The first open season for the new employer-sponsored health insurance program for U.S. postal workers is just around the corner, but already the new system is causing controversy.
The Postal Service Health Benefits Program, established as part of the 2022 Postal Service Reform Act, will create a new USPS-only health insurance program, akin to the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program that provides coverage to federal workers, retirees and their families. The first Open Season in which postal workers can elect their coverage for next year runs from Nov. 11 to Dec. 9.
In a last-minute tweak to regulations governing the program and its implementation this fall, the Office of Personnel Management published a final rule in the Federal Register last week clarifying provisions governing reconsideration of eligibility decisions, the law’s Medicare Part B enrollment requirement and integrating the Medicare Part D prescription drug program into PSHBP.