Beef Up Your TRS-Care Coverage (Part 1)

An Overview

As public servants who typically devote years or decades of service and unparalleled commitment to the task of educating a new generation, teachers are often viewed as underpaid.

Fortunately, teachers are usually compensated at least in part through summers off and benefits packages that many other Americans aren’t fortunate enough to receive.

In Texas, retired teachers receive benefits through the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), and Texas teachers’ healthcare benefits are administered through TRS-Care.

Normally, eligibility for TRS-Care requires at least 10 years of service credit in TRS at the time of retirement. Up to five years of military service credit may be counted toward the TRS-Care credit requirement.

According to the TRS Benefits Handbook, you must also meet one of these requirements at the time of retirement to qualify for enrollment in TRS-Care:

      • the sum of your age and years of service credit in TRS equals or exceeds 80, regardless of whether you had a reduction in the retirement annuity for early age (years of service credit can include all purchased service); or
      • you have 30 or more years of service credit in the retirement system (years of service credit can include all purchased service).

Under certain conditions, surviving spouses and surviving dependent children of retired teachers may also be eligible for TRS-Care.

Former teachers who retired due to disability are not required to meet the 10-year service credit requirement in order to enroll for the first time in TRS-Care.

TRS-Care does not have annual enrollment periods, and there is no guarantee you’ll be able to enroll later if you choose not to enroll when you first become eligible.

TRS-Care is a network-oriented health benefit program. If you use health providers who are part of the TRS-Care statewide and national network, the plan generally reimburses you for 80% of eligible expenses after your annual deductible is met. For current Medicare recipients, TRS-Care deductibles range from $300 to $3,000 per year depending on the plan. For families, annual deductibles range from $600 to $6,000.

Though TRS-Care offers some good basic coverage to retired Texas teachers, did you know over two pages in the TRS-Care Group Plan Handbook are devoted to health services that aren’t covered by TRS-Care? If you’re a Medicare-eligible individual looking for ways to beef up your healthcare coverage, MedicareMall just may have some suggestions you need.

If you have any questions about Original Medicare (Medicare Part A and Part B), Medicare Supplement Plans, Medicare Advantage, or Prescription Drug Plans, MedicareMall is at your service. For the best healthcare coverage at the very best price, why not give MedicareMall a call today?

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