If down the road you aren’t pleased with the change in plans you made, there’s another Open Season coming up in the fall for next year. Image: IhorL/Shutterstock.com
By: Reg JonesIf you were already enrolled in the Federal Employees Health Benefits program during the recent Open Season, you either changed health benefits plans or stayed with the plan you had last year. Or, you may have newly joined the program during that open enrollment period.
In any case, you are probably wondering when you’ll see your 2024 plan premiums reflected in your pay.
For employees, it will show up in the pay distribution for the first full pay period after the new leave year began, starting January 14. You should be receiving that distribution late next week or early the following week—in the first days of February. For retirees, it will show up in your February annuity payment.
If you did change plans, you may also be wondering when your old coverage will end and your new coverage begins. That’s easy, too. Any covered services rendered in 2023 will be paid by your former plan, regardless of when the bill comes in. Any covered services rendered on or after January 1, 2024 will be paid by your new plan.
While a move from one plan to another isn’t always seamless, it rarely causes a problem. If it does, it can usually be resolved without too much difficulty. However, there will be situations in which 1) you are either confined in the hospital or receiving a series of treatments that may cross the boundary between 2023 and 2024; and 2) you haven’t yet gotten an insurance card from your new plan.
While either of those can be unnerving, it shouldn’t be a cause for concern. You just need to be sure that you know how to contact your new plan. That information is in the Open Season material you relied on when you decided to switch plans. If you can’t find it, go online at https://www.opm.gov/healthcare-insurance/healthcare/plan-information/plans and download what you need, including your new plan’s phone number.
The good news is that employees and retirees have been changing plans every year for the past 60-plus years. And there won’t be any gap in your coverage when you change plans, even if there is a bump in the road. Fortunately, nearly all FEHB health providers are old pros when it comes to FEHB Open Season and can accommodate to any enrollment changes.
By the way, if down the road you aren’t pleased with the change in plans you made, there’s another Open Season coming up in the fall for next year.
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