![]() ![]() Both OPM and Checkbook provide plan comparison tools.One or more of these may well be far better for you than the plan you are now enrolled in. A half dozen of these are new in the FEHB program either this year or in the last couple of years. In the DC area, there are about 40 available plans. You first have to open your mind to something you may not realize: there are dozens of plans and many of them are plans you may never have heard of.Even if you like the insurance carrier you have now, all the major carriers offer multiple plans: in the DC area, Blue Cross has 3 plans, Aetna has 8 plans, GEHA has 5 plans, United has 6, and Kaiser has 3.If you are willing to take on just a little more work, there are a few additional steps you can take that can lead to thousands of dollars in savings. The entire purpose of Open Season is to give you plan choices. Now you are ready to consider other plans that might save you money through better benefits, lower premiums, or both. While you’re at it, ask about other networks, such as Aetna, Blue Cross, and United. If you have a doctor or doctors you want to keep, call the doctor’s office to make sure that he or she will still be a preferred provider next year in your current plan.All enrollees should check for the pages near the end of Section 5 titled “Non-FEHB Benefits Available to Plan Members.” That is where you will find the unofficial dental benefits, the dollar rebates for “wellness” actions, the reduced price or free glasses or contacts, and other benefits you never knew you had.Medicare enrollees need to be aware one more key place to check: changes in Medicare coordination benefits are going to show up only in Section 9 Coordinating Benefits with Medicare, not in the list of changes in Section 2 of the plan brochure.Just turn to Section 2 of the brochure that summarizes changes to scan for any benefit changes that may affect you. You can get it from the OPM website, from the Checkbook website, or from the plan website. If you do nothing else, download a PDF copy of your plan brochure to make sure nothing has changed that is important to you.Don’t assume your plan is unchanged-benefits may be worse and premiums could be more, your doctors may have left the plan, or your expensive drug may not be on the low-cost part of the formulary.How well will your current plan handle these? Think about your family’s medical situation-are there going to be any major changes that will affect your medical needs next year? This could be something you plan for, like having a baby or getting knee surgery, or some change in your health condition that may lead to expensive future treatments.Focus on your family and the plan you are now enrolled in. How many employees know that the United, CareFirst, GEHA, and MHBP high deductible plans will on average save enrollees $3,000 or more compared to the half-dozen most costly plans? How many employees know that the GEHA Elevate and Blue Cross FEP Blue Focus plans even exist, let alone offer almost equally spectacular savings? The results of our analysis show that major savings opportunities abound, and data on movement among plans shows that these savings are frequently unrecognized and ignored. ![]()
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