Champva

[Papa]

Need help with Champva. I retired from the Government and kept my health insurance (Humana HMO). My wife had to retire from her job due to Cancer, and has been on Social Security Disability for about 10 years. She is now 63. She automatically got a Medicare Part A card.

Now, Champva wants her to get Part B before they will complete the processing of the application. I have also heard that Part B would be the primary payer, humana second and then champva.

My effective date for my 100% P&T was Feb 16, 2010, and I had hopes of getting some of the wife's co-payments reimbursed, but it does not look like it now. Is it a waste of time to even complete the champva application?

I can not give up the humana insurance due to my son.

Papa

[georgiapapa]

Papa,

My wife is 62 and just recently signed up for Champva. I am also a federal retiree with Blue Cross PPO.

My wife will have to sign up for Medicare when she turns 65 but she did not have to sign up at this time.

Blue Cross will be her primary insurance and Champva is her secondary. When she turns 65 Medicare will be the primary. We are in the process of gathering up all of my wife's Blue Cross EOBs for submission to Champva for reimbursement of her copays back to the effective date of my 100% P & T award.

I am not sure if this is correct but I have been told that when my wife goes on Medicare she can suspend her Blue Cross coverage and use her Medicare and Champva which will usually pay 100% of her medical expenses. I was also told that she should not cancel her Blue Cross coverage but only suspend it which would permit her to go back on Blue Cross at a future date if necessary. Again, I am not sure if this is correct or not but I am going to check with OPM. If it is true, I will pay only be paying Blue Cross premiums on myself rather than family coverage.

My mother has been on Champva for years and I think it is the best health insurance you can have. All of her doctors take it. She pays no premiums and only has a $50.00 annual deductible. Between her medicare and Champva, she rarely pays anything out of pocket except for her Medicare part B premiums, Medicare deductible and Champva deductible. I totally agree with other hadit members who would like to see veterans receive Champva insurance.

Good luck to you and your wife.

Georgiapapa...

[deanbrt]

My wife is 67 and she is on CHAMPVA. She has to get Medicare Part B and they become the primary but, if I remember right, it goes through CHAMPVA and they bill medicare. She was able to get a retro check for all of her co-pays and deductibles back to my EED and it was a very nice check. She gets all of her medications through CHAMPVA mail order with no co=pay. She pays the $50 deductible annual and Part B monthly and nothing else. I think Berta e mailed one time orthopedics is an issue.

Sign up asap!!!

[Teac]

Ok Like I said all one has to do is a quick search on the internet to find out if the laws require your wife to purchase Medicare Part B.

Yes, she is required to Purchase part B.

Here is the link with a simple chart explaining this; See the first question which answers your specific question....

http://www.va.gov/hac/factsheets/champva/FactSheet04-01.pdf

I think Champva will also cover your son unless he is over 26.

Edited January 27, 2013 by Teac

[john999]

If you die as federal retiree and your wife is not part of family plan for BC/BS or any other health plan she will not be able to get back on federal health insurance plan. This is in the fine print. My wife will be dropping BC/BS when she gets medicare since she has ChampVA. Otherwise, ChampVA would pay nothing since medicare will become primary, BC seconday and ChampVA final payer. Family plan for BC/BS costs me $433 a month which is OK for now, but it is only going to get more expensive.

[Papa]

Thanks everyone. It looks like the wife will need to get Part B. I will keep my Humana. Life goes on, and life is good

Papa