Medicare and Health Care

As I understand it, if you retire on disability prior to age 65, you become eligible for Medicare (similar to as if you were age 65). If you receive SS, you are automatically enrolled, but you can disenroll if you wish. Part A is free but Part B requires a premium. If you are not now enrolled in Part B but enroll later, you will pay a 10 % penalty in addition to the premium for each year not enrolled, but if you wait to age 65, you will get another opportunity to enroll without penalty.

In recent years some FEHB plans reimburse subscribers with Part B part or all of the Part B premium, Blue Cross Basic is one such plan. I don't recall any discussion at this web site whether such reimbursement is available to disability retirees but I suspect it does. If I were in your situation I would ask BC Basic or one of the other reimbursing plans to learn whether this is correct.

I would also would subscribe to the Checkbook's open season Guide (https://www.checkbook.org/newhig2/hig.cfm). If you are eligible for Part B premium reimbursement, I think the Checkbook system would take this into account if you input your age age 65 or more when you answer its questions, it would then give you estimates for the various plans for total expenses (premiums -net of premium reimbursement- and out of pocket copay expenses), that you could then use as a basis for selecting a plan that fits your needs (possibly saving big $ in healthcare expenses next year). You can see data both ways (having Part A only or having both Parts A and B), then get a good view of projected expenses including particularly how you would fare with with a plan that reimburses Part B premiums.

In post 17 above on this thread, Sante123 described one such plan and he/she initiated an entire thread on that plan under the FEHB section of this forum. Sante123 has volumes of information on the subjects of fehb/Medicare and I think said in the other thread, he/she enrolled in that plan. That says a lot about whether it's a good deal.