Which Federal insurance plan?

[Anonymous]

What’s the premium cost on BCBS Basic?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a spouse with several medical conditions (heart, allergies, etc) and several ongoing prescriptions. I have a teen who sees an endocrinologist and wants to see a dermatologist. I have the usual (mammograms, due for a colonoscopy this year, etc). I’m becoming a fed and am now facing the choice about which health plan to select.

I want a plan that’s easy to work with and will not fight about approving things. I would like a reasonable limit for out-of-pocket annual expenses, because we have at least one more surgery coming this year plus some other stuff. I’d rather pay a little more in my premium and feel like we are covered for the big expenses.

What federal policy do you have and why do you or don’t you like it? Thanks!

The hardest doctor to get is probably the teen’s endocrinologist, and the second hardest might be your husband’s cardiologist. Try to choose the one the endocrinologist’s billing person’s like best and that the cardiologist’s billing person can tolerate.

[Anonymous]

I see specialists (hematologist and rheumatologist) a lot and have BCBS Basic. DS has speech and has had psych treatment/eval. My OOP was so minimal with these. The only surprise I’ve had has been pharmacy coverage. I had to get an infusion treatment in the office (no stay) and it was almost $3k OOP. That stung. I think because BCBS is so predominant here, many providers accept it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What’s the premium cost on BCBS Basic?

Maybe $350 ish/month for a family? Go to fepblue and check

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s the premium cost on BCBS Basic?

Maybe $350 ish/month for a family? Go to fepblue and check

$238 biweekly for family coverage

[Anonymous]

If you are in the metro DC area, Blue Cross federal. If a doctor takes insurance, they take it. If you think you need a doctor who doesn’t take insurance, get Standard. Other plans might look better on paper, but it’s hit or miss which doctors take it. And avoid anything backed by United - the neverpay company.

[Anonymous]

We have kept BC/BS basic for our entire career. Now that we are on Medicare we have the same BC/BS policy as our secondary. Never pay a penny for medical expenses and Medicare does not dictate our care. FWIW, government pays 2/3 of the premiums for secondary and the premiums we do pay (on the secondary) are tax deductible. Our primary home is FL.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s the premium cost on BCBS Basic?

Maybe $350 ish/month for a family? Go to fepblue and check

$238 biweekly for family coverage

wow it's gone up a lot recently

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are in the metro DC area, Blue Cross federal. If a doctor takes insurance, they take it. If you think you need a doctor who doesn’t take insurance, get Standard. Other plans might look better on paper, but it’s hit or miss which doctors take it. And avoid anything backed by United - the neverpay company.

+1000.

If you are on United, you will find that very few doctors in the area accept it (because United is so difficult to deal with). So you'll end up submitting claims yourself. When you do that, you'll learn that United NEVER pays a claim the first time it is submitted. They will reject the claim for the most bogus of reasons - "failure to provide X on form" when X is clearly stated on the form for all to see.

You'll submit the exact same form 2-3 times, and finally they will take it. And then you'll go through the same process with the next claim.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s the premium cost on BCBS Basic?

Maybe $350 ish/month for a family? Go to fepblue and check

$238 biweekly for family coverage

wow it's gone up a lot recently

Yeah it’s been going up nonstop. This year I am paying for 10% of lab work which, until last year, used to be zero.

[Anonymous]

We need a lot of mental healthcare because of my child’s special needs, and BCBS is THE WORST for reimbursing for out of network mental healthcare. We have GEHA Standard and have for years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We need a lot of mental healthcare because of my child’s special needs, and BCBS is THE WORST for reimbursing for out of network mental healthcare. We have GEHA Standard and have for years.

But to be fair though if you see out of network providers bcbs basic is the last insurance you want but most providers in this area are in network.

[Anonymous]

I have UHC HDHP - primarily because we're using medications that have savings cards - the discounts on these count towards our deductible. so basically, free money towards deductible, really low premiums.

we have. had zero issues, everything has been in network EXCEPT flu shots with minute clinic (and I did win an appeal on this based on a pdf on their site that literally said to use minute clinic for a flu shot).

I haven't had any problems with claims being processed. my DD's endocrinologist is concierge and I did go ahead and submit the superbill to see if anything will be reimbursed, but I don't really care. I just hit my deductible and have a 10k procedure scheduled for next week, I pay $250. I don't really know if I'm coming out ahead with the HSA, but I also did not want to move because I have a PA for medications and I wanted to remain with UHC for coverage. next year I will re-evaluate. but oh boy PP gives me pause. I get in-office infusion treatments WEEKLY, plus CBC every week. I cannot afford to get screwed and I don't think I should depend on max OOP for just a regular year of my healthcare.

Anyways. Nobody here has mentioned checkbook. your agency MAY provide access gratis (mine does not). you should be able to go to the DC library and get access. it was worth the $13 or whatever for me to subscribe last year when I came on new. it took a lot of sorting and figuring but eventually I "got" it.


https://www.checkbook.org/newhig2/hig.cfm

[Anonymous]

I just posted but wanted to follow up, like others I have maxed life insurance (always max these!) and I have MetLife high for braces for kids, and we use the bluecross vision, large family, come out way ahead on glasses! run your numbers on this, if I had 1-2 fewer ppl with glasses I wouldn't bother.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What’s the premium cost on BCBS Basic?

Look on OPM website.