I learned something this week and thought I'd share. For those of us with 73 points or more who qualify for retiree healthcare and who volunteer for the separation, you won't have to take the company's retiree healthcare right away (e.g. at the end of the 60 weeks of gratis COBRA). If you take COBRA for the remaining 4 months, however, you forever waive your right to Verizon retiree healthcare. Forever. And that includes losing the option of enrolling in Verizon Medicare Advantage.
However, if you decline COBRA after the 60 weeks are over (say, by finding healthcare through a new employer, Obamacare, or spouse), you can opt to buy in to Verizon retiree healthcare all the way up to when you're eligible for Medicare at 65. It's done through annual enrollment in October/November, and the price will be shown on Verizon BenefitsConnection once you leave the company.
Most of us don't qualify for the subsidy, and Verizon retiree healthcare is really, really expensive: in 2019, the PPO premiums are $12,471 for individual coverage, and double that for a spouse (ouch). You can probably find coverage elsewhere for half the price. But still, it's good to keep this in one's back pocket should you ever need it down the line, say in the immediate years before Medicare, when health care premiums really skyrocket.
Again, the key here is to waive COBRA once the 60 months of company coverage expires, and find your healthcare elsewhere.