Retired Texas teacher? How TRS-Care works with Medicare

If you retired from a Texas public school, college or university, your health coverage probably comes through TRS-Care, the retiree health program of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas. When you become eligible for Medicare, TRS-Care has its own Medicare coverage, and the rules are different from buying a Medicare plan on your own. Here’s what to know before you make any change.

TRS-Care’s Medicare coverage

For Medicare-eligible retirees, TRS-Care offers a group Medicare Advantage plan (TRS-Care Medicare Advantage) along with TRS-Care Medicare Rx for prescriptions. These are group retiree plans, so they’re not the same as the individual Medicare plans you see advertised during Annual Enrollment.

You must keep Part B

Starting January 1, 2026, TRS requires Medicare-eligible participants to have and keep Medicare Part B. If you stop paying for Part B, you lose your TRS-Care Medicare Advantage coverage, and so do any dependents on your coverage.

The biggest mistake: enrolling in another Medicare plan

If you join a Medicare Advantage plan outside TRS-Care, TRS says your TRS-Care medical and prescription coverage ends. Joining an individual Part D drug plan can also end your TRS-Care coverage. And covered dependents lose their coverage too.

Getting back in is hard. TRS says that in most situations, retirees and surviving spouses can’t re-enroll in TRS-Care. Re-entry is generally limited to special enrollment events, such as a marriage or adoption, or involuntarily losing other Medicare coverage. A premium increase or benefit change in a plan you bought on your own doesn’t count.

TRS has proposed a limited-time chance to re-enroll in TRS-Care Medicare Advantage for the 2027 plan year. If you left TRS-Care and want back in, check with TRS whether that opportunity is final and whether you qualify.

If someone calls about switching

During Annual Enrollment, retired teachers often get ads and calls about other Medicare plans. Before you sign anything, ask: “Will this end my TRS-Care coverage?” If the answer is yes, or the person doesn’t know, stop and call TRS first.

Turning 65 as a TRS retiree

1. A few months before your 65th birthday, watch for information from TRS about moving to TRS-Care’s Medicare coverage. Call TRS if you don’t get it.
2. Sign up for Medicare Part A and Part B through Social Security, and keep Part B.
3. Don’t enroll in an individual Medicare Advantage or Part D plan unless you’ve confirmed with TRS how it affects your TRS-Care coverage.

How I can help

I’m not a TRS representative, and I can’t enroll you in TRS-Care. What I can do is explain how TRS-Care compares with other options, including Medicare Supplements, and check your doctors and prescriptions. If TRS-Care is the right fit, I’ll tell you to keep it.

TRS Health and Insurance Benefits: 1-888-237-6762.

This article is general information based on TRS materials as of October 2026. TRS-Care rules can change. ialph.com is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Teacher Retirement System of Texas. Confirm with TRS before you change your coverage.