FEHB Premium Relief Bill Coming

Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., has said he will reintroduce a bill he offered in the previous Congress to increase the government’s share of Federal Employees Health Benefits program premiums from the current 72 percent average to 80 percent. That plan attracted nearly 100 co-sponsors but was never formally considered. The idea likely will be examined this year in the context of possible FEHB reforms, but the cost could be a significant problem. Hoyer estimates the cost in the hundreds of millions of dollars annually, but the Bush administration has put the figure at $1.7 billion.