Tennessee’s 2027 premium table for local education retirees puts retiree-only Premier PPO coverage at $470.80 a month for a retired teacher with 30 or more years of service on Network S. The cheapest choice on the same table is the $345.95 Copay PPO, which is offered only on Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee’s Network S. The table comes from Tennessee Benefits Administration and applies to plan year 2027.
The five 2027 choices for a 30-year retiree
For a retired local education teacher with 30-plus years of service on Network S, the monthly retiree-only premiums are:
- Premier PPO: $470.80
- Standard PPO: $436.70
- Limited PPO: $412.50
- Local CDHP with HSA: $360.25
- Copay PPO: $345.95
Stepping down from the Premier PPO saves $34.10 a month on the Standard PPO, $58.30 on the Limited PPO, $110.55 on the Local CDHP with HSA and $124.85 on the Copay PPO. The full spread from top to bottom of the menu is $124.85 a month, or $1,498.20 over a year. That is the difference in premium alone. The table does not list deductibles, copays or out-of-pocket limits, so a retiree asking which plan actually costs least has to put the premium next to what each plan charges when care is used. A retiree who rarely sees a doctor may come out ahead on the $345.95 plan, while someone with frequent visits or costly prescriptions needs to price those under every option before picking by premium.
A retired teacher on the Premier PPO is paying $5,649.60 a year in premiums before a single doctor visit. The Benefits Checklist scans 11 benefit programs that retirees often miss, including Medicare Savings Programs and Extra Help with drug costs, and lists the 2026 income limits for each…