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Opening the Federal Employee Health Plan to All Americans

glad someone brought this up

HR Specialist
dod agency
Tue Sep 25, 2007 8:47 AM

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While the concept of national health care has been in the news, this is the first time I have seen anything about the impact it would have on federal employees.

The FEHB is an employee benefit. Changing it to a welfare program, or national health care program, or some other label which means it is no longer designed as an employee benefit, is bound to have a negative impact. It will take longer to process payments, the costs are bound to rise as a massive number of those who have not had insurance would enter the program, and the number of federal employees will be small compared to the rest of those using our current benefit.

It would no longer be a valuable benefit. It would become another welfare program.

Thanks for highlighting the issue that is important to all of us. Don't look for the the federal employee unions to be involved in this. They will be working hard to elect Hillary and this will hurt her standing among feds who vote in large numbers.

Opening the Federal Employee Health Plan to All Americans

Supervisor
VHA
Tue Sep 25, 2007 8:57 AM

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Hum so much information is not know yet about this plan. If the administration wants to cover all Americans---I don't think they should tap into the FEHP. They should create another plan maybe called Americans Employee Health Plan. Since the FEHP works so well --- copy it but does tap into it.

allowing Non Govt personnel to join FEBH

Retired
DOD
Tue Sep 25, 2007 8:58 AM

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This purposal doesn't good fiscal strenght. Who would pay the agency part of the preminum? Would the nation have access to all plans?

If FEBH is used as the mean to start a National Health Insurance, then the CS employee has lost a benefit, since he/she will have no benefit of employment.

Opening FEHB TO ALL

Human Resources Assistant
Social Security Administration
Tue Sep 25, 2007 9:14 AM

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I feel that the Leaders in Government should develop a NEW Health Plan that would be for ALL Americans and leave the present FEHB alone. A strict criteria to qualify for FEHB would suddenly become NULL and VOID and open the gates for people who had not paid one penny into the health benefits program designed to be a benefit for performing as a public servant. Government workers already get less pay than the private sector and the FEHB offsets the reduced pay.
How unfair it would be to allow NEWCOMERS to auto qualify for an established program. The NEW Administrators should exhibit leardership skills and develop a health program that would benefit all!

I feel that it would have an unfavorable impact on Federal employees, if the proposal becomes a reality.

Opening up FEHB to the general public

HR Spec
Justice
Tue Sep 25, 2007 9:40 AM

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Federal employees are usually the last to benefit from programs passed by Congress. Example of two: Flexible Spending Accounts and Long Term Care insurance. Available to private citizens many years before being made available to Federal Employees. One of the programs that has worked fairly well is the FEHBP. Opening it up would be a catastrophy for federal employees. The influx of uninsured people, many of whom have voluntarilly elected to not have insurance, will bring down the program. It will become not only the haven for those will health issues but because of its size it won't be long before it will cover everyone unable to afford other coverage. I have no doubt it will become the next entitlement program being given away free to all who want it but say they can't afford it, leaving the rest of us to pay the bills.
One of two things, if not both will occur. Costs will soar or quality of coverage will decline. Experiment on some other group for once and leave the Feds alone.

Re-inventing the wheel

Retired DOD Tech
DOD
Tue Sep 25, 2007 9:42 AM

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I believe that some kind of assistance with health care is needed for a large part of our population but FEHB is not the best example of cost effective and efficent health care. Most numbers cruncher would agree the Government would be better off picking up the health care tab then paying a premiums they do to the multitide of insurance companies in the FEHB system, but I believe they (Ins.) spend lots of lobbying money to make sure this idea doesn't gain ground.
Also, TSP is a good example of and investment system that is working well, and we could certainly use it as a model for for the geneeral public, SSA ect. but one needs to keep the TSP itself separate and our politicians fingers out of it. We need to learn to use what we have that works and not re-invent something if it isn't needed.

Key word: Employee

Air Force Manager
Air Force
Tue Sep 25, 2007 9:48 AM

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An "employee" is able to work, and his/her employer (USA) covers some portion of the premium as a benefit of employment. By and large, the customers of FEHB are people who already take care of themselves (they can work), are able to understand instructions, and who have at least some motivation for success. I'm trying to imagine tacking on millions of people who feel "entitled" by virtue of their citizenship (and probably those here illegally, too).

Which of our current field of insurers will be willing to compete for our business then? Our current insurers are BUSINESSES, and not welfare providers--they will jump this burning ship in droves when they see their profit potential lost to regulation and a less-healthy non-employee customer base. It is WE who will be the welfare recipients as one of our key benefits is sold off by self-serving politicians.

Re: Key word: Employee

Sr. LSR
VA
Wed Sep 26, 2007 12:37 PM
hear! hear!

Re: Key word: Employee

Title
Agency
Tue Oct 2, 2007 9:18 AM
I agree, it is as Mark Twain said, "don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first."
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