Medicare and other health insurance

You may have other health insurance along with Medicare. Understanding how these plans coordinate can help you decide which coverage is most suitable for your particular situation.

Below are some common forms of other insurance you may have because:

• you work, or your spouse works;
• you have continuation coverage under COBRA or CalCOBRA;
• you bought an individual health insurance policy before going on Medicare; or
• you are a Veteran.

The rules for how these plans coordinate and for which health plan pays first can be very complicated. If you have questions about how your health plans work together, contact your local Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP) at 1-800-434-0222 for more information.

In this section:

1. Coverage while you and/or your spouse works - Learn about your Medicare coverage options, including your option to delay Medicare enrollment while you or your spouse works.
2. Insurance through COBRA and CalCOBRA - Review how Medicare works with your COBRA coverage.
3. Individual health insurance - Learn how this insurance may or may not coordinate with Medicare.
4. Retiree plans - Understand the variations in retire plans, and how they coordinate with Medicare and Medicare’s prescription drug benefits.
5. Coverage for Veterans and people with TRICARE for Life - Review additional coverage options for Veterans, military retirees and their families.
6. Resources - Fact sheets and helpful resources related to other health insurance.

Also see our current news articles on Medicare and other health insurance

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