FEHB Premiums Up, Program Mainly Stable

The average enrollee share of FEHB premiums will increase 3.8 percent in 2015, OPM has said, although as always there will be substantial variation among individual plans, especially in some of the health maintenance organization plans where some are increasing premiums much more while others will see decreases. OPM made the annual rates announcement in advance of the open season that this year runs November 8-December 10. Under an earlier OPM directive, carriers will cover certain additional health screenings and more of them will offer monetary incentives for enrollees to participate in wellness programs. However, there are no other substantial changes; as announced earlier, the addition of a self plus one option to the current self-only and self and family choices will not be effective until 2016. Still pending is a final decision on expanding eligibility to certain temporary, intermittent and seasonal employees who are not now eligible; OPM has proposed rules to extend eligibility but questions have been raised, especially regarding the government paying a share of their premiums. The open season also applies to the FEDVIP vision-dental insurance program, where premiums for the former type of coverage are increasing 1.5 percent on average and in the latter by 1.7 percent on average, with no changes in the carriers or substantial changes in coverage.