Choices under the federal employees health benefits program

The PPACA mandates levels of benefits and will determine benefit packages for the state run exchanges. Does this provide sufficient flexibility?

Consider the flexibility offered to federal workers today.

“The Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program can help you and your family meet your health care needs. Federal employees, retirees and their survivors enjoy the widest selection of health plans in the country. You can choose from among Consumer-Driven and High Deductible plans that offer catastrophic risk protection with higher deductibles, health savings/reimbursable accounts and lower premiums, or Fee-for-Service (FFS) plans, and their Preferred Provider Organizations (PPO), or Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO) if you live (or sometimes if you work) within the area serviced by the plan.”

This range of options allows individuals to determine the mix of potential out of pocket costs and premium costs that best fits their needs.  Let’s hope this level of flexibility is available to Americans who select their health insurance through an exchange and also that employers retain the flexibility necessary to also offer these types of options.