My husband passed away, and we had Medicare and health insurance through his employer. Medicare was primary. What happens to my coverage now?
Answered by 8 licensed agents
If a spouse who had Medicare and group health insurance through their employer passes away, and the surviving beneficiary was a dependent on that group health insurance, the surviving beneficiary's Medicare stays active because Medicare is individual, however, the dependent coverage under the employer group health insurance would typically end due to the employee's death. This would be considered a Qualifying Life Event and would then trigger a Special Enrollment Period for the surviving Medicare beneficiary.
Because this is a significant life event and such a difficult time, he/she would want to contact their Medicare Agent for help and guidance to find out if they could and/or should switch plans or make a change in supplemental insurance.
If your Medicare was primary and your health coverage was through your late spouse's employer, your Medicare benefits will continue. Your employer coverage may end, but you may be eligible to continue it through COBRA or survivor retiree benefits, depending on the employer's plan. Contact the employer's benefits department as soon as possible to understand your options and any important deadlines.
I'm sorry for your loss. Your Medicare coverage will usually stay the same. But your spouse's employer plan may change or end. You may have options like COBRA or other coverage options available as well. That is why it's important to review your situation promptly to avoid a lapse in benefits.
Medicare will remain your primary insurance. If you lose the secondary insurance due to your husband's passing you will have just Medicare and just the Medicare premiums.
Often the employer will cancel the spouse's insurance effective immediately after the death of the employed spouse. They can offer you COBRA for a while. You will need to look into obtaining Medicare insurance to help cover what you are losing from the employer. Please give me a call.
Medicare will be primary, you should call the Cboc unit at social security to make sure to report cgange in insurance bemefits and get a supolemental plan in place and enroll in part d plan
