Retiree Pre-Medicare Health Plan (RPHP)

An Aetna-administered health plan for retirees who are not eligible for Medicare.

Eligibility

Yourself

• an Endowed benefits-eligible* retiree between ages of 55 to 64 and;
• not Medicare-eligible

Dependents: Spouse/Domestic Partner and/or Children

• The retiree must qualify for and be actively enrolled in one of Cornell’s retiree plans for a spouse/domestic partner and child(ren) to be enrolled,  
• Dependents cannot be Medicare-eligible, and
• Within the applicable age limit:
  • Spouse/Domestic Partner under age 65.
  • Children until December 31st of the year they turn age 26.

If you are covering a Medicare-eligible dependent spouse/domestic partner or child, Medicare is primary insurer in retirement. Their plan options are the Aetna Medicare-eligible plans:  Aetna Retiree 80/20 Plan or Aetna Medicare Advantage PPO Plan. 

*If you are uncertain of your eligibility status for this benefit, please contact your HR representative. If you are already retired and have questions regarding your eligibility for yourself and/or applicable dependents, please contact Aetna’s Retiree Service Center as shown below.   

How the plan works

The RPHP Plan provides comprehensive medical coverage through a nationwide network of medical providers managed by Aetna. If you seek care for services out of network, you will pay more. Please review the RPHP Plan Summary Chart below to compare in and out-of-network benefits side-by-side.

Note: Combined total family deductible and out-of-pocket limits will be higher if you or your dependent(s) are covered under Aetna Retiree 80/20 Plan or Aetna Medicare Advantage PPO Plan (MAPD).

Prescription drug coverage

OptumRx provides coverage for prescription drugs. It is the same plan as for active endowed employees. 

Please refer to the Endowed Prescription Drug page for more information.

Plan details

• RPHP Plan Summary Chart 2025 (pdf)
• Endowed Retiree Health Plan Rates 2025 (pdf)
• RPHP Summary Plan Description (SPD)
  • RPHP Addendum (pdf)
  • RPHP Schedule of Benefits (pdf)
  • RPHP Booklet (pdf)

Enrollment

Enrolled at Retirement

If you are covered by an endowed health plan at the time of retirement, you and your eligible dependents will be moved to the RPHP. 

• The RPHP will be effective the first day of the month following your retirement date. 
• If your retirement date is the first day of the month, your coverage starts on that date.

At the time of retirement, Aetna will provide you with an enrollment guide about 10-14 days after receiving Cornell’s file reflecting your status change. If your dependent(s) are Medicare eligible, they will receive a separate enrollment guide.

Not Enrolled at Time of Retirement

If you are not covered under an endowed health plan at the time of retirement, Aetna will provide you with an enrollment guide about 10 -14 days upon receiving Cornell’s file reflecting your status change. If your dependent(s) are Medicare-eligible, they will receive a separate enrollment guide.

This will be your one-time opportunity to enroll.  You will have 90 days from your retirement date to enroll directly with Aetna. 

Medicare-Eligible Dependents

Suppose your covered dependents are Medicare eligible due to age or disability at the time of your retirement. In that case, it is their responsibility to enroll in both Medicare Parts A & B since Medicare becomes primary upon your retirement. Timely enrollment in Medicare Parts A & B will avoid penalties imposed by Social Security. 

In the event of a disability, Aetna may not have advanced knowledge that your dependent is disabled and Medicare primary. Therefore, you must inform Aetna’s Retiree Service Center of their Medicare status for Aetna to enroll them in a plan that coordinates with Medicare.

Aetna will automatically enroll your Medicare eligible dependent(s) into the Aetna Retiree 80/20 Plan. They will have 90 days to review their plan information and switch their enrollment to Aetna’s Medicare Advantage PPO Plan.

Questions 

While every attempt has been made to ensure the accuracy of this Summary, in the event of any discrepancy the Summary Plan Description and Plan Document will prevail.