Did you know that if you’re a civilian employee of the United States federal government, you may be eligible for private healthcare coverage under the federal employee benefits health insurance plan, the ‘Federal Employees Health Benefits Program’? Under the Program, the federal government pays two-thirds of the cost of your health insurance, easing the financial pressure on families with at least one member employed by the federal government. You are generally eligible for the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program if you are a civilian employee of the United States federal government, unless you are specifically excluded by law or regulation. The agency to which you belong as a federal employee will determine your eligibility for the Program. Each year, the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program will open up enrolments to all eligible federal government employees as part of the annual ‘Open Season’.
There are two options available to federal employees – Self Only and Self and Family coverage. As the names suggest, the two options cover varying numbers of members of your family. If the Open Season for Federal Employees Health Benefits Program is too far away from the current date, and you would like to enrol now, you may like to take advantage of a 60-day enrolment period available only to newly eligible federal employees. Another special provision exists for those undergoing Qualifying Life Events. When a Qualifying Life Event occurs, you usually have 60 days to enrol in the program if you are not already enrolled. Qualifying Life Events include a change in family status (e.g. marriage, legal separation or the birth or adoption of a child), a change in employment status (e.g. re-employment after a break of more than three days or a change to or from part-time status) and the loss of Federal Employee Health Benefits coverage due to other reasons. More information about Qualifying Life Events may be obtained from the United States Government’s Office of Personnel Management. If you are an employee of the United States federal government, the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program is something that is worth considering. An offer from the government to pay for a significant proportion of your private health insurance premiums is something that should not be taken lightly!