Health Care

Overview

STRS Ohio currently offers access to health care coverage for eligible benefit recipients with 15 or more years of total service who participate in the Defined Benefit Plan or Combined Plan. Once the benefit recipient enrolls, dependents may be eligible for coverage. (Members retiring on or after Aug. 1, 2023, must have at least 20 years of total service to enroll.)

STRS Ohio offers health care plans that include hospital, medical and prescription drug coverage. STRS Ohio subsidizes individual monthly health care premiums for eligible benefit recipients. Covered dependents do not receive a premium subsidy. STRS Ohio also offers dental and vision coverage at an additional cost.

Health care coverage is not guaranteed, and STRS Ohio rules and policies relating to health care plans, premiums and eligibility are subject to change. Dental and vision plans are also available to benefit recipients and eligible dependents.

Eligibility Requirements

Service Retirement Benefit Recipients

A Defined Benefit Plan or Combined Plan member with 15 or more years of total service credit who is granted service retirement with an effective date of Jan. 1, 2004, or later is eligible for coverage. In addition, a Defined Benefit Plan or Combined Plan member who is granted service retirement with an effective date before Jan. 1, 2004, is also eligible for coverage; however, they pay 100% of their health care premium if they have less than 15 years of service credit. Members retiring Aug. 1, 2023, or later, must have 20 or more years of total service credit to be eligible for coverage.

Disability Benefit Recipients

A disability recipient is eligible for coverage. If a disability recipient later applies for service retirement, the following applies:

  • If the disability effective date was before Jan. 1, 2004, the recipient qualifies for access to health care coverage under the service retirement account as long as there was no break in benefits between the disability benefit and the service retirement benefit. However, if the recipient has less than 15 years of total service credit, the recipient pays the full cost of their coverage.
  • If the disability effective date is on or after Jan. 1, 2004, the recipient must have 15 or more years of total service credit to have access to health care coverage if the recipient later applies for service retirement.

Eligible Dependents

Once the benefit recipient enrolls, a spouse, child and/or disabled adult child may be eligible for coverage.

Beneficiaries and Survivors

Beneficiaries of Service Retirement Benefit Recipients

A spouse, child or disabled adult child receiving benefits under a Joint and Survivor Annuity or Annuity Certain plan of payment who was an eligible dependent of the service retirement benefit recipient at the time of the benefit recipient’s death is eligible for coverage. The service retirement benefit recipient must have been eligible for coverage at the time of death for a beneficiary to qualify for coverage.

Survivors of Active Members or Disability Benefit Recipients

A spouse, child or disabled adult child who is granted survivor benefits under division (C)(2) of section 3307.66, Revised Code, and who was an eligible dependent at the time of the active member’s or disability benefit recipient’s death is eligible for coverage. For survivors of active members, if the effective date of survivor benefits is Jan. 1, 2004, or later, 15 or more years of service at the time of the member’s death may be required depending on the type of survivor benefit selected.

Employed Non-Medicare Enrollees

Coverage under the STRS Ohio Health Care Program is limited to retirees not eligible for Medicare who are employed in public or private positions. Employed enrollees are eligible only for secondary health care coverage through STRS Ohio’s Basic Plan if they:

  1. Are eligible for medical and prescription drug coverage through their employer, or
  2. Hold a position for which other similarly situated employees are eligible for medical and prescription drug coverage at the same cost as full-time employees. The rule applies to all employed enrollees who are not eligible for Medicare, regardless of hire date or type of employment.

STRS Ohio requires enrollees not eligible for Medicare to verify their employment status and access to employer health care coverage annually. For additional details, please refer to this employer fact sheet.

For further STRS Ohio Health Care Program information, including enrollment and plan information, please visit the Health Care section of the STRS Ohio member website.