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Question About LLNL Retiree Senior Advantage Plan (TCP1)

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By scooby




I'm turning 65 and signed up for Kaiser Permanente Senior Advantage through Empyrean benefits services. I noticed that I’m being billed $290 per month for KP Senior Advantage by going through Empyrean, whereas I can pay either $0 or $70 per month (depending on the tier of coverage) by just going to Kaiser Permanente directly. Granted, the Empyrean option sets up an HRA for me with an annual funding of $2450 by the Lab, but that would still mean my having to pay a net cost of about $1000 per year for signing up through Empyrean rather than going directly to Kaiser for their Senior Advantage plan.

Anyone know what's going on here? Is there any advantage to signing up for KP Senior Advantage by going through Empyrean as opposed to dealing directly with Kaiser?

Comments

Anonymous said…
Retiree benefits benefit you more if you have over 20 years of service. In this case, no out of pocket premiums.
Over 15 years , you have to pay 50% of the premiums.
The yearly amount LLNS gives , Health Savings Account (HSA),depends on the number of years of service.

I asked myself the same question when I retired.
I took the retiree benefits because of the HSA.
Hey, nobody said LLNL has the best retiree benefits.
3/25/2025 4:32 PM
Anonymous said…
As someone who is currently working I find this rather perplexing. I took TCP 1 for the health insurance after retirement as everyone in the area loathed about the labs retirement program. Paid my dues with Johnson Controls before finally becoming a real employee. It sounds like if I had taken TCP 2,
I would have gotten the match with whatever I am putting into that and that 7% that I am putting in post tax into the Pension would have been a better investment in my Roth. Just another reason to send out some more resumes to get away from paying into that TCP1 7% “tax” that I probably would never get at this point.
3/26/2025 9:01 PM
Anonymous said…
How about an example. A TCP1 LLNS retiree with 20+ years of service with a spouse had retired before 65 and pays monthly medical premiums.
At 65, medicare begins. Will the LLNS Health Savings Account (HSA) cover new post 65 medical premiums (Kaiser, etc.) so the net medical premiums post 65 is nearly the same as pre-65? Also, does the LLNS HSA amount increase every year to keep up with post 65 medical premiums? Thanks.
3/27/2025 6:25 AM
Anonymous said…
The HSA does not have a COLA or anything like it. It has been $2490 for the past 6 years and I have not heard of any increase coming down the pipe.
3/27/2025 9:40 PM
Anonymous said…
Poster 3/27/2025 6:25
Please rephrase your question. Totally unclear
3/28/2025 4:03 PM
Anonymous said…
“The HSA does not have a COLA or anything like it. It has been $2490 for the past 6 years and I have not heard of any increase coming down the pipe.”

Thanks, that answers my question.
3/28/2025 4:54 PM
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