Plans are of three main types—combined Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) and Fee-for-Service (FFS) plans, High Deductible (HDHP) and Consumer-Driven (CDHP) plans, and Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) plans, some of which have Point-of-Service (POS) benefits outside the plan … FEHB will cover you and save you from paying the Part B premium.

AETNA HDHP, GEHA HDHP, MHBP HDHP, are my HDHP options. You should discuss tax or legal matters with the appropriate professional.

My gut is leaning towards the MHBP choice due to it having the highest medical account contribution, but my question lies within the quality of these three plans: In-Network/PPO: MHBP provides no cost and $15 for preventive and primary care office visitors, GEHA provides no cost and 5%, and Aetna provides no cost and 10%. Fed news Advice is greatly appreciated! GEHA has the advantage of basic dental and vision covered as part of the medical plan, which can massively make up for it. Healthy wife and no kids. This is the kind of input I am looking for. The Aetna HDHP has similar vision/dental coverage to GEHA... haven't really looked at MHBP. | Avoiding Stupid Mistakes Advice Do not forget that you need continuous coverage under the FEHB (by you or your spouse) for five years before you retire, or you will lose coverage forever. I was on the NALC plan last year and it wasn't too bad. P.O. I’ve been enrolled in GEHA Standard Plus One for 7 years; each year it simply renews without any action on my part. But I have some chronic health issues so it's cheaper for me to pay more upfront to pay less on the back end. But you would end up paying less overall if you use the full deductible every year by using Aetna In-Network. Let’s take a look at some of these differences!

Employees and annuitants can use a comparison tool on OPM’s website.

Those still working are exempt from the Part B late penalty fee. Medicare Prescriptions Drugs (Part D) covers prescription drug coverage.

Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Give us a call at the number above to learn about your rates today. Unfortunately, we have no way of knowing how many retirees are currently covered under FEHB. TL;DR - Looking for FEHB recommendations for HDHP HSA based off of the 3 above. Office of Personnel Management

Selecting the right health insurance plan is critical when it comes to keeping one’s health care costs low. Typically, you will be notified if your plan is discontinued. Dental and vision benefits are available to eligible Federal and Postal employees, retirees, and their eligible family members on an enrollee-pay-all basis. It is often less expensive to treat minor problems than major medical issues. You should consult with a financial, medical or human resource professional where appropriate. For enrollment/premium questions regarding dental and vision insurance, contact BENEFEDS at 1(877) 888-3337. Review the following articles that describe the impact Medicare has on your FEHB provider payments. I chose GEHA because of the lower premiums. If you have expensive meds and aren't, look for copay assistance programs (I search for "drug name savings plan" or similar every December for each of our meds to get ready for the following year). Also geha sends you a $75 Mastercard that can be used on medical, dental, vision purchases for taking a survey... New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. That's a total annual cost of $4141.54. I had a endoscopy done, and they denied the anesthesiologist as in network - not because he wasn't in the network, as he was (edit:at 5 locations within 25 miles), but because he was not in network AT THAT ADDRESS!

Would like to have HSA and use it as retirement vehicle. The HSA balance rolls over year to year without a “use or lose” rule. If you are choosing Self Plus One or Family coverage, OPM will also need your dependent and other insurance information. I don't know if this is GEHA or because of Aetna, who GEHA uses to administer the plan, but I literally just got done saying to my wife that it might be worth it to just pay more to BCBS due to the larger network to avoid this kind of crap in the future.

GEHA's 2020 biweekly premium is $59.29. And if anyone sees something wrong in my analysis, please point it out. Aetna is much more expensive than the other plans with HSAs and many traditional plans.

Another comparison tool is available from Consumers’ Checkbook magazine. I don’t have any extraneous health circumstances and I have a relatively clean family track record, so I think I could make efficient use of various HSA plans. I’d like to wrack a couple brains on here if I could... I’m relatively new to the government (~4 months), and initially enrolled in Blue Cross Blue Shield Basic Self option during my new hire enrollment period. Their network gives me lots of choices and they are usually pretty quick with approvals for approval-required services. 2021 Open Season Advice & Checkbook’s Guide to Health Plans Introduction, Converting Unused Sick Leave (FERS & CSRS), Copyright 2020 by 302 Scenic Court, Moon Township, PA 15108.

We've hit our out of pocket max every year for the past few due to health issues.

Not sure if that's correct though. A couple with an FEHB Self-Plus-One Plan could have a Maximum Out of Pocket of $5,000. Lawrence, KS 66046-0500. Is there a specific reason to stay away from any particular plan? Once FEHB health plan coverage becomes effective on Jan. 3, 2021, the process continues by plan enrollees making the most of what their FEHB health plan has to offer (especially preventive care services), and the process ends with FEHB plan enrollees committing to a healthy lifestyle.

By taking advantage of a FEHB health insurance plan’s free preventive services, an employee, annuitant or family member may be able to identify areas of concern before they turn into something more serious.

GEHA Standard to Blue Cross Blue Shield Basic Plan Comparison – 2021, Standard Form 2809, Employee Health Benefits Election Form, PostalEASE online and telephone enrollment system, A Marriage of Convenience – Medicare & FEHB. Federal Retirement readers can pre-ordered their guide at Guidetohealthplans.org and save 20% by entering promo code FEDRETIRE at checkout. New and newly eligible employees can enroll within the 60 days after they become eligible. Also, if you move or lose Part C through no fault of your own, you can change back to a FEHP plan. To my knowledge, we still have 2019 numbers for everything but the biweekly premium. Ultimately, it’s up to you on the amount you want to spend, and the coverage you feel is necessary. Those with a low deductible could find the coverage isn’t worth the price.

Medicare and FEHB Options – What Will You Do When You Turn 65? Required fields are marked *. We understand every situation is not the same, and you need to make the best choice for you. Another option would be a Medicare Advantage plan.

Happy so far, but not recommended if you have chronic conditions. Several FEHB plans waive copayments and deductibles when you have Part B benefits. While the employees of Serving Those Who Serve are familiar with the tax provisions of the issues presented herein, as Financial Advisors of RJFS, we are not qualified to render advice on tax or legal matters. Hope this helps! Low premiums (almost half of which pass through to your HSA) and low out of pocket max make it a solid choice for people with low -or- high medical expenses.