Retiree health coverage and Medicare
Usually secondary to Medicare. Sometimes impossible to get back.
If a former employer or union offers retiree health coverage, it can be valuable alongside Medicare. But it works differently from coverage while you're working, and decisions about it can be hard to undo.
How it works with Medicare
- Retiree coverage usually pays second, after Medicare.
- Most plans expect you to have Part A and Part B, and may pay nothing for costs Part B would have paid if you don't.
- Retiree coverage doesn't let you delay Part B without a penalty.
- Some employers provide retiree coverage through a Medicare Advantage plan designed for their retirees.
Before you change anything
- Ask whether joining a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan on your own would end your retiree coverage, and whether it would end coverage for your spouse too.
- Ask whether you could get the coverage back if you drop it. Often you can't.
- Check whether its drug coverage is creditable.
- Compare the total cost with Medigap and Part D.
If your retiree coverage ends
If your former employer ends retiree coverage that paid after Medicare, you may have a guaranteed issue right to buy certain Medigap policies and a Special Enrollment Period to join a drug plan.
Common questions
Usually yes. Retiree coverage generally pays after Medicare and may require you to have Part B.
Often not, if the retiree plan covers the gaps well. Compare what it pays with what a Medigap plan would.
Want help with your own choices?
Every state runs a State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) with trained counselors who give free, unbiased Medicare help and do not sell plans. Find yours on our Medicare by state pages, or call Medicare at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) (TTY 1-877-486-2048, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week).
Planning the rest of your coverage in retirement? We can help with life insurance later in life and final expense coverage.
Sources
- How Medicare Works with Other Insurance, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Checked September 29, 2026.
- Working past 65, Medicare.gov. Checked September 29, 2026.
- Choosing a Medigap Policy (March 2026), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Checked September 29, 2026.
General information about the federal Medicare program, not advice about your situation. Figures are for 2026 unless stated and change every year; last reviewed September 29, 2026. Quote My Policy is a private company. Not connected with or endorsed by the United States government or the federal Medicare program.
Quote My Policy does not sell Medicare plans on this site. For plan-specific help, contact Medicare at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) (TTY 1-877-486-2048, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week) or your State Health Insurance Assistance Program.