Health coverage, for life.
The latest additions.
Medicare Advantage Claim Denied: Appeals and Grievances
Your Medicare Advantage plan denied a claim. The 65-day appeal, the automatic independent review, grievances, and when to call for help.
Form L564: Medicare Part B After You Retire
Form CMS-L564 proves job-based coverage so you can get Part B without a penalty. Why a federal retiree’s 8-month clock starts at retirement.
Spouse Has Employer Coverage: Drop FEHB or Keep Self Only?
Your spouse’s employer plan does not count toward the FEHB five-year rule. Why keeping Self Only protects retiree health coverage.
OPM Is Asking Whether to Cut the Number of FEHB Plans
A September 15 request for information asks whether FEHB carriers should offer more, fewer, or different plan options. Nothing changes for 2027.
New to this? Read these first.
Medicare Part B at 65 for Federal Retirees: The $2,400 Decision
The Part B enrollment decision, the 2026 IRMAA brackets, the PSHB mandate for postal retirees, the 10% per year penalty math, and the situations where Part B is genuinely worth $2,400+ per year.
The FEHB 5-Year Rule for Retirement: What Federal Employees Need to Know
5 U.S.C. § 8905(b), the rule’s mechanics, the TRICARE strategy that keeps the backdoor open, the OPM “skip-over” example, and the lifetime value of $500,000+ in government premium support.
Medicare Enrollment Timing & the Lifetime Late Penalties (2026)
Miss your Medicare window and the Part B penalty is 10% a year, forever. The IEP, SEP, and GEP rules, the retiree-FEHB trap, and a penalty calculator.
The Part B decision
2027 IRMAA Brackets Preview: What Your 2025 Income Already Decided
The final 2026 brackets, how the 2027 thresholds are indexed, projected 2027 tiers and Part B premiums, the federal-income table, the SSA-44 appeal — with a 2027 surcharge estimator.
Medicare Part B at 65 for Federal Retirees: The $2,400 Decision
The Part B enrollment decision, the 2026 IRMAA brackets, the PSHB mandate for postal retirees, the 10% per year penalty math, and the situations where Part B is genuinely worth $2,400+ per year.
Medicare Enrollment Timing & the Lifetime Late Penalties (2026)
Miss your Medicare window and the Part B penalty is 10% a year, forever. The IEP, SEP, and GEP rules, the retiree-FEHB trap, and a penalty calculator.
The Medicare Part B Late-Enrollment Penalty
Why FEHB shields you only while working, the spouse trap, and the enrollment windows — with a calculator for the lifetime cost of a delay.
Medicare Part B Givebacks: Which 2026 FEHB Plans Reimburse Your Premium
Several FEHB plans pay back $800–$1,200 of your Part B premium, and some MA plans reimburse more. Which plans, how to claim, and a break-even calculator.
FEHB in retirement
Spouse Has Employer Coverage: Drop FEHB or Keep Self Only?
Your spouse’s employer plan does not count toward the FEHB five-year rule. Why keeping Self Only protects retiree health coverage.
Why FEHB Costs More After You Retire
Your FEHB premium stays the same in retirement, but premium conversion ends, so you pay it with after-tax money.
FSAFEDS in Your Final Working Year
Your health care FSA ends on your retirement date and retirees cannot re-enroll. How to size the election and avoid forfeiting money.
Moving in Retirement: When You Must Change FEHB Plans
Moving out of an HMO’s service area lets you change FEHB plans outside Open Season. The window and the right plan for snowbirds.
Survivor FEHB: What Your Spouse Actually Keeps When You Die
FEHB does not pass automatically. It rides on two elections — a survivor annuity and a family-tier enrollment — and getting either wrong ends coverage 31 days after your death, permanently.
Coordinating Medicare & FEHB
Medicare Advantage Claim Denied: Appeals and Grievances
Your Medicare Advantage plan denied a claim. The 65-day appeal, the automatic independent review, grievances, and when to call for help.
Form L564: Medicare Part B After You Retire
Form CMS-L564 proves job-based coverage so you can get Part B without a penalty. Why a federal retiree’s 8-month clock starts at retirement.
Medicare Part D and FEHB: Do Federal Retirees Need It? (2026)
FEHB drug coverage means no Part D penalty, but the new $2,100 out-of-pocket cap changed the math. How the FEHB EGWP works, when to opt out, and a calculator.
Suspending FEHB for Medicare Advantage: Keep Your Way Back (2026)
Federal retirees can suspend FEHB for a Medicare Advantage plan and keep the right to return. Suspend vs cancel, RI 79-9, re-enrollment, and a calculator.
Medicare vs. Medicare Advantage: How to Choose in 2026
Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage — plus the FEHB-sponsored third path most feds never hear about. The 2026 trade-offs, the one-way-door warning, and a “which fits you” priorities matcher.
Coverage gaps & costs
OPM Is Asking Whether to Cut the Number of FEHB Plans
A September 15 request for information asks whether FEHB carriers should offer more, fewer, or different plan options. Nothing changes for 2027.
TrumpRx for FEHB Enrollees: When It Actually Saves Money
TrumpRx sells select drugs at discounted cash prices, but purchases do not count toward your FEHB deductible or out-of-pocket limit.
FEHB During Leave Without Pay
Your FEHB can continue for up to 365 days of leave without pay, but your share of the premium becomes a debt. How to pay it and protect the five-year rule.
Retiring Abroad as a Federal Annuitant
FEHB follows you but works differently — you pay providers and claim reimbursement. Medicare covers nothing outside the US. Your annuity is still taxable, and the FEIE does not help.
GLP-1 Coverage in FEHB: What Changes for 2027
Every plan must cover at least one, but 2027 adds a documented behavioral therapy requirement before and during coverage — and the drug tier matters more than the premium line.
Retiring at 57: The Eight Years to Medicare, and How to Pay for Them
A fixed annuity, no COLA until 62, FEHB premiums rising every January, and the supplement ending halfway through. What it costs, why FEHB still beats every alternative, the after-tax premium change, and the IRMAA decision at 63.
FEHB 2027: What’s Already Decided (and What You’re Still Waiting On)
OPM’s March 2026 call letter already locked in several FEHB and PSHB changes for plan year 2027 — even though premiums aren’t announced until fall. Here’s what’s settled, what’s still pending, and how to prepare for Open Season.
What Medicare Doesn’t Cover: The Gaps and How to Fill Them (2026)
Dental, vision, hearing, long-term care — and no out-of-pocket cap. Every gap, what each costs, how to fill it, and the federal FEHB advantage.
The most-asked questions, answered
- Do I have to enroll in Medicare at 65? Part A: usually yes (it’s free for those who paid in). Part B: depends on whether you keep FEHB.
- Can I keep FEHB in retirement? Yes, if continuously enrolled for the 5 years immediately before retirement.
- What’s PSHB? The new postal-worker health program that replaced FEHB for USPS employees and retirees in January 2025.
- What about TRICARE for military retirees? Free at age 65 with Medicare Part B enrollment.
- What is IRMAA? A Medicare premium surcharge for higher-income retirees. Income thresholds are cliffs, not slopes.
The full federal retirement picture
FEHB & Medicare is the healthcare layer. The FERS & CSRS pillar covers your pension. The TSP pillar covers your retirement savings. The Social Security pillar covers claiming strategy. The Tax Strategy pillar covers how each income stream is taxed.
Explore the FERS & CSRS pillar →