As thousands of workers turn 65 everyday, Benefit and HR Managers will be fielding more questions regarding Medicare.

Over the years, I have seen well-meaning Benefit Managers and HR professionals give inaccurate advice about Medicare that became very costly to their employees. First and foremost, Medicare is very complicated and every individual’s situation is different based on their health status, income, and if they need to cover dependents. For some individuals, it may be best to completely transition to Medicare and get off their employer’s plans. For others that could be a very costly decision long term.

The only way to determine what is best for each employee is to do a comprehensive benefit and cost comparison of their current employer sponsored plan, verses signing up for Medicare and getting a supplement plan.

The best way to help yourself and your employees with Medicare is by establishing a relationship with an independent, third party Medicare Specialist who can properly represent and advise the employee at no cost to them or you. This provides the employee a Medicare expert and relieves you of the liability of giving out inaccurate information that could come back to bite you and your employee.

Just think how nice it will be next time you have an employee ask a questions about Medicare. You can give the employee my contact information and the link to my website and know they will be well taken care of and you will be their hero.

Important things you need to know about Medicare and your employee:

Most individuals should enroll in Medicare Part A (Hospital Coverage) because it requires no premium. Medicare Part B (Medical Services) must be elected and a monthly premium is paid. The Medicare Part B premium is based on the individual’s income and could range from $164.90 to $560.50 a month. It is normally best to delay signing up for Medicare part B if the employee is going to continue on the company’s health insurance.

By law, you cannot encourage an employee to leave the company health plan and move to Medicare, even if it is their best solution. If the employee is participating in a HSA plan, they must delay both Medicare Parts A and B.

The company’s medical plan will be primary and the employee’s Medicare will be secondary. If you have less than 20 employees the employee will need to transition to Medicare because Medicare will be primary.

If you have questions about Medicare you can contact Greg Downing at (512) 656-9378 or [email protected].

Greg Downing is a 5 star rated Licensed Insurance Professional at Texas Medicare Advisors in Austin, Texas. He has helped thousands of individuals with Medicare and individual health plans. His Medicare expertise is utilized by many financial and insurance professionals to help their clients transition to Medicare.

Texas Medicare Advisors is an independent agency and is not connected with or endorsed by the United States government or the federal Medicare program. This information is designed to provide a general overview with regard to the subject matter covered and is not state specific. The authors, publisher and host are not providing legal, accounting or specific advice for your situation. This information has been provided by a Licensed Insurance Professional and does not necessarily represent the views of the presenting insurance professional. The statements and opinions expressed are those of the author and are subject to change at any time. All information is believed to be from reliable sources; however, presenting insurance professional makes no representation as to its completeness or accuracy. This material has been prepared for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide, and should not be relied upon for, accounting, legal, tax or investment advice.