Search results for how can checkbooks guide to health plans for federal employees help me

193 articles found

  • Weight Loss Drug Coverage from FEHB Plans and Medicare

    Weight-loss drug popularity has skyrocketed. Between 2020 to 2022, the number of prescriptions has risen to around 9 million in the U.S. With celebrity attention, positive clinical trials, and even

  • What's New in FEHB for 2024

    Every year it’s important to review what’s new in FEHB. As in previous years, there are significant premium, benefit, and plan availability changes that will affect both active and retired federal

  • A Closer Look at 2025 FEHB Premiums

    Federal employees and retirees should expect to pay much more for health coverage next year: the enrollee share of FEHB premiums is going up 13.5% on average, which is almost double from last year.

  • A Closer Look at 2026 FEHB Premiums

    Most federal employees and retirees will pay much more for health coverage next year; the enrollee share of premium is going up 12.3% on average. OPM cites an aging federal workforce with more

  • 2026 FEHB Program Changes

    The average enrollee share of premium will increase 12.3% in 2026. This is slightly lower than the 13.4% increase last year. OPM cites higher prices from providers and suppliers, increased

  • OPM Releases FEHB Policy Goals and Initiatives for Plan Year 2026

    OPM has issued its annual carrier call letter outlining policy goals and initiatives for the 2026 plan year. It emphasizes two main themes: streamlining how FEHB plans work to reduce friction

  • Health Savings Account Contribution Limits to Rise in 2026

    The IRS recently announced an increase in Health Savings Account contribution limits for 2026. Individuals enrolled in a High-Deductible Health Plan with self-only coverage will be able to contribute

  • FEHB Plan Catastrophic Limits

    The most important reason for buying health insurance is to protect you against financial catastrophe. You may, therefore, wish to approach plan selection by comparing plans based on potential

  • Should I Purchase a FEDVIP Dental or Vision Plan?

    The Federal government offers standalone "FEDVIP" dental and vision plans, separate and distinct from the FEHB program. The FEDVIP program shares the same Open Season dates as the FEHB program, but

  • Medicare

    I'm a retired Federal employee with FEHB health insurance. My insurer is telling me I have to use Medicare part A. I don't want to use it because that's taxpayers money. I paid for insurance coverage

  • Medicare Part D Will Benefit Most Federal Annuitants

    In 2024, OPM allowed FEHB plans to begin offering Part D coverage to Medicare-eligible enrollees. To be included, the Part D plan must provide prescription drug coverage that, when combined with an

  • What the End of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Means for FEHB Coverage

    On May 11, 2023, the Department of Health and Human Services ended the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE). As a result, some FEHB benefit provisions enacted by OPM will change going forward. OPM

  • International Health Coverage

    I am recently retired, looking to select a health plan that will work for my wife and I. Both of us have selected Medicare A and B. The past 10 years we have had our health plan with Kaiser. However

  • FEHB & Medicare Part D

    The Medicare Part D prescription drug program benefits millions of Americans. It fills a major hole in Medicare that lasted 50 years. But, historically, it would rarely benefit federal retirees who

  • Disputed Claims for FEHB Plans

    Along with the customer satisfaction survey results, we have another indicator of service quality for fee-for-service plans. We checked disputed claims on file at OPM. A disputed claim is a case in

  • Healthcare Affordability Series Part 2: How Supplemental Benefits from Your FEHB Plan Can Put Money Back in Your Pocket

    Many FEHB, FEDVIP, and Medicare Advantage plans offered by FEHB carriers include supplemental benefits that can help lower your out‑of‑pocket healthcare costs. However, many federal employees and

  • Should I Join an HMO in the FEHB Program?

    HMO plans provide not just insurance, but also a different approach to health care delivery from traditional fee-for-service medicine. Therefore, although cost and benefit comparisons are the key

  • Deductibles, Copayments, and Coinsurance in the FEHB Program

    You can use cost sharing details to assist you in choosing a plan by pinpointing strengths and weaknesses for items of particular importance. If you are especially concerned about a broad area of

  • Types of FEHB Plans

    Plans are of three main types: Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) and Fee-for-Service (FFS) plans, High Deductible (HDHP) and Consumer-Driven (CDHP) plans Health Maintenance Organization (HMO)

  • How to Avoid Medicare Part B Late Enrollment Penalties

    How to Avoid Medicare Part B Late Enrollment Penalties Federal annuitants enrolling in Medicare Part B face many healthcare expenses: FEHB and Part B premiums, potential Part B and Part D Income

  • Hearing Aid Benefits in the FEHB Program

    All plans cover medical problems, such as infections, that affect any part of your body, including your ears. All plans cover routine hearing testing for children. Almost all will pay most of the

  • Big Changes in How Federal Annuitants Receive Prescription Drug Benefits in 2024 and Beyond

    Major Medicare Part D reforms were enacted in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA). Some of the legislation’s provisions seek to lower prescription drug costs for both Medicare beneficiaries and

  • Advice for Persons Who Pay Full FEHB Premiums

    The FEHB program also provides coverage for former spouses, former employees, children turning age 26, and others. In each of these cases, the covered enrollee must pay the full premium without

  • Clinical Quality of Care for FEHB Plans

    We also report ratings from OPM on how plans compared for clinical quality of care. These data are from the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS), which are standardized

  • What You Need to Know About Vision Care in the FEHB Program

    All FEHB plans pay for medically necessary care of your eyes, such as cataract surgery. Many pay for annual refractive examinations to determine your prescription for eyeglasses or contact lens, and

  • Limitations on FEHB Enrollment

    Many plans are open to all employees. However, HMOs require that you live or work in their service area, and a few plans require that you work for a particular agency or join a specific union. Most

  • Why FEHB Premiums Vary

    The General Schedule (GS) employee and retiree share of the annual premium varies widely among plans. In national plans it ranges from about $1,500 to almost $4,500 for self only enrollment in 2026.

  • New Medicare Program Will Broaden Access to GLP-1 Weight Loss Drugs

    OPM requires FEHB plans to cover at least one GLP-1 prescribed for weight loss, and this extends to any Part D or Medicare Advantage plan offered by an FEHB carrier. As a result, most annuitants with

  • Will My FEHB Plan Pay for That?

    Most plans limit reimbursement for most of the following services. Current employees can cover any of them through a Flexible Spending Account. Dental care—Only some plans cover dental care. We

  • Restricted Plans

    Foreign Service Benefit plan is open to active employees and annuitants of the State Dept, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and many independent agencies "who advance the

  • Surgical Procedures & Disease Management

    If someone is going to have major surgery, say a hysterectomy, is there a better plan for this and managing any care/complications? In the case of planned surgery, we recommend four things. First, if

  • FEHB & Medicare Advantage

    Federal retirees have Medicare Advantage (MA) plans to consider joining. Our analysis shows that some of these offerings are an outstanding value. Aetna, APWU, Compass Rose, Kaiser, GEHA, MHBP, Rural

  • Mental Health

    All plans cover low-cost mental outpatient care provided that the plan approves both the provider and the number of visits. Rarely are many visits approved. This entry indicates the amount

  • How to Get FEHB Plan Information

    The OPM website has plan brochures and a great deal of other useful information. There are three additional ways to get brochures: Attend health fairs Call the plan Visit the plan website You change

  • What You Need to Know About Dental Care in the FEHB Program

    Plans' dental benefits differ widely in details, and many of the brochures use technical terminology such as "gingival" (gum, in English), "alveolar" (the part of the jawbone that holds teeth in

  • Dental Care

    I am a new employee and I have the Blue Cross Basic plan. I've reviewed the plan and it seems to cover dental as well as medical. But I have always thought I needed separate dental and vision. Others

  • Health Alliance Medicare Advantage

    If you enroll in this FEHB plan, Medicare Parts A and B, and the Health Alliance Medicare Advantage plan, you will receive Medicare Part B premium reimbursements and lower out-of-pocket costs for

  • Expected Health Care Usage

    We present ratings by average, low, or high expected health care use. Unless you are quite sure that your health care situation is unusual, we strongly recommend selecting "average". However, if you

  • FEHB Plan Brochures

    You can download PDF copies of plan brochures at the Checkbook, OPM, and plan websites, and either use them online or as print copies. Plan brochures are necessary to determine what benefits each

  • Flexible Spending Accounts

    For most employees, Health Care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) provide a way to shelter even more health care spending from taxes. FSAs allow you to shelter the out-of-pocket costs for copayments,

  • FEHB Plan Quality

    For traditional fee-for-service insurance plans, service quality used to be a minor issue. The main service concerns were how easily you could get help from plan representatives regarding coverage

  • Medicare Basics - The Four Parts of Medicare - A, B, C, D

    Medicare Part A—Hospital Insurance—When you become eligible to join Medicare, you'll be enrolled in Part A. Most people don't pay an extra premium as you've been paying for Part A through paycheck

  • FEHB Eligibility

    Non-career USPS employees are eligible to enroll in FEHB plans after one year of service. However, in the vast majority of cases you'll pay the full premium in FEHB plans with no USPS contribution.

  • Nursing Care Benefits in the FEHB Program

    There are four kinds of nursing care: Skilled care while in a hospital. Skilled care in a special extended or skilled care facility. Care in your own home provided by visiting nurses. Custodial care

  • No Cost Year

    This shows the yearly cost to you for premium (adjusted for the benefits of premium conversion if eligible, a savings of 33%), applicable health savings accounts in Consumer Driven and High

  • Plan Type

    Health Maintenance Organizations, or HMOs, are almost all local plans and have a closed set of doctors. A few HMOs allow you to use providers outside the plan's network, a variation called

  • Medicare Advantage Plan

    Medicare-eligible enrollees can leave FEHB for a Medicare Advantage plan and then come back to an FEHB plan the next open season. Some companies offer FEHB and Medicare Advantage plans. With these

  • Average Cost Year

    Your costs for health care include more than just insurance premiums. Our "Estimated average yearly costs for families like yours" also includes what you have to pay for the part of costs not covered

  • Zip Code

    The FEHB program has both national plans and plans that serve only particular states or cities. You can choose the Zip code where you live or work. If you live outside a plan's official enrollment

  • Should I Use Non-Preferred Providers With My FEHB Plan?

    You face far higher costs if you use non-preferred providers in most plans, though many plans remove this cost if you have Medicare Parts A & B. Plans not only charge you more for deductibles,