GEHA

[32andBelow]

Anyone have the GEHA elevate plan? Trying to see if I’m missing some big gotcha. It looks pretty decent. I’m switching from self to self plus 1. Been on BCBS Basic the whole time.

 

[DankVectorz]

Anyone have the GEHA elevate plan? Trying to see if I’m missing some big gotcha. It looks pretty decent. I’m switching from self to self plus 1. Been on BCBS Basic the whole time.

Idk about geha but we just had a baby with bcbs basic self +1 and have paid $0 oop

 

[32andBelow]

Idk about geha but we just had a baby with bcbs basic self +1 and have paid $0 oop

GEHA covers baby it looks like. GEHA standard is like 100 bucks less per month than BCBS so I’m trying to figure out if there’s a catch.

Then between GEHA the elevate has lower co pays for a lot of things but then slightly higher percentages for big things vs the standard.

I’m on BCBS basic rn which I like, but since I’m adding someoneI figured I’d shop around first.

 

[Billybob]

GEHA covers baby it looks like. GEHA standard is like 100 bucks less per month than BCBS so I’m trying to figure out if there’s a catch.

Then between GEHA the elevate has lower co pays for a lot of things but then slightly higher percentages for big things vs the standard.

I’m on BCBS basic rn which I like, but since I’m adding someoneI figured I’d shop around first.

My understanding between GEHA standard and elevate is how much you love weiner so getting the the higher premium plan is a slam dunk since you love weiner so much

 

[julietoscar]

I have the elevate plus plan. I like it and had almost no issues with it other than finding a mental healthcare provider that accepted it. Once I did though its all great.

 

[32andBelow]

I have the elevate plus plan. I like it and had almost no issues with it other than finding a mental healthcare provider that accepted it. Once I did though its all great.

Why elevate plus over elevate or standard?

 

[TimShady]

I’ve had GEHA standard for the last 9 years. I like it. It’s a better value than Blue Cross. My wife’s had two babies and it didn’t cost us anything. It’s a little different in that they buy into other insurance companies’ networks. For example it uses United Healthcare network but used to be something different. Hasn’t been an issue though, just doesn’t have the name recognition like some of the bigger companies.

I’m considering switching us to Elevate this year since we are healthy and just use preventative care so we could save even more money and get some added perks/freebies.

 

[TreeFowerFife]

I'd strongly recommend taking a look at the GEHA HDHP plan. I love it. People sleep on the HSA option this plan provides - the most under utilized financial tool IMO.
For Self +1 the plan will contribute $150 monthly to your HSA. That covers an entire pay period premium ($135.90), plus some! The HSA is triple tax advantaged (tax free contribution, growth, withdrawal) so you have a nice fat account for when you inevitably have health care bills down the road. Best of all, after age 65 you can withdraw from your HSA for non-health expenses, only it's taxed as if it were an traditional IRA - keep in mind it's been growing capital gains free.

The other nice perks include 2 free dental cleanings per year and an annual $5 copay eye exam. Plus 0 copay preventative care. For healthy people this plan can't be beat. But the HSA is the icing on the cake.

 

[32andBelow]

I'd strongly recommend taking a look at the GEHA HDHP plan. I love it. People sleep on the HSA option this plan provides - the most under utilized financial tool IMO.
For Self +1 the plan will contribute $150 monthly to your HSA. That covers an entire pay period premium ($135.90), plus some! The HSA is triple tax advantaged (tax free contribution, growth, withdrawal) so you have a nice fat account for when you inevitably have health care bills down the road. Best of all, after age 65 you can withdraw from your HSA for non-health expenses, only it's taxed as if it were an traditional IRA - keep in mind it's been growing capital gains free.

The other nice perks include 2 free dental cleanings per year and an annual $5 copay eye exam. Plus 0 copay preventative care. For healthy people this plan can't be beat. But the HSA is the icing on the cake.

I’ve looking into that one but I have had a lot of injuries over the years so the deductible scares me. I haven’t crossed it off tho.

How does the investment works? Do you control what it’s invested in?

 

[the inquirer]

I’ve had GEHA standard for the past 5 years. No complaints. Planning on switching to the GEHA HDHP for reasons mentioned above.

 

[TreeFowerFife]

I’ve looking into that one but I have had a lot of injuries over the years so the deductible scares me. I haven’t crossed it off tho.

How does the investment works? Do you control what it’s invested in?

When you enroll in a HDHP plan GEHA opens a bank account for you with a bank called HSA Bank. Through HSA Bank you invest with a TD Ameritrade vehicle of your choice dependent on how aggressive you wish to go. Just like any IRA account. I went with a low fee account to start.

 

[Motodog]

I'd strongly recommend taking a look at the GEHA HDHP plan. I love it. People sleep on the HSA option this plan provides - the most under utilized financial tool IMO.
For Self +1 the plan will contribute $150 monthly to your HSA. That covers an entire pay period premium ($135.90), plus some! The HSA is triple tax advantaged (tax free contribution, growth, withdrawal) so you have a nice fat account for when you inevitably have health care bills down the road. Best of all, after age 65 you can withdraw from your HSA for non-health expenses, only it's taxed as if it were an traditional IRA - keep in mind it's been growing capital gains free.

The other nice perks include 2 free dental cleanings per year and an annual $5 copay eye exam. Plus 0 copay preventative care. For healthy people this plan can't be beat. But the HSA is the icing on the cake.

This guy nailed it on the HSA trifecta

 

[32andBelow]

Does the HSA plan still have the free childbirth thing. That’s really appealing at this point to me.

 

[Robert_Boucher]

I have elevate plus and came from the BCBS Basic. Honestly the main reason I switched was with Elevate Plus you and another person get up to $500 each on an FSA card. I haven't had any kids under them but I believe Elevate Plus is actually administered by UHC so coverage risk pretty good. I'm not a fan of billing surprises so I wanted to know exactly what the ER visits ($200) and out patient surgeries ($250) would cost me. My wife and I had surgeries this past year and my son was in the hospital for a few days my. All 3 of those things cost us $1100 and because of the FSA card we barely paid anything out of pocket.

 

[Flashy Vectors]

Anything with coinsurance is ???. A 30% coinsurance on my last ER visit would have cost $9k.

 

[BrocolliRob]

I feel like everyone I work with just signed up for BCBS cuz that’s what someone told them and has never researched it.

I’ve been on GEHA standard and have liked it a lot. Thinking about the elevate plus tho.

 

[julietoscar]

Why elevate plus over elevate or standard?

I think the main reason was at the time, for some reason, elevate plus was the only plan that covered a specific medication I was taking (that was normally like $2,000 for a month supply). Halfway through the year they stopped covering it but GoodRX covers it for like $12/month anyway, so I'm not sure what makes elevate plus appealing now. Maybe no deductible? I'll probably switch though to elevate or the HDHP since they just raised the copays.

 

[julietoscar]

I feel like everyone I work with just signed up for BCBS cuz that’s what someone told them and has never researched it.

I’ve been on GEHA standard and have liked it a lot. Thinking about the elevate plus tho.

BCBS has name recognition and is generally a good company, and in my experience/location if there's only ONE insurance a provider accepts, it's usually BCBS. Most have never even heard of GEHA, and it's almost always a headache trying to get them to figure out that it goes through United Healthcare.

 

[Robert_Boucher]

I think the main reason was at the time, for some reason, elevate plus was the only plan that covered a specific medication I was taking (that was normally like $2,000 for a month supply). Halfway through the year they stopped covering it but GoodRX covers it for like $12/month anyway, so I'm not sure what makes elevate plus appealing now. Maybe no deductible? I'll probably switch though to elevate or the HDHP since they just raised the copays.

I think it's the no deductible and know what services will cost. I looked at the detailed bill for when I had an eye surgery years ago and the facility fee alone for an out patient eye surgery was over $40k. 3 hours in the building and they wanted $40k.

Elevate does seem like a solid option.

 

[N90-EWR]

I spent my entire career with GEHA, and even now in retirement. Never had any issues with it not being accepted anywhere, and the coverage is excellent. Like mentioned above, quite a lot of people simply go with BCBS because "it's what most people have".