New Resources Available to Help Participants Plan for Health Care Benefits in Retirement

A new BA Guide page, along with other resources, has been launched to help benefits administrators prepare participants for the timely decisions and actions they will need to make to ensure they have the necessary benefit coverage, including Medicare and Social Security, during retirement. The Planning for Health Care Benefits in Retirement page, under the Life & Employment Events section, is the new central hub for information and resources on issues related to this topic. Current resources, which focus primarily on employees and retirees under age 65, include:

• A frequently asked questions document for benefits administrators
• A participant checklist
• Decision trees, which help participants walk through decisions and actions based on answering “Yes” or “No” to questions for their specific situation

This educational content was developed based on input from benefits administrators from last year’s Interact Conference breakout session, “Benefits in Retirement: What You Need to Know as Your Participants Plan for the Future,” as well as other feedback. New materials will be added, and the BA Guide page will expand, as we address other affected groups (e.g., employees retiring after Medicare eligibility or employees on long-term disability) and related issues in the future.

Yesterday’s “Planning for Health Care Benefits in Retirement” webinar is the first in this series. Thank you to the over 300 attendees who joined us. A recording of the webinar will be posted to the BA Guide page and announced in NRECA Employee Benefits Weekly when it’s available.