Northwest Carpenters Health and Security Plan

Medicare 

Medicare includes:

• Part A (hospital insurance) which helps cover inpatient hospital care, skilled nursing facility care, home health care, and hospice care.
• Part B (medical insurance) which helps cover physician services and outpatient hospital care. It may also cover some services that Medicare Part A does not cover. A monthly premium is generally required for Medicare Part B. A deductible is also required before Medicare starts to pay. Retirees and dependent spouses should enroll in Medicare Part B when eligible because the benefits of this plan are provided as if actually enrolled in Medicare Part B.
• Part C (Medicare Advantage Plans) is the part of Medicare policy that allows private health insurance companies to provide Medicare benefits. These Medicare private health plans, such as HMOs and PPOs, are known as Medicare Advantage Plans.
• Part D (prescription drug coverage) which helps cover prescription drugs. A monthly premium is generally required for Medicare Part D.

You are eligible to enroll in Medicare if:

• You are age 65 or older;
• You are under age 65 and receiving disability benefits from Social Security or the Railroad Retirement Board. (There may be a waiting period before commencement of Medicare); or
• You have end-stage renal disease (ESRD).

Medicare Enrollment

Eligible participants are automatically enrolled in Medicare Part A. However, enrollment in Medicare Part B is not always automatic. If a retiree or dependent of a retiree is eligible for Medicare Part B, benefits under this plan are provided as if the retiree or a dependent is enrolled in Medicare Part B, regardless of whether they actually enroll. Accordingly, it is very important that you enroll in Medicare Part B when you are eligible.

If you or a dependent is under age 65 and covered by Medicare you must submit proof of Medicare eligibility.

Please notify Northwest Carpenters Trusts in writing within 30 days of receipt of notification of Medicare eligibility.

If you or a dependent have end-stage renal disease you should also enroll in Medicare. Different enrollment rules may apply and you should contact Social Security for information.

Importance of Enrollment in Medicare

If you are covered under Retiree Coverage, it is important for you to enroll in Medicare Part A and Part B as soon as you are eligible:

• You pay a lower monthly contribution rate for Retiree Coverage if you are eligible for Medicare Part A and Part B.
• If you do not enroll in Medicare, it increases your out-of-pocket expenses because the amount of benefits that would have been payable by Medicare will be subtracted from this plan’s payable benefits, even if you are not enrolled in Medicare Part A and Part B (please see Coordination of Benefits).
• If you do not enroll in Medicare when first eligible, you incur a penalty for your Medicare premium for as long as you have Part B coverage.
• Medicare Part D (prescription drug coverage) is provided under Retiree Coverage.

SecureHorizons

The Board of Trustees negotiated a special benefit package for Medicare-entitled retirees and dependents permanently living in the SecureHorizons service area. This plan provides benefits for services and supplies otherwise covered by Medicare, as well as prescription drugs, routine vision care, and dental care. Coverage under this plan also provides life insurance benefits through the Northwest Carpenters Health and Security Plan. If you have coverage through SecureHorizons, no coverage is provided by the Northwest Carpenters Health and Security Plan, except life insurance coverage.

To enroll in SecureHorizons, please contact Northwest Carpenters Trusts for a SecureHorizons Enrollment Kit and Application. If you are not eligible for Medicare at this time, you will be notified of this option when you become eligible for Medicare. Plan benefits are described in a separate document mailed to SecureHorizons enrollees.

SecureHorizons is only available to the extent permitted by the contract between United Healthcare and the Centers For Medicare and Medicaid (CMS).

Last Updated: 10/30/2023