The annual Federal Benefits Open Season 2022 starts on November 14 and is open through December 12, 2022. Image: photo_gonzo/Shutterstock.com
Those federal employees who have been around for more than a year, and retirees without exception, know that in the early fall the Office of Personnel Management annually announces coverage and premium terms in the Federal Employees Health Benefits program for the following year.
What doesn’t happen so regularly is a followup message from OPM urging enrollees to use the benefits open season to comparison shop—as it did days after raising eyebrows and blood pressure across the federal community by disclosing that the average premium increase for 2023 will be 8.7 percent.
OPM titled that release “Thousands of Enrollees Are Leaving Valuable Savings on the Table During Open Season.” It went on to say:
The annual Federal Benefits Open Season 2022 starts on November 14 and is open through December 12, 2022. During this time, employees and annuitants can assess their benefits to ensure it is cost-efficient and best addresses the care and services for themselves and their families.
Tens of thousands of enrollees are potentially leaving valuable savings on the table by not taking advantage of Open Season to review their health care coverage and ensure they are receiving the most out of their benefits for themselves and their family,” said Kiran Ahuja, Director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
Unlike previous years where premium increases were shared up front with OPM giving itself a pat on the back for having negotiated ones for the FEHB program that were better that those in the private sector, the increase doesn’t show up until deep into the FAST FACTS section of the news release. And even there, it references the increase as 7.2 percent. That’s the number produced by combining the 6.6 percent increase in the government share with the number of far more importance to enrollees, the increase for them of 8.7 percent.
Other information there includes:
• Established in 1960, the FEHB Program is the world’s largest employer-sponsored health benefits program.
• The FEHB Program provides healthcare benefits for about 8.2 million individuals: 2.2 million employees, 1.9 million annuitants, and an estimated 4.1 million family members.
• The annual Open Season gives Federal employees, annuitants, and other eligible individuals the opportunity to review their FEHB and FEDVIP plan options, make changes, and enroll for the upcoming plan year that begins January 1, 2023.
• Under FEDVIP, the overall average increase for dental plans will increase by 0.21 percent and the overall average premium for vision plans will increase by 0.41 percent.
• The FEHB Program features 271 health plan choices for 2023. OPM asked FEHB Carriers to focus on COVID-19, telehealth, maternal health, gender-affirming care and services, obesity, preventive services, assisted reproductive technology, and medical foods.
I’m not calling your attention to that enormous jump in average FEHB premiums to point a finger at OPM. Having participated in the rate setting process in the past, I can tell you that their actuaries have always kept plans on the straight and narrow when it comes to rate setting. They do what they can to hold down premium increases, but like the costs in every other part of the U.S. economy, they’ve soared. I think the decision to bury the increase—along with the decision to first disclose the number late on a Friday afternoon, the classic Washington move to hide bad news—was a higher-level management decision.
However you feel about that, the release did contain one piece of unquestionably good advice:
“Ask yourself – how have my or my family needs changed this past year and then utilize the Open Season enrollment period to conduct a wellness or financial check-up to make an informed decision that gets you the best care.”
This year more than any other in recent years calls for a rigorous analysis of your health insurance coverage.
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