing and forcing of "Obamacare". The facts are clear, real and documented.

Gary

[ladybluearm]

FYI, I actually called TRS yesterday afternoon and talked to a rude lady, she pretty bluntly told me when you retire, you are put on a “special plan”, you do not have co-pays, there is a 1500.00 deductible. If you go to the dr or on prescriptions you pay full price until you meet your deductible, then the insurance kicks in and pays 80% you pay 20%. That sucks big time!

[Codie]

FYI, I actually called TRS yesterday afternoon and talked to a rude lady, she pretty bluntly told me when you retire, you are put on a “special plan”, you do not have co-pays, there is a 1500.00 deductible. If you go to the dr or on prescriptions you pay full price until you meet your deductible, then the insurance kicks in and pays 80% you pay 20%. That sucks big time!

I would be ecstatic with that High Deductible Health Plan as the majority of them these days are this exact same plan, but with a $3,000-$5,000 deductible instead of a $1,500 deductible. Open an HSA acct and direct $125/month into the HSA acct from your paycheck so when you have expenses towards your deductible they are sitting there waiting on you to use them in a tax advantaged account.

[DNTRanch]

I would be ecstatic with that High Deductible Health Plan as the majority of them these days are this exact same plan, but with a $3,000-$5,000 deductible instead of a $1,500 deductible. Open an HSA acct and direct $125/month into the HSA acct from your paycheck so when you have expenses towards your deductible they are sitting there waiting on you to use them in a tax advantaged account.

Hummm, do you get a paycheck when your retired??

[tx_basser]

Sounds like some need to re-enter the workforce like the rest of us until they get Medicare.

[Rick]

FYI, I actually called TRS yesterday afternoon and talked to a rude lady, she pretty bluntly told me when you retire, you are put on a “special plan”, you do not have co-pays, there is a 1500.00 deductible. If you go to the dr or on prescriptions you pay full price until you meet your deductible, then the insurance kicks in and pays 80% you pay 20%. That sucks big time!

And this plan is available to retirees at no monthly cost?

I was paying 1500/MONTH when I retired early on COBRA, with a 6500 deductible and no co pays. What you have sounds like an amazing plan to me.....