Does NPERS offer retiree health insurance?
Not as far as its publications show. The NPERS School Plan pays a monthly pension, and none of NPERS's School Plan sources describes a retiree health plan or a premium subsidy. Ask your school district about health coverage after you retire, and Social Security about Medicare. Check with NPERS
None of the NPERS School Plan sources describes a retiree health insurance benefit or premium subsidy from NPERS. The handbook lists health insurance and Medicare only as topics of NPERS's retirement planning seminars. School Handbook p. 52, Retirement Planning Program
No NPERS source describes retiree health insurance. The handbook mentions health insurance and Medicare only as seminar topics. School districts may offer their own retiree coverage.
What we do: We say NPERS doesn't describe any retiree health benefit, and we label it.
What would settle it: An NPERS statement, or the member's school district benefits office.If your district keeps paying your insurance
Some districts keep paying insurance for a while after an employee leaves. Nebraska law has a name for that, and it affects how NPERS treats the money:
- If a school district keeps paying all or part of a member's health, dental, life or long-term disability insurance after the member's employment and contract end, Nebraska law counts that as an early retirement inducement.Neb. Rev. Stat. §79-902(11)(e)
- Early retirement inducements, insurance premiums converted to cash payments and fringe benefits are not compensation for the NPERS School Plan, so they don't raise your final average monthly compensation or your benefit.School Handbook p. 28, Compensation; Neb. Rev. Stat. §79-902(4)(b)
- Health premiums you pay through your employer's §125 (cafeteria) plan while you work still count as compensation for your NPERS School Plan benefit.School Handbook p. 28, Compensation; Neb. Rev. Stat. §79-902(4)(a)
So an offer of paid insurance can be worth having, but it won't change the benefit formula or your average pay. If the offer is tied to leaving early, weigh it against the cut in early retirement.
Learning about Medicare and health insurance
NPERS's own help on health coverage is education: its seminars and webinars cover Medicare and health insurance alongside the pension.
- Every spring NPERS holds statewide Retirement Planning Seminars for NPERS School Plan members of any age. They cover payment options, financial planning, Social Security, Medicare, health insurance, adjusting to retirement and estate planning. There is a registration fee, and an extra fee to bring a spouse or guest.School Handbook p. 52, Retirement Planning Program
- Eligible employees may get paid leave to attend up to two Retirement Planning Sessions, but only one per fiscal year. Paid leave means time off paid by the employer, not vacation, sick, personal or compensatory time. It can only be used for sessions held during your normal workday, a day counts as eight hours, and the leave actually granted may vary. Ask your employer before you sign up.School Handbook p. 52, Retirement Planning Program
- NPERS also offers free webinars of about 3.5 hours on Webex. NPERS says a webinar plus its Social Security, Medicare and estate planning videos on the NPERS website equals the in-person seminar.Retirement News April 2026 p. 4, Seminars & Webinars
- NPERS's Education Services department held 37 in-person seminars and 14 webinars for members of all seven NPERS plans, with 2,302 members attending (1,671 in person and 631 online).NPERS 2026 Annual Report p. 17, Education Services: Retirement Planning Seminars
Who to ask
- Your school district's benefits office, about staying on its group plan after you retire and what it costs.
- NPERS, at 800-245-5712, about its retirement planning seminars, which cover health insurance and Medicare. School Handbook p. 52, Retirement Planning Program
- Social Security, about Medicare enrollment at 65. See NPERS and Social Security.
Budgeting for premiums? Estimate your NPERS pension to see the monthly check they would come out of, and check taxes on your pension.
Questions
Does NPERS provide retiree health insurance?
None of NPERS's School Plan publications describes a retiree health plan or premium help. Ask NPERS and your school district.
Does district-paid insurance after I retire raise my pension?
No. Nebraska law counts employer-paid insurance that continues after you leave as an early retirement inducement, and inducements aren't compensation for the School Plan.
Where can I learn about Medicare?
NPERS covers health insurance and Medicare at its spring Retirement Planning Seminars, and has Medicare videos on its website to go with its free webinars.
Source: Nebraska School Employees Retirement System Handbook, Revised 07/2026, pp. 28, 52. Also: Retirement News April 2026 p. 4; NPERS 2026 Annual Report p. 17; Neb. Rev. Stat. § 79-902. Last reviewed .