Gary Russell to Shirlee Zerkel: No hidden agenda here

Gary Russell to Shirlee Zerkel, February 19, 2007

Subject: Questions about 65 and over retirees

Shirlee,

I hope that you have found through my responses to your questions during the past few years that I have always been open and honest with the answers even though at times the answer wasn’t the one you were hoping for.

In regards to the answers below, I was mistaken about the nonresident aliens, if someone is eligible for Medicare Part A, she is also eligible for Part B.

Concerning retirees enrolled in Part A only, STRS Ohio coordinates benefits with the employer plan since the employer plan is primary for the member who has chosen to only enroll in free Part A since she is also getting coverage through an employer plan. I also want to point out that while some members choose not to enroll in Part B because of having employer coverage, STRS Ohio health care information still advises members that if they are eligible for Part B they must enroll in it. If they don’t we still only pay what we would have paid if the member was enrolled in Part B. In other words the STRS Ohio program is not harmed by someone electing to enroll in an employer plan rather than Part B. As shown by the enrollment statistics, this is a very small group.

Shirlee, please realize that there is no hidden agenda on my part concerning these groups. You asked me a statistical question concerning the number of people who have Medicare Part A, Part B or both. I attempted to give you a full answer by providing the numbers of enrollees in each of these groups.

Gary