Which Federal insurance plan?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bumping.

Also, BCBS Basic vs BCBS Standard? The OPM website isn’t especially illuminating on the significant differences.

BCBS Basic - unless you will need to use a particular psychologist, psychiatrist, or kids special needs provider who doesn't accept BCBS.

Thanks, PP. when I try to compare the plans, Basic is better on some things (ex. might be cheaper for prescriptions, ER visits, etc.) and Standard is better on some things (ex. 75 PT visits per year versus 50, cheaper hospital facility fee). This is maddening!

with standard, you pay 15 or 20% of almost every bill. "co-insurance." no way I'd ever sign up for that. a coworker was so proud they bought the more expensive standard plan until they got a huge surgery bill. the coinsurance. yikes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bumping.

Also, BCBS Basic vs BCBS Standard? The OPM website isn’t especially illuminating on the significant differences.

BCBS Basic - unless you will need to use a particular psychologist, psychiatrist, or kids special needs provider who doesn't accept BCBS.

Thanks, PP. when I try to compare the plans, Basic is better on some things (ex. might be cheaper for prescriptions, ER visits, etc.) and Standard is better on some things (ex. 75 PT visits per year versus 50, cheaper hospital facility fee). This is maddening!

with standard, you pay 15 or 20% of almost every bill. "co-insurance." no way I'd ever sign up for that. a coworker was so proud they bought the more expensive standard plan until they got a huge surgery bill. the coinsurance. yikes.

Which plan do you have and what have you experienced while using it? Do you have any major health problems, do you have any health conditions requiring ongoing treatment, and have you ever been hospitalized?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We use CareFirst BCBS. No copays for PCP visits, $40 for specialists, in network mental health providers are covered at 100%. Three people in my house see therapists regularly and I haven’t paid a dime. And it was super easy to get a local guest membership covering my college kid in Boston.

The OPM website doesn't mention CareFirst. Is this just the name of BCBS Standard in the DMV?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We use CareFirst BCBS. No copays for PCP visits, $40 for specialists, in network mental health providers are covered at 100%. Three people in my house see therapists regularly and I haven’t paid a dime. And it was super easy to get a local guest membership covering my college kid in Boston.

The OPM website doesn't mention CareFirst. Is this just the name of BCBS Standard in the DMV?

DH is the fed employee and does the actual enrollment, so all I know is that it’s CareFirst Blue Choice on the ID card. Probably the Standard option here -
https://www.carefirst.com/fedhmo/plan-information/plan-highlights.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We use CareFirst BCBS. No copays for PCP visits, $40 for specialists, in network mental health providers are covered at 100%. Three people in my house see therapists regularly and I haven’t paid a dime. And it was super easy to get a local guest membership covering my college kid in Boston.

The OPM website doesn't mention CareFirst. Is this just the name of BCBS Standard in the DMV?

DH is the fed employee and does the actual enrollment, so all I know is that it’s CareFirst Blue Choice on the ID card. Probably the Standard option here -
https://www.carefirst.com/fedhmo/plan-information/plan-highlights.html

That makes sense. Thanks much!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:and Metlife High PPO for dental.

and maxed out 6x salary life insurance. You're locked in life insurance selection for years.

Disagree- this is not the most economical term life insurance option, especially if you're younger. Shop around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just a PSA, reminder that none of them cover terminations of pregnancy even in cases of fetal diagnoses incompatible with life. Having just faced a $10,000 out of pocket expense for a second trimester termination in a hospital setting I am angry and appalled to have been impacted by this complete lack of medical coverage and aware of how privileged we were to be able to afford this expense. Note, had we continued the ultimately impossible to be viable pregnancy, all expenses would have have been covered except perhaps the undue mental trauma of it all. All government workers, all military families, all medicaid recipients impacted by the Hyde amendment. Absolutely unforgivable.

Hi, I also had to terminate for medical reasons at 20 weeks, but my doctor was able to have insurance pay it under a "health of the mother" exemption. The time waiting until I knew if I was going to have to pay out of pocket was excruciating and devastating. Then I ended up having complications with delivery that landed me in the ICU for a week. Thankfully BCBS covered it all minus a $200 hospital stay bill.

If you are looking for grief support, the Ending a Wanted Pregnancy facebook group has been incredible for me. If you're looking for therapists, I saw Dr. Rachel Freedman (she did not take insurance, but I felt it was worth every penny-- she focuses her practice on pregnancy/post partum, feritlity and pregnancy loss).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

We've had United Healthcare for years and they've been fine. They covered my daughter's surgery (Achilles tenotomy) and for most other things, we've never had a problem.

[Anonymous]

BC/BS standard allows you to see out of network physicians (though they pay much less).

[Anonymous]

Anyone have BCBS HDP and currently pregnant? The only reason we got it is for an HSA, which we plan not to touch, but pregnancy care is getting costly. I'm thinking I should just switch to BCBS Basic/Standard so we don't have an outrageous hospital bill.