Any retired teachers posting on CD? (Arp: health insurance, school, pros and cons)

[loves2read]

Do you have TRS Care insurance?
What are you doing--staying with the Humana Advantage or withdrawing from TRS Care coverage and choosing a Medicare Medigap and Part D RX plan???

[TexasRedneck]

Wife's looking at it right now - or, I should say, she dropped it into MY lap! Guess that'll give me something to do this weekend....lol

[loves2read]

We decided we are going to have to leave
The meeting we went to last week was short on real financial info and full of ads for Humana Advantage
THS NEEDS Meficare eligible members to stay in their plan because that subsidizes the other members who either are too young (under 65 but retired) and the fewer numbers with no Medicare eligibility
The only way the legislsture will put its fair and delayed contribution into TRS Care likely is that TRS votes to merge with the state employee retirement system, start paying into SS and pool TRS trust/retirement fund w/the state's--which has better funded health benefits/ coverage but which is much under-funded for pension accountability

I dont think teachers will vote for that
And it would have to be vote of members not just TRS board I think
So the legislsture being GOP wont kick in enough money going forward to make big difference to cover its share if costs
Plan will cost more money next year
The idea there is no donut hole for drugs is misleading if your premiums and copays and out if pocket costs are higher in the plan than outside the plan (and ours would be) then the Humana Advantage makes you pay like there IS a donut hole

[loves2read]

FWIW--
We have decided to leave the group plan and get Medigap and Plan D RX
I don't think the GOP Legislature will do anything significant for TRS re the health care cost and next year is likely to be worse

I called TRS Care and spoke with a young woman--
She verified my membership and I told her my husband (onl my plan) and I were leaving TRS

He can't stay if I leave
I asked for the form to withdraw and asked specifically if we would get two forms--one each--or if we would have one w/both names on it--
Our insurance guy told us we had to ask for them, sign and get notarized and return
The person I spoke with said we would get one form with both our names
Form came today and it is only in my name

I don't know if this is just stupidity in action--
Usually when I have called TRS I get good info
Or if they are deliberately doing this to make it more difficult to leave the program
TRS Care NEEDS people like us with Medicare A and B to say in the program
Our costs subsidize other members

And right now there are SO MANY plans--AARP/United HealthCare, Cigna, and others that are cheaper and if you chose an F offer much better coverage
We can get a Plan D that is less expensive overall than our total costs through TRS Care

I know group plans are supposed to be better--and I went back into education/teaching later in life to do just that--retire with health insurance
My mistake was thinking my Texas legislature cared enough about teachers--

Teachers better wise up and vote Democratic
Their profession is being debased by GOP legislators who want to privatize education itself and don't care about their responsibility to the state's teachers...

[lonestar2007]

Dilemmas, dilemmas. You have just realized your situation is set up different (although everyone else has always known it) and of course like everything in life it has it's pros and cons, yet now you are unhappy with things and of course, that makes it the GOP's fault automatically. So vote Democrat because it will magically change everything into a wonderland for you.

Get real L2R. You were a teacher so obviously you know about homework. Take a dose of your own medicine and do like the rest of us - do your homework and quit blaming everyone else under the sun because you cannot do your due diligence for everyday life situations.

lol Yep, vote democrat! That automatically changes your difficulties with any decision making into a heavenly euphoric wonderland. Oh wait, daygum it, you mean it doesn't really? The country's already been there and done it and nope, it didn't work like they said, isn't that the real facts? Well, I'll be damned! Oh well, better to be democrat because at least you can't gripe and complain incessantly that it is the GOP's fault when the sky is falling down on your head, Nope, you just get to smile real big and purty and say, no worries, we got this covered.

Some people will always bring it around to where they can blame something or someone else for just any and everything that is just not 100% perfect in their life. I would say grow up, but oopsy, since I see you are of the age to be on Medicare, guess it's too late for that.

I will give you an A+ for always being able to insert your rah rah go democrat propaganda into any situation though. Such a true, loyal, faithful convert you are, I'll give you that. Problem is the rest of us are getting pretty tired of the continued (I mean never ending) moaning and groaning (about everything) from your camp.

[loves2read]

Your comments are a personal attack on me--

You don't bring any facts to the table to dispute my analysis

So I take that to mean you really can't provide any facts to dispute that the legislature has chosen two different standards in making contributions to the state employees' health care fund and the state's teachers' health care fund...

[TexasRedneck]

I have to wonder....if democrats are so wonderful, why aren't you on Obamacare anyway?

We both know the answer to that - it's even MORE expensive.

So much for feeling the Democrats love.

[lonestar2007]

[quote=loves2read;49968664]Your comments are a personal attack on me--

You don't bring any facts to the table to dispute my analysis

So I take that to mean you really can't provide any facts to dispute that the legislature has chosen two different standards in making contributions to the state employees' health care fund and the state's teachers' health care fund...[/QUOTE

"Your comments are a personal attack on me--" ??????????????????????????? :

"The only way the legislsture will put its fair and delayed contribution into TRS Care likely is that TRS votes to merge with the state employee retirement system, start paying into SS and pool TRS trust/retirement fund w/the state's--which has better funded health benefits/ coverage but which is much under-funded for pension accountability

I dont think teachers will vote for that
And it would have to be vote of members not just TRS board I think"

You seriously need to self-educate yourself about this matter, not try and place blame solely upon the GOP. It is just silly on your part to show ignorance about the entire situation like you are doing. Read the history before you make snap accusations. Also, while you're at it, why not make a chart and list the perks of a teacher's job along with the disadvantages. In other words, quit expecting life to be a solid bed of roses and quit using your hatred of the GOP to blame them every time you snag a toenail. That gets so old.

You also need to realize everyone is facing challenges, yet most people dig in and find the best solution for themselves, not go on a public forum and cry woe, woe and tell people to vote democrat so their lives will somehow be oh so much better off. It just amazes me, but I know it shouldn't - we should all be used to this attitude, but it's just . . damn . . I don't even know.

I'm so sorry you are unable to have the very best health care benefits possible with the lowest costs to you and also have the best trust/retirement plan possible. That is just horrible and so unfair. EVERYONE in America has it, so why not you Texas teachers. Yes, I can see why you are so upset. I would be too! Yes, blame the GOP, blame the school system, blame God, blame your mama and daddy. It's everyone else's fault that you can't have it all, you deserve it. Solution: VOTE DEMOCRAT. That'll kiss it and make it all better. lol

[Trainwreck20]

Ignoring most of whatever is going on above, the basic premise is:

- TRS is likely financially solvent - the cost of the health program is paid for by the premiums (and deposits over the years) paid by the members.
- Medicare is not really 'solvent' - much more goes out than goes in. Obviously, that is 'cheaper' for people in the system. You get more than you have paid for and the difference is just part of the national deficit/debt.
- The ACA attempts to balance the cost over a life time, essentially making you pay your expected lifetime health cost over your lifetime. Pretty much everybody hates this - you (the individual) pay more (because you can't 'push' your high cost years completely into the black-hole of medicare as you get older), and insurance companies hate being forced to insure 'everybody' and not selectively excluding high-risk individuals.
- Essentially, health insurance is currently set up to suck up easy money from low-risk individuals while counting on the government to indirectly (medicare, medicaid, medical defaults) to deal with the 'ugly' stuff and either not really pay it at all (deficit) or have the public pay it anyway via taxes.

So, yes, individually, you have to make the best financial choice for yourself. As a society, we probably should figure out how to make our overall system truly 'solvent' instead of a continued downward spiral...