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800-564-1856 419-624-1856
Got Medicare? Ask Patricia...
OPERS transitioned their retirees to Medicare as of
January 1, 2016. What this means is that OPERS will no
longer sponsor a group Medicare Advantage plan or a
Medicare Part D prescription drug plan. Instead,
OPERS
will provide eligible retirees with an allowance
to use
toward the purchase of an individual Medicare Advantage
or Medicare Supplemental plan and a Medicare Part D
prescription drug plan.
This transition has been difficult for the retiree. It requires
the retiree to understand their Medicare options, and learn
the HRA (
H
ealth
R
eimbursement
A
ccount) allowance and
the reimbursement process. OPERS has chosen One
Exchange as their Third Party Administrator to manage
the retiree’s HRA process and provide agents, called
Licensed Benefit Advisors.
The allowance works like this. The key step to
receiving the monthly allowance is,
the retiree must
select a medical plan through One Exchange.
Then
One Exchange opens the Health Reimbursement
Account (HRA) and sets up an automatic
reimbursement. The retiree pays the insurance
provider direct, and One Exchange reimburses the
retiree from the HRA into the retiree’s designated
bank account. Any remaining balance in the HRA
can be used for other medical expenses which are
either recurring or one-time items.
The OPERS retirees are figuring it out and asking good
questions. So how does the retiree submit a claim? What
is the balance in my HRA? Why are my claims not being
reimbursed to the bank account that I designated to use? I
don’t use a computer, how do I monitor my HRA balance?
For answers to the retiree’s specific questions on their
HRA, they must contact One Exchange at 1-844-287-
9945.
Helping you with Medicare,
Patricia Whited Stineman
Patricia Whited Stineman, MSIG CSA, Certified OSHIIP Medicare Counselor
OPERS UPDATE! HRA Allowance
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