Federal Cop --- Which Health Insurance Should I Choose?

[OrdiOrdi]

I'm a new federal cop. Which health insurance should I choose?

Background: I'm single, 0 dependants. Im very healthy and dont go to the doctor... havent been in probably 10 years... If I get sick, I just deal with it.

So basically, I'm looking for something that is extremely low cost, would cover me in the case of an emergency. I would also like to visit a dentist once a year for a cleaning/inspection and a filling here and there....

Any tips? This is all extremely overwhelming....

[CCCSD]

Dental is minimum twice a year, not once a year. You need the best coverage you can afford. Tomorrow, you might have a stroke, break a leg, get a CA Dx. Why gamble?

[moparfan]

Can't really say with out knowing the plan options. If you get an allowance then max it out, it's not your money your spending it's the governments. For example if you have an allowance of say $600. Look at all the options medical,dental, life insurance and such and see what you can max out with, without going out of pocket.

[Exbpa340]

I'm a new federal cop. Which health insurance should I choose?

Background: I'm single, 0 dependants. Im very healthy and dont go to the doctor... havent been in probably 10 years... If I get sick, I just deal with it.

So basically, I'm looking for something that is extremely low cost, would cover me in the case of an emergency. I would also like to visit a dentist once a year for a cleaning/inspection and a filling here and there....

Any tips? This is all extremely overwhelming....

The below applies to federal employees (not contractors)..

1 - The Federal government doesn’t give you an allotment like many local government positions. It covers approximately 75 percent of the premiums regardless of plan and cost. So if you get a plan that is $800 a month your portion would be around $200. This continues through retirement.

2 - Dental is a separate issue and you will have to come out of pocket for any dental coverage.

3 - Many plans tend to be geographical. I am located in California and use Kaiser. It is a little expensive but has been excellent. If I were in your situation I would think about a PPO (like Blue Cross/Shield). You may have a little more out of pocket if you go to the doctor but (at least when I had them) you have greater flexibility. If you get injured... say a knee injury and you know it’s pretty bad you can make an appointment directly with a specialist. These plans can get cost prohibitive for a family though.

[PeteBroccolo]

I'm a new federal cop. Which health insurance should I choose?

Background: I'm single, 0 dependants. Im very healthy and dont go to the doctor... havent been in probably 10 years... If I get sick, I just deal with it.

So basically, I'm looking for something that is extremely low cost, would cover me in the case of an emergency. I would also like to visit a dentist once a year for a cleaning/inspection and a filling here and there....

Any tips? This is all extremely overwhelming....

Your Agency has no plan / provider you can join, or HR / Health Services office to consult?! Yikes - sorry, my Canadianism was showing!

[reils49]

I thought healthcare was free up there?

[m.p.c]

Federal insurance sucks. Marry someone with good insurance. Not a huge difference in providers, any basic option is good. In terms of dental, depending on your dental record and which plan you use, you will need a supplemental dental insurance. For example, Blue Cross covers very basic dental costs like cleanings as part of their health plans. Anything in addition will need a supplemental health plan or you pay out of pocket.

[m.p.c]

Your Agency has no plan / provider you can join, or HR / Health Services office to consult?! Yikes - sorry, my Canadianism was showing!

Agencies do have providers, there are a few different federal employee health benefit options. It's up to the employee to choose which they want for themselves or family. Some agencies do a better job than others in providing seminars and etc on the pros and cons between providers. Like anything else, one needs to do their homework in assessing what is best for them.

[CCCSD]

The below applies to federal employees (not contractors)..

1 - The Federal government doesn’t give you an allotment like many local government positions. It covers approximately 75 percent of the premiums regardless of plan and cost. So if you get a plan that is $800 a month your portion would be around $200. This continues through retirement.

2 - Dental is a separate issue and you will have to come out of pocket for any dental coverage.

3 - Many plans tend to be geographical. I am located in California and use Kaiser. It is a little expensive but has been excellent. If I were in your situation I would think about a PPO (like Blue Cross/Shield). You may have a little more out of pocket if you go to the doctor but (at least when I had them) you have greater flexibility. If you get injured... say a knee injury and you know it’s pretty bad you can make an appointment directly with a specialist. These plans can get cost prohibitive for a family though.

This.

[orlandofed5-0]

Do you want a local or national plan? Low cost means higher out of pocket costs and doesn't always translate to better just because "you're healthy".

[BP3]

BCBS Basic plan 111 if you are relatively healthy, not married, no kids. Accepted everywhere and about 150 a month. Great coverage and the deductible is not so expensive it’s unheard of.

dental and vision will be separate.

As others gave said, YMMV and location makes a big difference.

[Aerohead]

Federal insurance sucks.

Whhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaattttttttttttttttttt?!?!! I thought they had the best coverage - that changed??

[J2H]

I have BCBS, covers my FEHB needs and basic dental (free cleanings 2x a year). I use Benefeds (FEDVIP) for dental and vision.

[not.in.MY.town]

If you want super low cost, go with the DTCS plan - Duct tape and chicken soup.

If it's broken or bleeds, fix it with duct tape. Anything else, have a bowl of chicken soup.

[Ratatatat]

First of all, just because you're young and healthy today doesn't mean that's how it will always be. I've seen many people have to deal with very sudden and unexpected health issues and often in their 30s and 40s. And if there's a job-related injury, I can tell you firsthand that OWCP is mostly a bad joke, especially when you start asking how to get reimbursed for $1,200 injections. I can also tell you a couple of horror stories of people I worked with who were severely injured on the job by criminals, could no longer work, and were basically told so sad, too bad, you'll need to sue the bad guy if you want relief (one person did eventually get a medical retirement but not until he hired an attorney and even that took a couple of years).

Like everything in life, you get what you pay for. Maybe Plan C (as in cheapo) works for you now but someday, as you age, or have a spouse, or start a family, you'll want better coverage. I say this because we had a child in the ICU a few years ago and the bill, for one week, was $40K. Luckily my spouse has good coverage and between both our plans we had no liability. There is an open season to change benefit plans every November.

My real advice? Date people who work in public education, or for an insurance company. They seem to have the best coverage (ironic, isn't it, to see insurance take care of it's own, when they go to such lengths to let the insured flap in the wind....)

And you may want to re-think once a year dental visits. There's a term for those who only go once a year: dog breath.

[not.in.MY.town]

First of all, just because you're young and healthy today doesn't mean that's how it will always be. I've seen many people have to deal with very sudden and unexpected health issues and often in their 30s and 40s. And if there's a job-related injury, I can tell you firsthand that OWCP is mostly a bad joke, especially when you start asking how to get reimbursed for $1,200 injections. I can also tell you a couple of horror stories of people I worked with who were severely injured on the job by criminals, could no longer work, and were basically told so sad, too bad, you'll need to sue the bad guy if you want relief (one person did eventually get a medical retirement but not until he hired an attorney and even that took a couple of years).

Like everything in life, you get what you pay for. Maybe Plan C (as in cheapo) works for you now but someday, as you age, or have a spouse, or start a family, you'll want better coverage. I say this because we had a child in the ICU a few years ago and the bill, for one week, was $40K. Luckily my spouse has good coverage and between both our plans we had no liability. There is an open season to change benefit plans every November.

My real advice? Date people who work in public education, or for an insurance company. They seem to have the best coverage (ironic, isn't it, to see insurance take care of it's own, when they go to such lengths to let the insured flap in the wind....)

And you may want to re-think once a year dental visits. There's a term for those who only go once a year: dog breath.

Only 40K for a week in ICU? Wow. Where was this? Mexico?

My daughter had an appendectomy at a hospital in New Jersey last year. Arrived at the ER at 3 am, blood tests and CT scan done, laparoscopic surgery performed at 7 am, discharged at 11 am the same day (with a prescription for antibiotics and oxycodone. go figure). The hospital bill alone was over 66K...and then another 15K or so from individual doctors (ER doctor, surgeon, anesthesiologist, radiologist, heck even a pathologist who checked her appendix tissue for cancer). I shudder to think how much the bill would have been for a ruptured appendix and a week-long hospital stay.

I'm fortunate to have good health benefits through my department (no premium) so I only had to pay my family out-of-pocket max for the calendar year (3K)...but someone without health insurance or a higher out-of-pocket max would have been screwed.

If nothing else, at least get the most basic (lowest premium) plan...and ideally have an amount equal to your annual out-of-pocket max in savings (for a worst-case scenario). I also recommend setting up a Health Savings Account on your own. Just establish it (there are completely free ones out there), you don't even have to fund it until you actually want to use it, but it will provide great tax benefits and help you save for future health care expenses.