Medicare and other health insurance
You may have other health insurance along with Medicare 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.
Understanding the rules for how these plans coordinate and for which health plan pays first can be very complicated. See the sections below for information on these common forms of other insurance and how they work with Medicare. If you have questions, contact your local Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP) at 1-800-434-0222 for more information.
Note: For information on Medigap policies and Medicare Advantage plans (i.e. HMOs, Private-Fee-For-Service plans, etc.), see our Supplementing Medicare and Medicare Advantage sections.
In this section:
- 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.
- Insurance through COBRA and CalCOBRA - Review how Medicare works with your COBRA coverage.
- Individual health insurance - Learn how this insurance may or may not coordinate with Medicare.
- Retiree plans - Understand the variations in retire plans, and how they coordinate with Medicare and Medicare’s prescription drug benefits.
- Coverage for Veterans and people with TRICARE for Life - Review additional coverage options for Veterans, military retirees and their families.
- Resources - Fact sheets and helpful resources related to other health insurance.
Related Links
Page updated July 16, 2008
