Four types of health plans will be available to Postal Service employees during this year’s open season benefits enrollment period.
The plans, highlighted on the open season site on LiteBlue, include:
- Health maintenance organizations (HMOs), which provide care from plan physicians and hospitals located in particular geographic or service areas.
- Fee-for-service plans with preferred provider organizations (PPOs), which allow employees to choose physicians, hospitals and other health care providers within a plan’s network.
- Consumer-driven health plans (CDHPs), which give users more freedom in spending health care dollars. Typically, members are responsible for certain up-front medical costs.
- High-deductible health plans (HDHPs), which offer comprehensive coverage for high-cost medical events and a tax break to save for future medical expenses through health savings accounts (HSAs).
The Office of Personnel Management’s site also offers a comparison tool that can help employees evaluate and compare specific health plans.
Open season, which begins Nov. 9, is the annual period when employees can make changes to their health coverage.