Medicare Help in Bellevue, NE

Bellevue is about 52 miles and 65 to 70 minutes from Bill Jurey's office in Lincoln. For Bellevue households that usually means a phone or video meeting, and the office at 285 S 68th St Place is there whenever you are in Lincoln. Working with him costs you nothing, because the insurance carriers pay him.

Bellevue had 64,863 residents on July 1, 2025, which makes it Nebraska's third-largest city, behind Omaha and Lincoln (Census Bureau). About 15.4% of residents are 65 or older (American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). It also sits next to Offutt Air Force Base, headquarters of U.S. Strategic Command and the 55th Wing, and that shapes many of the Medicare conversations here.

How does Bill work with people in Bellevue?

By phone or video for most meetings, with your medication list, your doctors' names and, for military retirees, your TRICARE information on hand. The review starts with medications, then doctors and hospitals, then the cost of a bad year, then your budget. For TRICARE For Life households, the first question is often whether you need anything beyond Medicare and TRICARE at all.

How does TRICARE For Life work with Medicare?

TRICARE For Life is coverage that wraps around Medicare, and it only works if you keep Medicare Part A and Part B. If you are TRICARE-eligible and have both parts, TRICARE For Life starts automatically. There is nothing separate to enroll in.

Who pays first depends on whether you or your spouse still work:

Because TRICARE pays after Medicare, adding a Medigap policy or a Medicare Advantage plan on top of it is a decision to make carefully, not by default. Ask TRICARE what it would and would not pay in your situation before you buy more coverage. For prescriptions, TRICARE points beneficiaries to Express Scripts, its pharmacy contractor. The Medicare for veterans guide and the Part B guide cover the enrollment rules.

TRICARE For Life applies regardless of age. If you are TRICARE-eligible and on Medicare before 65 because of a disability, the same rule holds: keep Part A and Part B.

What to bring to a review if you have TRICARE

• Your Medicare card, with the start dates for Part A and Part B
• Your TRICARE information, including any letters about your eligibility
• A list of your medications and how you fill them today
• Your civilian doctors' names, so we can confirm they take Medicare
• Any job-based coverage you or your spouse still have

Can you still use the clinic at Offutt?

Sometimes. TRICARE says TRICARE For Life beneficiaries can get care at military hospitals and clinics only when space is available. The 55th Medical Group Ehrling Bergquist Clinic, at 2501 Capehart Rd (402-232-2273), serves Offutt. TRICARE lists its pharmacy as accepting electronic prescriptions from civilian providers. Call the clinic to confirm what applies to you, and do not build your coverage around space-available care.

What changed for VA care in Bellevue?

VA primary care moved to Papillion. In September 2024 the new Sarpy County VA Clinic on Jersey Street took over from the old Bellevue VA Clinic, and it offers more services, including audiology and imaging. Bellevue keeps the Whole Health Clinic at 2206 Longo Dr, Suite 102. See the Papillion page for how VA care and Medicare fit together.

Which hospital should Bellevue residents check in a plan network?

Nebraska Medicine Bellevue, also called Bellevue Medical Center, at 2500 Bellevue Medical Center Dr (402-763-3000). It has a 24/7 emergency department. It is part of Nebraska Medicine, whose main campus is Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.

If you choose Medicare Advantage instead of relying on Original Medicare and TRICARE, check Nebraska Medicine Bellevue by name, then your doctors, then any Omaha specialist. A plan can include one Nebraska Medicine campus and not another. An HMO usually pays only for in-network care, except in an emergency. Which plans exist, and their premiums, networks and benefits, all vary by county and change annually. CMS plan data shows Sarpy County with five fewer standard Medicare Advantage plans for 2027 (24, from 29), with Medica's among the losses. Medicare Advantage in Omaha covers the metro's plan market, and the Omaha location page lists the hospitals.

Where can Bellevue residents get local Medicare help?

• Volunteers Assisting Seniors, the Nebraska SHIP office for the Omaha area: 900 S 74th Plaza, Suite 403, Omaha, 402-444-6617. Nebraska SHIP, formerly SHIIP, also answers statewide at 1-800-234-7119.
• ENOA, the Area Agency on Aging for Sarpy County: 402-444-6536.
• Bellevue Senior Community Center, 109 W 22nd Ave (402-293-3041): weekdays 8 to 4, with lunch and to-go meals.
• 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227, TTY 1-877-486-2048), for questions about your Medicare record: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Bellevue calls itself the oldest continuously inhabited town in Nebraska, incorporated in 1855. When you want to talk through TRICARE, Medicare and whether you need anything else, talk to Bill.