Search results for new medicare advantage and fehb cost saving options

161 articles found

  • 2024 FEHB Program Changes

    The average 2024 premium will increase 7.7% for enrollees. This is considerably higher than historical experience in the FEHB, but is similar to most private employer cost increases and largely

  • 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

  • Should I suspend FEHB coverage and just have Medicare Advantage?

    If you join a commercial MA plan, not FEHB Medicare Advantage plans, you can temporarily suspend your FEHB enrollment and stop paying two sets of premiums. Under the suspend option, you pay the Part

  • 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

  • Reasons Why You Shouldn't Enroll in Medicare Part B

    Here are a few scenarios why retirees should consider not taking Part B. High Income Couples and Individuals that pay IRMAA—If you fall into one of the high-income categories (more than $103,000

  • Reasons Why You Should Enroll in Medicare Part B

    The most common question we receive every Open Season from retirees and soon-to-be retirees is whether to take Part B and pay the extra premium. Given that there is a penalty if you delay Part B

  • What Federal Annuitants Need to Know about Medicare Part D for 2024

    Federal annuitants will have higher healthcare costs in 2024. The enrollee share for FEHB premiums is rising 7.7%, and the standard Medicare Part B premium is increasing 5.9%, or $9.80, to

  • How the FEHB Program Works

    The Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHB) is an unconventional government program. Instead of giving you one "take it or leave it" choice, the government authorizes plans to compete for

  • Medicare and Provider Selection

    We rate plan costs based on the assumption that you will always or almost always want to use preferred providers, also known as staying in network. However, network problems largely disappear if you

  • IRMAA - Income Related Monthly Adjustment Amounts

    What is IRMAA? IRMAA stands for Income Related Monthly Adjustment Amounts. High-income households pay an extra charge—IRMAA—on top of the standard Medicare premium. IRMAA can apply to either Medicare

  • FEHB Tax Savings for Federal Employees

    There are major tax advantages for health insurance. The employer share of health insurance—paid by agencies for employees and by OPM for retirees—is part of employee compensation but by law is

  • Should Federal Annuitants Stay Enrolled in the FEHB program after Age 65?

    You could drop FEHB coverage once you enroll in Parts A and B. But this would be a bad decision. Medicare Part B requires you to pay 20 percent of the cost of doctors’ fees, and deductibles, with no

  • Are Consumer Driven Health Plans the Right FEHB Plan Type for You?

    Consumer Driven Health Plans (CDHPs) have been around for a while, but we still get a lot of questions about them. Here’s why they’re one of the lowest-cost plans in FEHB. How CDHPs work CDHPs have

  • Can you Save Money by Enrolling in FEHB Self Plus One?

    Married couples with no children to cover, and single parents with one child to cover, can enroll as self plus one rather than as a family and, depending on the plan, usually save two or three

  • 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

  • Should I Use Preferred Providers With My FEHB Plan?

    We rate plan costs based on the assumption that you will always or almost always want to use preferred providers, also known as staying in network. Your cost is always lower, usually far lower, when

  • 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

  • How Retired Couples Can Save Money by Choosing Self-Only FEHB Enrollment

    For a husband and wife who are both Federal annuitants and who have no dependent children, it is possible to save on premium costs by enrolling separately as self only rather than together as self

  • 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

  • GEHA Medicare Advantage

    If you enroll in this GEHA FEHB plan, have Medicare Parts A & B, and in enroll in GEHA's special Medicare Advantage plan, you will receive both better benefits and a Medicare Part B premium

  • United Medicare Advantage

    If you enroll in this FEHB plan, Medicare Parts A and B, and the UnitedHealthCare Medicare Advantage plan, you will receive Medicare Part B premium reimbursements and many eligible medical benefits

  • Aetna Medicare Advantage

    If you enroll in this FEHB plan, Medicare Parts A & B, and Aetna Medicare Advantage, you will receive Medicare Part B premium reimbursements and many eligible medical benefits at little to no

  • CDPHP Medicare Advantage

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

  • MHBP Medicare Advantage

    If you enroll in this MHBP FEHB plan, have Medicare Parts A & B, and in enroll in MHBP's special Medicare Advantage plan, you will receive both better benefits and a Medicare Part B premium

  • Kaiser Medicare Advantage

    If you enroll in this Kaiser FEHB plan, have Medicare Parts A & B, and enroll in Kaiser's special Medicare Advantage plan, you will receive better benefits but no Medicare Part B reimbursement. Check

  • 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

  • Samba Medicare Advantage

    If you enroll in this FEHB plan, Medicare Parts A and B, and the Samba Medicare Advantage plan, you will receive Medicare Part B premium reimbursements and many eligible medical benefits at little to

  • NALC Medicare Advantage

    If you enroll in this FEHB plan, Medicare Parts A and B, and the NALC Medicare Advantage plan, you will receive Medicare Part B premium reimbursements and many eligible medical benefits at little to

  • 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 $1,400 to almost $4,000 for individuals, and from about

  • What You Need to Know About the FEHB Program and Health Savings Accounts (HSA)

    Both Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs) and Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) provide significant tax advantages, beyond those available through Premium Conversion and FSAs. The simpler case

  • 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

  • Compass Rose Medicare Advantage

    If you enroll in this Compass Rose FEHB plan, have Medicare Parts A & B, and in enroll in Compass Rose's special Medicare Advantage plan, you will receive both better benefits and a Medicare Part B

  • Kaiser Medicare Advantage 2

    If you enroll in this Kaiser FEHB plan, have Medicare Parts A & B, and in enroll in Kaiser's special Medicare Advantage plan, you will receive both better benefits and a Medicare Part B premium

  • Foreign Service Medicare Advantage

    If you enroll in this FEHB plan, Medicare Parts A and B, and the Foreign Service Medicare Advantage plan, you will receive Medicare Part B premium reimbursements and many eligible medical benefits at

  • Rural Carrier Medicare Advantage

    If you enroll in this Rural Carrier FEHB plan, have Medicare Parts A & B, and in enroll in Rural Carrier's special Medicare Advantage plan, you will receive both better benefits and a Medicare Part B

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • Medicare Cost Waiver

    An increasing number of plans provide a Medicare wraparound that covers your hospital, physician, and other medical expenses (but not prescription drugs) at no cost to you whether or not you use

  • How to Choose the Best FEHB Plan For You and Your Family

    There are three important steps to follow to narrow down the selection of plans: Use the Guide's yearly cost comparisons, which are personalized based on the information you tell us, to find the

  • How to Balance Risk When Choosing a FEHB Plan

    Since you do not know in advance how high your medical bills will be, there is no way to know which plan will leave you with the lowest total cost. You must gamble just as you do with any insurance,

  • Our Methods and Data Sources

    We compare plans in terms of their likely dollar cost to you, including both the “for sure” expense of the premium and the out-of-pocket (OOP) expenses you face for costs the plan does not pay. We

  • Yearly Cost Estimate - Medicare Part A only

    Your yearly estimated costs include your FEHB premium and what you have to pay for your share of hospital, doctor, prescription, and other costs. We calculate typical costs for someone like you for

  • Yearly Cost Estimate - Medicare Parts A & B

    Your yearly estimated costs include your premiums and what you have to pay for your share of hospital, doctor, prescriptions, and other services. For this estimate we include the Part B premium in

  • 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

  • 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

  • United Retiree Advantage

    If you enroll in this FEHB plan, Medicare Parts A and B, and the UnitedHealthCare Medicare Advantage plan, UnitedHealthCare Retiree Advantage Plan (UHCA), you will receive Medicare Part B premium

  • Doctors

    My doctors are not preferred providers in any plan. What should I do? Set up an FSA account for about half the amount you expect to spend on those doctors. Then pick one of the top ranked plans that

  • 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

  • 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