Starting this January, federal employees and their families will have an expanded lineup of both vision and dental insurance plans to choose from, the Office of Personnel Management announced this afternoon.
The number of dental plans will increase from seven to 10, according to a news release, while the number of vision carriers will rise from three to four. The last time OPM opened up the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP) to new entrants was 2006. Premium rates and coverage will be announced later this year before Open Season begins, acting Director Elaine Kaplan said in the release.
“I am pleased that we were able to increase the number of carriers participating in the program, and now we will be offering more choices and flexibility for enrollees. . . ,” Kaplan said in the release.
The new vision insurer is Aetna; the three new dental carriers are Blue Cross Blue Shield, Delta Dental and Dominion Dental, OPM spokesman Joe Resnek said by phone. OPM made its selection yesterday after starting the application process in January. Here are the full lists of insurers (as of 2014) for both categories:
DENTAL VISION
Aetna Aetna
MetLife Blue Cross Blue Shield
United Concordia VSP
GEHA United Healthcare
Blue Cross Blue Shield
Delta Dental
Triple S
Dominion Dental
Humana
Emblem Health
4 Comments
What’s the point? Try finding a doctor or dentist next year when Obamacare takes effect in full.
Doctors are leaving the practice in droves and virtually every part of the country will see some instances of doctor shortages, especially rural areas.
The irony of paying out the ying yang for health insurance as the premiums continue their double digit (and in extreme cases, triple digit) rate hikes is astounding.
Most are leaving because of declining insurance payments. And insurance paperwork. And insurance bureaucracy. Talk about a jungle. Notice how you never stop getting bills from private insurance companies, after a visit or a procedure?
What I would like for OPM and the Federal Government to address is the issue of higher health insurance premiums for small households. I need health insurance coverage for myself and my daughter and yet I am forced to pay the same health care premiums that a family of six pays for health insurance. Wht doesn’t the Federal Government have an option of self + one as they do for vision and dental premiums? I feel as though I am shouldering the financial burden of larger families for healthcare.
What I would like for OPM and the Federal Government to address is the issue of higher health insurance premiums for small households. I need health insurance coverage for myself and my daughter and yet I am forced to pay the same health care premiums that a family of six pays for health insurance. Why doesn’t the Federal Government have an option of self + one as they do for vision and dental premiums? I feel as though I am shouldering the financial burden of larger families for healthcare.