Help With Federal Retirees Open Season Health Insurance Options
 

We are looking for a new plan, we have Federal Blue Cross/Blue Shield for now but the rates are going up again. At this time we are not eligible for medicare but Blue Cross is a good insurance for The Villages Health & local area. Are you using another provider that is as good or better than Federal Blue Cross/Blue Shield that cost less?

I have the Federal Blue Cross standard plan and Medicare Part A and it works fine. Also, I think it is a waste of money to pay for Medicare Part B, so I don't have it. Not having Medicare Part B saves me about $260 per month. I don't think you will find a better plan than Blue Cross.

Me too

Mrs. Trap and I have the Standard option GEHA. Two Self Only at $119 per month. Yes, both of us worked for government.

We have been pretty happy with GEHA.

Really miss the Kaiser Permanente we had in D.C. 'burbs, though.

A close friend of mine had ovarian cancer and GEHA. She had to switch to Blue Cross because GEHA refused certain treatments and drugs recommended by her doctor. Blue Cross covered everything.

We have used NALC high option for 11 years here with good results.

I used to have Blue Cross Blue Shield Standard, but I found that option too expensive so I switched to their Basic plan and have been very happy with Basic for 10 years.

Have had nalc since 1982 without complaint. Has been put to the test battling my husband's terminal cancer . Presently sufficiently covering very expensive autoimmune disease medications with drug company copay assistnace

What is NALC

National Association of Letter Carriers—one of several Federal Employee Health Benefit programs.

Thanks for the information I will look at the suggested options.

I think you have to be a postal employee or retiree to sign up for NALC.

Not sure about NALC, but we have APWU (American Postal Workers Union), Consumer Driven Option, and we are not and were not Postal workers. I did have to purchase an associate membership in APWU for, I think, $15 a year. This is our first year on this plan; we switched from BC/BS Basic option after many years, due to their premium increases. Thus far, we are very satisfied. With the APWU Consumer Driven option, we get a $1200 per person ($2400 per couple) Personal Care Account, which is applied toward copays and deductible. So far this year, we have paid nothing out of pocket, & still have some $ left in our Personal Care account, which carries over into next year, should we decide to continue with this plan. We are toying with idea of switching to GEHA low option, but if we do will lose remainder of our PCA. Obviously, we (thankfully) do not have high health costs.