Here's sort of a strange one and I'm hoping someone else here has maybe already dealt with this question. Being the ex union rep for my old public employer group, I'm now getting a lot of people calling me up regarding this question now that we're all turning 65. In my case, our past public employer guaranteed us all full medical coverage for life with the expectation that we would go on Medicare when we turned 65. At that point our old employer pays the full cost of a Medicare supplemental plan.
BUT, with Medicare charging $185. per month for part B now, this amount is either deducted from someone's Social Security check or like in my case, receives a quarterly bill. I'm now frequently being asked why retired employees are forced to pay this when the employer contract clearly stipulates full medical coverage for life. At the same time I've had someone once tell me that an employer is forbidden to pay this cost per the Medicare rules.
Has anyone ever come across this problem? I'd love to be able to find some documentation that covers this requirement if it's indeed true. That $185. a month adds up to some real money. I realize I can contact my old employer regarding this question but I'd be interested to hear an unbiased answer or prior experience with this. Thanks for any comments or suggestions you might have.
BUT, with Medicare charging $185. per month for part B now, this amount is either deducted from someone's Social Security check or like in my case, receives a quarterly bill. I'm now frequently being asked why retired employees are forced to pay this when the employer contract clearly stipulates full medical coverage for life. At the same time I've had someone once tell me that an employer is forbidden to pay this cost per the Medicare rules.
Has anyone ever come across this problem? I'd love to be able to find some documentation that covers this requirement if it's indeed true. That $185. a month adds up to some real money. I realize I can contact my old employer regarding this question but I'd be interested to hear an unbiased answer or prior experience with this. Thanks for any comments or suggestions you might have.