The Postal Service wants employees to understand the four types of health plans available during this year’s open season.
The plan types are:
• Health maintenance organizations, or HMOs, which provide care from in-network physicians and hospitals located in particular geographic or service areas;
• Preferred provider organizations, or PPOs, which offer fee-for-service plans that allow you to choose physicians, hospitals and other health care providers both inside and outside of a network;
• High-deductible health plans, or HDHPs, which offer plans with low premiums and high deductibles that must be met before insurance begins to cover costs; and
• Consumer-driven health plans, or CDHPs, which are high-deductible plans that are usually coupled with a tax-advantaged health savings account to help offset costs.
USPS is encouraging employees to learn about the available plans to find one that best fits their needs.
This year’s open season runs from Nov. 13 through Dec. 11.
The Open Season LiteBlue page has additional information, as well as a link to Checkbook’s Guide to Health Plans for Federal Employees, a resource that can help users evaluate and compare specific plans.