Does anyone know how long the retiree can use the plan? Same length as COBRA? Any advantage to COBRA?
Thanks in advance.
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What's the advantage of using COBRA vs. RMAP? I would have thought that if you didn't immediately enroll via RMAP, you'd lose the eligibility for RMAP if you enrolled in COBRA.
Given that Cisco pays you for your expected COBRA costs for some period of time based on your severance package, you could use that money to pay your RMAP premiums for that same time period.
What's the usual process? Enroll in COBRA, then enroll in RMAP? or Enroll in COBRA and enroll in RMAP at the same time with just the vision coverage to keep your eligibility?
I'm finally eligible for RMAP when I depart Cisco, so I plan to fully utilize it and don't want to make a stupid mistake. I'd heard about keeping the vision plan until you needed Cisco's medical/dental, but if it cuts off at 65, there's not much point. My Dad's employer allows him to keep their version of RMAP, and like Cisco's, Medicare becomes the primary coverage. Then the company RMAP plan covers the costs Medicare doesn't. But he's surely not paying $2K / month. That would far exceed the costs that Medicare doesn't cover.
If you get caught in one of the many Cisco LRs can you still take advantage of the RMAP once COBRA expires?
Thanks in advance!
Even when we could use COBRA up to 1 year and a half, and since we started COBRA in January, we used it only for a year then switched to RMAP. This is to prevent paying deductible for COBRA for 6 months and then having to start paying deductible again to RMAP for the last 6 months.
"Pause" is probably a poor choice of words, because you can't pause the plan as a whole. As others have said, once you drop all 3 coverages (medical, dental, vision), you're out and can't get back in. What's mean by"pausing" here is just keeping one of the coverages. That's enough to stay in the plan, and allows you to add back the coverages you'd dropped at a later date (subject to the life-changing event/enrollment period). Vision is the cheapest, so that's what most people keep, however if you become covered by another plan that doesn't offer dental for example, you could just keep that. As long as you have one of the three, you're good.
One other comment. This coverage can be used to age 65, at which time Medicare becomes your primary coverage, per the RMAP plan.
I will comment on the "pause" option, as I did talk to RMAP specialist in HR this month.
As you have a life-qualifying event (end of employment, etc.) you can start and stop coverage. This assumes you are active in RMAP. As previously stated, most people enroll in the vision coverage to participate in the program, once you leave Cobra. No limit on the number of times you can start or stop coverage (medical, dental) due to life qualifying events. Just keep the vision coverage going, and you have this ongoing option. Hope that helps.
Can you clarify where you heard that you can 'pause' ? The enrollment guide this year said
'Once coverage is terminated, whether for non-payment of
contributions or because you did not enroll, you cannot
re-enroll in the RMAP that year or any future years.
One thing I learned recently is that it is possible to pause your RMAP without dropping it. They don't advertise this for obvious reasons. If you pause your coverage you can take coverage from elsewhere then resume your coverage when that coverage ends.
Assuming you are referring to retiree program then its indefinite subject to
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cisco can stop offering it as a program at anytime at its option
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if you ever fully drop the program then you cant rejoin. So folks who want the option typically keep vision care ongoing even if they take dental-medical from elsewhere
Typically the premiums are similar to cisco as an employee, but you are paying 100% of the amount. The coverage for $ is slightly less (eg higher deductibles). As an example for CA couple (no kids) and PPO coverage cost next year is about $2K/month. The advantage in the short term with cobra first is that the level of coverage is identical to cisco employee. So if you get offered the normal path is cobra then RMAP.
Best to check this with HR to make sure all above is accurate ( I left 6 years back)