FEHB Health Premiums up

[James48843]

I think this is the year I’m going to dump my health insurance.

I’m retired now, and next year’s premium is going to be $593 a month.

I’m 64, and also retired Army National Guard, so I’m thinking i will go to TRI-CARE Select this year, and TriCare for life next year when I turn 65.

Tri-care select is a lot cheaper than Blue Cross. Has anybody done this? Dropped Blue Cross FEHB after retirement to switch to TriCare?

I imagine TriCare Select for a year, and then TriCare for life, combined with Medicare, should cover it enough, don’t you think?

I’m also getting care and prescriptions from VA, so I can’t imagine having any medical bill worries in the future.


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[James48843]

Full set of new FEHB rates for 2025:

https://www.opm.gov/healthcare-insurance/healthcare/plan-information/premiums



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[FAAM]

James..., Thx for your service, & for posting links regarding '25 FEHB rates!
I'm retired (FERS) that included buy-back of credit for my 9+ years of Army active-duty time (plus a year of Nat'l. Guard that didn't count ). I have FEHB (MHBP) and just reached age 65 last month. I am only 10% disabled VET, so I get some VA medical care but not nearly full-care, & don't have any TriCare (though my 83-yr-old mother has TriCare [having been married to my father during his entire USAF active duty career] as a Medicaid Recipient since she lives only with SS-income & no estate. So, I cannot help on any of that stuff for you; but in my recent digging around trying to figure my own options/pros-&-cons regarding Medicare & FEHB... I WARN YOU:

You'll want to be very careful of how/ what form &/or words you submit to end your FEHB coverage -- assuming you want to retain your rights to re-start FEHB benefits at later date for you (& others eligible to use FEHB because of you). I must verify in detail... however, per phone call(s) with OPM regarding that, I was informed that if you "terminate" (don't quote me on that word, but that or something like it) your FEHB coverage, for a reason like that situation you discribed, you can or will lose your rights to FEHB benefits forever; yet if you "Suspend" (or such other word I'm not sure of) your FEHB "temporarily" for a year or more, then you can preserve your benefits to have FESB coverage later.
I also recall you may need to coordinate and get approval from OPM/FEHB (or such) to be able to suspend your use of FEHB so you can have it available later... and i think there is a specific form your must complete and submit to them for this purpose.

Also, be careful as some FEHB plans/carriers will automatically enroll you in their version of Medicare Part-D without adequate notice and without your approval. Mine did so (new thing in 2024 that I don't think was happening in 2023). I highly question that they (Aetna/MHBP) had the authoity to legally auto-enroll me in their Part-D coverage without my express authorization in the affermative to do so; I'm digging & have found zero documentation or knowleageble fed-employee anywhere so far that confirms my private-corpration FEHB carrier had such authority and right. I have had to spend a lot of time to figure all this out and jump through hoops to get 'disenrolled'; there was no added "premium" but they effectively dropped my normal FEHB-MHBP drug coverage the second my Medicare Part-D coverage began, and I later found I was subject to IRMA taken out of my SS monthly amount (I now have to get SS/CMS to refund that IRMA taken out for this month). Likewise, I'm not enrolled automatically in Part-B, as Medicare/SS notified me of their auto-enrollment of me into Parts-A & -B months ahead of time - allowing for me to research & to OPT-OUT of Part-B; with FEHB, I didn't want to also pay the Part-B premium plus the IRMA for that. My wife is still a FED employee with her own FEHB... so I will avoid the "Penalties" for not enrolling in Part-B (& Part-D?) by suspending my FEHB (until my wife retires) & going under her FEHB (as Self+one) since that relieves one of the Penalty since it is equal or better (FEHB) medical insurance coverage (it seems that although my FEHB/MHBP Std-Option/plan is identical to my wife's, that/ mine isn't [or may not be considered acceptable, I must dig more] equal to avoid the penalties since I'm not "Employed with employer-provided equivalent health insurance" - go figure?).
... OMG -- I am tired of this stuff, with the federal 'city hall'.