NSEA-Retired is the ONLY retired association in Nebraska that guarantees
continuation of your NEA member benefits and NSEA services!
Register now for fall conference!
Where: The Leadership Center, 2211 “Q” Street, Aurora, NE
When: Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Tentative Agenda:
8:30 a.m. Coffee and registration
9:00 a.m. Welcome and keynote session
The Total Solar Eclipse of Aug. 21, 2017 in Nebraska
Dan Glomski, “Mad Scientist,” Edgerton Explorit Center
10:15 a.m. Breakout Sectionals #1 (see below for details)
11:15 a.m. Breakout Sectionals #2 (repeat of sectionals)
Noon Lunch
1:15 p.m. Business meeting and legislative updates
2:15 p.m. Spotlight on Nebraska
Journey Through Yesterday – more than a job; it’s a mission!
Tina Larson, Plainsman Museum Executive Director
3:15 p.m. Dessert reception, wrap-up, evaluation, and door prizes
Tentative breakout sectional topics:
- Cuba Travelogue;
- Photography for Fun;
- Health insurance After Retirement (EHA options and Medicare transition);
- Weather, climate, and climate change;
- Health and Fitness; and It’s my funeral, and I’ll play jazz if I want to!
No charge for members to attend the conference. Guests pay $10 at the door. Registration is live now! You can call Rebecca Smith at 1-800-742-0047 1 to register if you prefer. The deadline for registration for the conference and lunch and/or the pre-conference event is Wednesday, October 12.
Click here to register for the conference and pre-conference event.
Pre-conference event: Monday, October 17th
“Night at the Museum”
Join us for Culture and Conversation with Friends
Plainsman Museum
210 Sixteenth Street, Aurora, NE
5:30 p.m. – Guided Tour of the Museum
6:30 p.m. – Light Meal Served
Cost: $10 per person if payment is received before October 14; $15 at the door
You can register for the Conference, the Pre-Conference, or both.
Pre-payment for the Night at the Museum should be sent to:
NSEA-Retired, Attn: Rebecca Smith, 605 S. 14th St., Lincoln, NE 68508
Click here to register for the conference and pre-conference event.
Medicare and EHA information coming in October
NSEA-Retired and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska will be conducting seminars in October to provide you important information about Medicare, NSEA-Retired BlueSenior Classic (our Medicare supplement), and the options that retirees younger than 65 have for insurance through the Educator’s Health Alliance (EHA).
The Medicare seminars will run from 9:30 a.m. to noon at each location listed below. This session will cover: (a) the basics of Medicare; (b) the changes in Medicare for 2014; (c) details of NSEA-Retired BlueSenior Classic, the Medicare supplement endorsed by NSEA-Retired and underwritten by Blue Cross (with optional dental coverage); (d) changes in Medicare Part D, the prescription drug benefit, for 2014; and (e) how to use the Medicare web site to find an appropriate Part D provider.
The afternoon session at each site will run from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. This session will cover the differences between the four EHA options available to retirees younger than 65. The four options are: (a) $900 deductible PPO plan; (b) $2,000 deductible PPO plan; (c) $3,500 deductible, Health-Savings-Account (HSA) eligible High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP); and $4,000 deductible, HSA-eligible HDHP. Health Savings Accounts will also be explained, as well as how to enroll in an HSA for plans that qualify for one. Individuals who are enrolled in one of the EHA insurance plans can change to a higher deductible to be effective on January 1, 2017 if they have completed enrollment applications on file by December 1, 2016. Comparisons of the out-of-pocket costs of each plan design will be described, as well as what you need to do to switch to a different plan design.
The seminars will be held:
Tuesday, October 25: North Platte; Holiday Inn Express & Suites, 300 Holiday Frontage Road
Wednesday, October 26: York; Holthus Convention Center, 3130 Holen Avenue (1.25 miles north of I-80 Exit 353/US81)
Friday, October 28: Norfolk; LifeLong Learning Center, 801 E. Benjamin Ave.
Monday, October 31: La Vista; Educational Service Unit #3, 6949 S 110 Street
No registration is required for any of these sessions. If you want a front-row seat, please arrive at least 15 minutes prior to the start of the session. Again, the Medicare seminars will all begin at 9:30 a.m., and the EHA early-retiree sessions will all begin at 1:30 p.m. at each seminar site.
All of the files below are from the health insurance seminars held last school year. The files will be updated for this year's information after the seminars are complete. Please return to this web page in early November to view the files for this school year.
Health insurance and Medicare
2015-2016
Health insurance options for retirees younger than 65
NSEA-Retired cooperated with Educators Health Alliance (EHA), Blue Cross of Nebraska, and Union Bank of Lincoln in the fall of 2015 to bring information about the new health care options available to members under the age of 65.
The options available from EHA for retirees under age 65 in 2015-16 are:
- $750 deductible PPO plan (the default plan for retirees);
- $1,650 deductible PPO plan;
- $3,100 high deductible health plan (HDHP) that is eligible for a Health Savings Account; and
- $4,000 high deductible health plan (HDHP) that is eligible for a Health Savings Account
Union Bank of Lincoln offers low-fee Health Savings Accounts for NSEA-Retired members younger than 65 who sign up for either the $3,100 HDHP or the $4,000 HDHP insurance plans through EHA. To sign up for the Union Bank low-fee Health Savings Account, visit the Union Bank web site, www.ubt.com/health. Follow the directions to apply for a Health Savings Account with Union Bank. Be sure to select “employer sponsored” and then enter "Educators Health Alliance" as your employer, and "Retired" as your occupation as you fill out the form in order to get the low-fee Health Savings Account from Union Bank.
You can download the presentations from these seminars and view the presentations on your home computer.
The files are all pdf files, so you don't need any special software to view the presentations. When you download the presentations, you will see some arrows at the top of the presentation files. Just click on the "down arrow" to move through the slides for the presentations.
An explanation of the benefits provided by the four EHA plans available to retirees younger than 65 can be found in video webinars that are available on the EHA web site, www.ehaplan.org. Click on the “RETIREE INFO” link at the top of the page to find the video presentations.
Pre-65 retirees insurance options for 2015-2016
- To download the NSEA-Retired guide to Health Insurance after you retire Click Here.
- To download the Blue Cross presentation on EHA retiree options, including information on the changes in the plans that will be effective on September 1, 2016 Click Here.
- To download the Union Bank presentation on Health Savings Accounts Click Here.
- To download the NSEA-Retired presentation on how to sign up for a Health Savings Account Click Here.
- To download the Frequently Asked Questions about Health Savings Accounts and High Deductible Health Plans Click Here.
Medicare coverage for members age 65 and older
NSEA-Retired endorses NSEA-Retired BlueSenior Classic as the Medicare supplement to accompany your Medicare coverage. NSEA-Retired BlueSenior Classic is underwritten by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska and pays for the deductible and co-payment amounts that Medicare does not cover. NSEA-Retired BlueSenior Classic has an optional dental plan that provides PPO dental coverage through the Blue Cross network of providers. If you decline the dental coverage when you first enroll, you will not be allowed to enroll in the dental plan at a later time.
Medicare information seminars were held in various locations around the state in the fall of 2015 to bring details about Medicare to our members. Some information about Medicare was not available at the time the seminars were held. All of the presentations posted on this web page have been updated with the latest information about Medicare. You can download the updated presentations from these seminars and view the presentations on your home computer. The files are all pdf files, so you don't need any special software to view the presentations. When you download the presentations, you will see some arrows at the top of the presentation files. Just click on the "down arrow" to move through the slides for the presentations.
Medicare for 2016
- To download the guide prepared by NSEA-Retired about making the transition to Medicare Click Here.
- To download a guide to Medicare Basics prepared by NSEA-Retired Click Here.
- To download an introduction to Medicare Part D for 2015 Click Here.
- To download the Blue Cross guide to the benefits provided through NSEA-Retired BlueSenior Classic Medicare Supplement Click Here.
- To see the rates for NSEA-Retired BlueSenior Classic for the 2016 calendar year Click Here.
Remember, if you decline dental coverage when you first enroll in NSEA-Retired BlueSenior Classic, you will not be able to add the dental coverage later. Premiums posted are effective January 1, 2016 through December 31, 2016.
If you need an application packet for NSEA-Retired BlueSenior Classic, please call Blue Cross at 800-562-6394 to request one.
Only NSEA-Retired BlueSenior Classic offers dental coverage as part of the Medicare Supplement. Be sure to ask for the policy by name: NSEA-Retired BlueSenior Classic.
John Jensen, webmaster
