Insurance News

Dear Retiree,

Our goal is to ensure that we deliver benefits to you and your Medicare-eligible dependents in a way that provides as much value as possible.

After careful consideration and a rigorous proposal process, the Teachers’ Retirement Board has selected UnitedHealthcare to administer the Connecticut Teachers’ Retiree Health Plan for Medicare-eligible retirees and dependents. The Teachers’ Retirement Board will continue to provide a choice of two comprehensive Medicare benefit programs. 

Effective January 1, 2022 coverage will be offered through the UnitedHealthcare Group Medicare Advantage plan that will now include Prescription Drug Plan coverage combined in one plan.  The Group Medicare Supplement plan and Prescription Drug Plan will also be offered through UnitedHealthcare.  The benefits for the plans remain the same while the Group Medicare Advantage plan includes new programs and services.  The move to an integrated Group Medical /Pharmacy plan will significantly reduce costs for Retirees and the Teachers’ Retirement Board while preserving benefits for Medicare retirees and dependents.  All plans become effective on January 1, 2022.

With over 44 years of experience, UnitedHealthcare is the largest business dedicated to the health and well-being of older adults and other Medicare beneficiaries.  UnitedHealthcare serves over 14 million – or one in four – Medicare beneficiaries through all of its Medicare plans. Even more important, UnitedHealthcare has a strong local presence in Connecticut, serving nearly 576,00 people including over 274,000 Medicare-eligible individuals.

• UnitedHealthcare will provide a custom transition call center team and a dedicated website to serve Teachers’ Retirement Board retirees through this transition and beyond.
• UnitedHealthcare will provide a custom Group Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug plan designed exclusively for TRB Medicare retirees and eligible dependents.  This custom plan should not be confused with other UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plans that you might see or hear about in your area.
• With the UnitedHealthcare Group Medicare Advantage plan, you are not limited to a network of health care providers and you can see any provider that accepts Medicare for the same cost share (copay).  For Medicare-covered services, you can continue to see your doctors as long as they have not opted out of Medicare and agree to see you.  Nationally, over 99% of health care providers participate in Medicare; in Connecticut the participation rate is 99.7%.
• The UnitedHealthcare Group Medicare Advantage plan and Prescription Drug coverage retains current covered benefits including all benefits provided under Medicare Parts A and B and will include Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage and new programs and features including a fitness benefit and a new Healthy at Home benefit that includes non-emergency medical rides, home delivered meals, personal custodial care -- all in one plan with one ID card.
• The UnitedHealthcare Group Medicare Supplement plan and Prescription Drug coverage also retains current benefits including a fitness benefit.
• Your current coverage remains in place until December 31, 2021.  Please continue to use your existing medical and prescription drug ID cards for covered health care services.

We wanted to make you aware of this change as soon as the decision was made. It is very early in the transition process and we are still working through some of the operational details with UnitedHealthcare.  

We are providing information as soon as it is available to make this transition as easy as possible. In the upcoming months, you will be hearing more from us and UnitedHealthcare on the details of the 2022 plans. This includes contact information for the UnitedHealthcare custom transition call center dedicated to the Teachers’ Retirement Board. In addition, expect to receive an invitation from UnitedHealthcare for education meetings (both in-person and virtual meeting options) for Medicare-eligible members that will be held throughout the region that will begin in October 2021.

While change is never easy, we are excited about the transition to UnitedHealthcare.  It provides us a new way to balance our financial responsibilities to you and future retirees with our commitment to provide the comprehensive health care benefits that you deserve.

Sincerely,

The CT Teachers’ Retirement Board