The Office of Personnel Management is now negotiating with six health care insurance carriers to add them to the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, director of health care and insurance John O’Brien said Thursday.
In his keynote speech to the FEHB Carrier Conference, O’Brien said OPM added four new insurance providers last year.
O’Brien also touted OPM’s success at keeping premium increases below 4 percent for the last two years. But he also noted that even small premium increases bite at a time when federal pay scales are frozen.
“Our low premium growth translates to roughly an additional $400 that federal employees had to pay to maintain their health coverage during that time,” O’Brien said. “That $400 did not come out of a growing salary, but from existing family and personal budgets.”
And O’Brien told the carriers that OPM wants to do more to measure insurers’ performance in FEHBP, decrease hospital readmission rates, properly administer prescription drugs, and decrease obesity.
4 Comments
Dear Mr. O” Brien , I have been an annuitant since 2008.My FEHB premium has risen roughly33%. The cola did not cover the increase this year. I wonder how much my premiums will rise to help offset the insurers new expenses for Obama care. Forbes magazine claims there will be premium rate shock.I am very concerned. Thank you,George
If new plans are added, will we have to be in 1 for five years?Or as long as it’s in FEHBP and we’ve been in Fehbp for 5 yrs, it does not matter?
You do not have to be in a specific plan for 5 years, just in the FEHPB program.
Me wants Obamacare becauz mes low infermayshun vot. Free fer me, wright?