Recent changes to health insurance plans for New Jersey retired public workers & teachers, have led to confusion and many questions. Here is some information to help you to understand your choices. Nov. 30th is the deadline for some health plans to return to prior coverage!

New Jersey Retired Public Worker or Retired Teachers, What to do?

1: Go to www.savemybenefitsnj.com to choose what insurance you want, including returning to traditional Medicare.
2: Please “Like” and share the Facebook page Save My Benefits NJ to help get the word out.

Throughout the state, we continue to hear about large numbers of unhappy and confused state workers and teachers who are being put into the new Aetna Medicare Advantage plan. Many are not fully aware or knowledgeable about the changes or other coverage options available to them.

Horizon Medicare Advantage will be gone, replaced by the new Aetna Medicare Advantage plan on Jan. 1st. However, many do not realize they have various options, including opting out of the new plan and returning to traditional Medicare which so many New Jersey retirees enjoyed for years with a supplement as a secondary.

The coverage has been confirmed to be different (although purported to be “similar”). We now have further confirmation that pre-certifications/authorizations that were not in place with the Horizon Medicare Advantage are now being put in place with the Aetna Medicare Advantage, essentially having the insurance carrier – not your health provider — making medical decisions on some services.

Many state workers and teachers have complained that the Aetna network is completely different from the Horizon network and have completed forms to change their insurance back to the traditional Medicare with a Horizon supplement, similar to what they had in the past. You can, too.

But time is running out! Nov. 30th is the deadline to return to prior coverage!

Through the years, health insurance has become more and more expensive and benefits have become more limiting. An informed decision on health coverage can ensure retired state workers are not greatly limited in which doctors they see and what care they can get.

What to Do? Act Quickly!

1: Do nothing and accept what the State decides.
2: Go to www.savemybenefitsnj.com to choose what insurance you want, including returning to traditional Medicare.
3: Please “Like” and share the Facebook page Save My Benefits NJ to help get the word out.

Active Teachers, What to do?

If you are thinking about changing your Health Benefit Plan to the new NJ Direct 0 / Freedom 0 Plan Options, these new plans have:

1: LIMITED OUT OF NETWORK COVERAGE INCLUDING CHIROPRACTIC, PHYSICAL THERAPY AND ACUPUNCTURE, POTENTIALLY LEAVING YOU RESPONSIBLE FOR THE BALANCE.

2: HIGHER emergency room co-pays

3: MANDATORY GENERIC prescription drug rules. Plan will only pay for the cost of a generic drug and the member will be responsible for the difference between that and the actual cost of a name brand drug.

*If you want to stay with your current Out of Network Doctors,
Say NO To NJ Direct 0 / Freedom 0 Plans and Stay with your Current Plan*