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Turning 65

Are you retiring or nearing your 65th birthday? If so, it's time to explore Medicare coverage and prepare to enroll in a plan that's right for you. 

Learn more about how to Ease into Medicare

There are some steps you can take before your 65th birthday to prepare you for Medicare.

Open enrollment period before retirement:

  • You and your dependents must be enrolled in the HCSC health plan while you are an active employee to continue coverage as a retiree.

Note: You can only enroll in coverage during Open Enrollment or if you experience a qualified status change before retirement.

  • If you will be age 65 at the time of retirement or soon thereafter, you will need to enroll in both Medicare Parts A & B. 

3 months prior to retirement:

  • Plan to use any remaining Diversity Days. Diversity Days will not be paid out to you upon retirement. (PTO days accrued will be paid out at time of retirement)
  • Contact Prudential Retirement about payment and tax consequences on any outstanding 401(k) loan. 

1 month prior to retirement:

  • Contact Employee Services to inform them of your decision to retire. Now is your chance to bring up any questions regarding health and dental coverage. Open an AskHR case in myHR.
  • Begin thinking about your other benefits and converting the coverage, if applicable.
  • Update myHR or open an AskHR case to update your personal information (email address, phone number, etc.) if needed before your last day with HCSC.

Please Note: If you are approaching age 65 and will be planning to enroll in one of HCSC’s Retiree Group Medicare plans upon retirement, it is important to be sure you are enrolled in Medicare Parts A & B. Retirees must have both Parts A and Part B to enroll in an HCSC Retiree Group Medicare plan like the HCSC Medicare retiree options. Your Medicare effective date and 11-character Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI), located on your red, white and blue card will be required for enrollment.

Annual Open Enrollment Period

As an HCSC retiree, you have multiple Retiree Group Medicare plan options. You can switch plans during the Annual Open Enrollment period if you find your current plan isn’t meeting your needs. 

Last Updated: 11022021
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