Special Reports
Open Season Guide
GovernmentExecutive.com's guide to help federal managers, employees and their families navigate the open season for health, dental, vision and flexible spending account benefits. Open season has been extended, and now runs through January 2009.
Health Benefits Program
- 2009 Non-Postal Rates, Health Management Organizations
- 2009 Non-Postal Rates, Fee-for-Service Plans
- 2009 Postal Rates, Health Management Organizations
- 2009 Postal Rates, Fee-for-Service Plans
- General information
- Plan comparison tool
- Health insurance glossary
Dental and Vision Insurance Program
- 2009 Dental Premiums
- 2009 Vision Premiums
- General information on the dental program
- General information on the vision program
Flexible Spending Accounts
Health Plan Tools, Calculators and Report Cards
- National Committee for Quality Assurance, a non-profit organization that rates health insurance programs for consumers.
- Consumer's Checkbook Guide to Health Plans for Federal Employees. Contains ratings of plans for likely out of pocket costs, ratings of HMO and Fee-for-Service plans for customer satisfaction based on independently collected survey data, and much more. Users must pay a fee to access ratings.
- Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, a non-profit that evaluates and accredits more than 15,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States.
- Healthfinder, a Health and Human Services Department site with health news and tips.
LATEST NEWS
- Bill would allow kids to remain in the federal employee health plan longer
(06/25/09)
House member renews push to increase cutoff age for coverage of dependent children from 22 to 25. - Gimme My Discount!
(06/19/09)
A directory of deals on travel, entertainment and more for frugal federal employees, retirees and members of the military. - Wars test limits of law requiring insurance for overseas contractors
(06/19/09)
Labor Department is ill-equipped to monitor 1941 act designed for smaller-scale operations, witnesses tell a House subcommittee. - Obama backs extension of benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees
(06/17/09)
President issues memo granting limited benefits immediately and endorses legislation providing full benefits. - AP source: Benefits coming for workers' same-sex partners
(06/17/09)
President Obama plans to issue an order extending domestic partner benefits. - OPM director calls for more action on gay rights
(06/11/09)
Along with Attorney General Eric Holder, John Berry pledges president's support to expand access to federal benefits. - Report finds widespread enrollment in pricey prescription drug plans
(06/02/09)
Choosing a co-insurance plan could add thousands of dollars to the annual cost of specialty drugs to treat chronic or life-threatening illnesses. - Lawmakers unveil bipartisan domestic partner benefits bills
(05/21/09)
Advocates say allowing partners of federal employees to enroll in health and other programs is a key recruitment and retention tool. - Program Cuts, Agency-by-Agency
(05/13/09)
A list of federal programs that will lose some or all of their funding in fiscal 2010 if President Obama gets his way. - House panel to consider stand-alone TSA authorization bill
(05/13/09)
Legislation would be the first of its kind for any Homeland Security agency so far this Congress. - Senators outline options for public insurance plan
(05/12/09)
One of three possibilities would involve setting up a new administrative agency within the Health and Human Services Department. - Tide may be turning in favor of domestic partner benefits
(05/05/09)
A State Department couple and the debate over federal benefits for same-sex partners of employees. - OPM approves new long-term care contract
(05/04/09)
Some enrollees will face premium increases of up to 25 percent. - Senate takes another step toward finalizing spending blueprint
(04/24/09)
Negotiators have been named to work through differences on issues including reconciliation. - Obama wins respect from the military
(04/21/09)
President looks to avoid the mistakes of Bill Clinton, the last Democratic, non-veteran commander-in-chief. - Postmaster General to face Congress over compensation
(03/23/09)
With deferred compensation and performance incentive pay, John Potter's package came to more than $850,000 in fiscal 2008. - Obama team looks to federal employee health program as a model
(03/16/09)
Senior adviser says FEHBP flexibility and efficiency are laudable. - Efforts to grant feds domestic partner benefits gain momentum
(03/13/09)
Upcoming legislation and recent court orders could force OPM to change its policies. - Lawmaker introduces automatic TSP enrollment bill
(03/04/09)
Legislation also would require offering a Roth IRA option in the TSP and extending premium conversion on health care to retirees. - Lawmakers renew push for pre-tax health care for retirees
(02/25/09)
Measure would let retired military and civilian federal workers pay their monthly premiums with pre-tax dollars.
