According to the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), TRS-Care plan participants who do not terminate their TRS-Care coverage by November 9 will be auto-enrolled into the new Humana and SilverScript (CVS) health care plan. November 9 is the cutoff date for the enrollment file TRS will submit to Humana, SilverScript (CVS) and the federal agency known as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS).
Some members of TRTA have expressed confusion about the meaning of the November 9 deadline. To be clear, TRS-Care participants are eligible to leave TRS-Care at any time*. However, if a participant has not notified TRS of their intent to terminate TRS-Care coverage by November 9, they will receive a TRS-Care Medicare Advantage and Part D ID card in the mail.
If a participant finds that they have been enrolled into TRS-Care Medicare Advantage and Part D and wishes to leave the program, the participant should contact TRS. The participant should also contact TRS if they have already purchased another policy for themselves or their spouse. To reach TRS-Care, please call 1-888-237-6762.
If the participant is a retiree and wishes to terminate TRS-Care coverage, they will need to request a specific form (700B), which must be customized and mailed to the participant from TRS-Care. To cancel TRS-Care by January 1, 2018, the form must be notarized and mailed back to TRS-Care. While the language on the form references a 14-day period, TRS will honor the termination date on the form as long as it is received before the termination date.
Form language: Termination will be effective [fill in blank] if my completed form is received by TRS-Care within 14 days of the date printed on this form. If not received within this 14-day period, termination will become effective on the first day of the month after it is received.
If the participant is terminating TRS-Care coverage for a spouse or dependent, they should send a signed letter to TRS clearly identifying whose coverage should be terminated and the date by which the coverage should be terminated. Retirees will not need a notarized form to terminate coverage for a spouse or dependent.
*Under CMS rules, if a Medicare-eligible retiree decides to leave TRS-Care, the retiree has 63 days starting from January 1, 2018 to select a Medicare product from the individual marketplace with guaranteed issue status. It is important to note that if a participant leaves TRS-Care after the 63-day guaranteed issue period, they may encounter underwriting in the individual Medicare market.
Learn more about the upcoming changes to TRS-Care by reading the TRS-Care FAQ.
Gracias
La línea interior is a free service of TRTA, provided to you to keep you informed on current issues and events that impact your life. If you value this service, please consider becoming a member of TRTA haciendo clic aquí. If you are already a member, thank you!
Asegúrate de Danos like en facebook, Síganos en Twitter y suscríbete a nuestro canal de youtube.
