Medicare As Primary Insurance

[JoelT]

Has anyone had any experience with what insurance is primary if they have medicare and their spouse has a policy through her work place?

Joel

[1gtown]

Hi Joel - I've worked in health care/insurance for many years and most all employers who sponsor medical benefits require coordination of benefits (COB) that would seek to put Medicare as the primary payer for the employee and/or their dependents and the employer would pay secondary. Your spouse's plan should describe how the plan addresses COB in the Summary Plan Description (SPD), which is more detailed than just the medical benefit description that is provided to employees. Your spouse can request the SPD from HR.

Dana

[tjdillon]

My experience has been that once one becomes eligible for Medicare, most insurance companies will consider Medicare to be your primary insurance and any other carrier secondary or supplemental. Call your spouse's carrier to be sure how they work.