Medicare and drug coverage

Medicare Basics Other Insurances

How Other Insurance Works with Medicare Drug Coverage

Employer or Union Health Coverage -


This is health coverage based on your, your spouse’s, or other family member's current or former employment.



If you have prescription drug coverage based on employment, your employer or union will notify you each year to let you know if your drug coverage is creditable. Keep the information you get. Call your benefits administrator for more information before making any changes to your coverage.


COBRA -


This is a Federal law that may allow you to temporarily keep employer or union health coverage after the employment ends or after you lose coverage as a dependent of the covered employee.


There may be reasons why you should take Part B instead of COBRA. However, if you take COBRA and it includes creditable prescription drug coverage, you will have a special enrollment period to join a Medicare drug plan without paying a penalty when the COBRA coverage ends. Talk with your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) to see if COBRA is a good choice for you.


Medigap (Medicare Supplement Insurance) Policy with Prescription Drug Coverage -


Medigap policies are no longer sold with prescription drug coverage, but if you have drug coverage under a current Medigap policy, you can keep it. But you may want to join a Medicare drug plan instead, because most Medigap drug coverage isn’t creditable.



If you join a Medicare drug plan, your Medigap insurance company must remove the prescription drug coverage under your Medigap policy and adjust your premiums. Call your Medigap insurance company for more information.