2026 FEHB Insurance Plans

[32andBelow]

BCBS was $175 per kid for everything with no deductible. IIRC it seemed like the best deal at the time I last looked like 7 or 8 years ago.

Pregnancy 2 rn MHBP has been better than blue cross was. Blue cross broke my balls about some testing but MHBP approved everything instantly with no problem.

 

[Cpt_munky]

BCBS was $175 per kid for everything with no deductible. IIRC it seemed like the best deal at the time I last looked like 7 or 8 years ago.

The $4k deductible would be a pain but then again it's $1600 net deductible and a savings on premiums of more than $1600. Then the tax benefits of HSA contributions... The kids free.

 

[32andBelow]

The $4k deductible would be a pain but then again it's $1600 net deductible and a savings on premiums of more than $1600. Then the tax benefits of HSA contributions... The kids free.

You really have to look at the plans I thought all fehb plans cover child birth for basically free. Another thing for everyone to consider is adding the kid is a qualifying event so if something happens where there will be a long stay you can switch the plan

 

[Shikaka]

The $4k deductible would be a pain but then again it's $1600 net deductible and a savings on premiums of more than $1600. Then the tax benefits of HSA contributions... The kids free.

You really have to look at the plans I thought all fehb plans cover child birth for basically free. Another thing for everyone to consider is adding the kid is a qualifying event so if something happens where there will be a long stay you can switch the plan

As 32 said, go on the FEHB website and do comparisons of the plans. MHBP is looking like a "Member pays nothing" for maternity care.

Healthcare : Compare 2026 Plans - OPM.gov

Welcome to opm.gov

www.opm.gov

 

[KP-ATC]

No worries! If only a certain organization gave a fuck and taught us all of this at onboarding. You could set up a damn YouTube channel. I bet Hank Green would enjoy helping.

Same for retirement - that should be briefed in detail shortly after starting at your first facility.

 

[32andBelow]

Same for retirement - that should be briefed in detail shortly after starting at your first facility.

Or how to report medicines and what your required to report. I just like heard about it for years till I got prescribed something then had to figure it out

 

[CancelTakeoff]

MHBP consumer hdhp is cheaper and better than BCBS.

This take considers money spent on healthcare for a self plus 1 or family. Single is tricky and the risk/reward margin is much thinner.

Consider this.

$4k deductible. $2400 yearly contribution from the plan into your HSA. That's a $1600 net deductible. The difference in premiums is more than $1600/year.

Simple math, the numbers are presented to you by the OPM. It's less expensive.



Pros: copays are lower. Aetna website is very user friendly. Providers are easy to find in my area. HSA is a retirement savings powerhouse. It also allows for a couple unique strategies to lower taxable income if you don't have the money to Max out the HSA contributions for a given year.

Cons: prescription drugs are not as straightforward. You're pretty much locked in to CVS from what I can tell and the 90 day scripts are cheaper than the 30 day scripts. (Hardly a problem for me, but I don't know what drugs your family takes) Mail order drugs aren't possibly in this plan if I remember right.

Honestly my memory of prescription drugs on this plan is shaky, look into it yourself. Use the resources to see what your drug costs will be.

Im looking into MHBP, but im not seeing anything about dental insurance. Did you have to get a separate plan for that?

 

[Cpt_munky]

As 32 said, go on the FEHB website and do comparisons of the plans. MHBP is looking like a "Member pays nothing" for maternity care.

Healthcare : Compare 2026 Plans - OPM.gov

Welcome to opm.gov

www.opm.gov

Member pays nothing, and I cannot stress this enough, AFTER deductible is hit. You still need to financially plan for that deductible.

Im looking into MHBP, but im not seeing anything about dental insurance. Did you have to get a separate plan for that?

I don't need my health insurance to cover dental. My dental covers everything at no charge.

You really have to look at the plans I thought all fehb plans cover child birth for basically free. Another thing for everyone to consider is adding the kid is a qualifying event so if something happens where there will be a long stay you can switch the plan

See my other reply about "member pays nothing" but switching plans in the middle of the year will start a new plan, but you will be beholden to that plans terms, like deductible. If you're just upgrading from self plus one to self and family then it's "the same plan"

 

[Shikaka]

Member pays nothing, and I cannot stress this enough, AFTER deductible is hit. You still need to financially plan for that deductible.

Thank you, this is good to know

 

[CreepyPineapple]

I don't need my health insurance to cover dental. My dental covers everything at no charge.

What dental plan covers everything?

 

[32andBelow]

Member pays nothing, and I cannot stress this enough, AFTER deductible is hit. You still need to financially plan for that deductible.

I don’t think this is necessarily true. There’s so many there buckets that don’t require the deductible. We are doing pregnancy now and we have paid 0.00 for all maternity appointments. No matter how many appointments we have we cannot actually pay anything towards the deductible. I think we’ve paid 100 towards the deductible all year for 3 people.

Also at least for the standard plan the deductible (700) is split. So if my wife his 350 then she’s done.

 

[ManBearPig]

I don’t think this is necessarily true. There’s so many there buckets that don’t require the deductible. We are doing pregnancy now and we have paid 0.00 for all maternity appointments. No matter how many appointments we have we cannot actually pay anything towards the deductible. I think we’ve paid 100 towards the deductible all year for 3 people.

Also at least for the standard plan the deductible (700) is split. So if my wife his 350 then she’s done.

I was doing some light reading of the MHBP Consumer Option brochure on break. IIRC prenatal care falls under their preventative category which has zero cost. But the actual birth will fall under the traditional medical coverage and be paid up until the deductible, then how ever its set up in that plan (no charge, coinsurance, etc).

 

[Geeare27]

Is there some glaring flaw I'm missing from MHBP Consumer? Because it seems really fucking good at first glance. Does the money they contribute yearly carry over or is it like a credit towards the deductible? If it carries over I'm struggling to imagine a scenario where MHBP isn't better than BCBS. The difference in premiums and co-pays is just staggering, plus you get an HSA

 

[AnyTrafficPleaseAdvise]

Is there some glaring flaw I'm missing from MHBP Consumer? Because it seems really fucking good at first glance. Does the money they contribute yearly carry over or is it like a credit towards the deductible? If it carries over I'm struggling to imagine a scenario where MHBP isn't better than BCBS. The difference in premiums and co-pays is just staggering, plus you get an HSA

The money contributed to your HSA by the FAA rolls over. It’s not like an FSA that must be spent every year. Every month $200 gets dropped into the Inspira HSA ($100 if you’re single). Inside the Inspira HSA there are several different mutual funds you can invest in, and I just invest in a fund that mimics the SP500.

 

[Cpt_munky]

I don’t think this is necessarily true. There’s so many there buckets that don’t require the deductible. We are doing pregnancy now and we have paid 0.00 for all maternity appointments. No matter how many appointments we have we cannot actually pay anything towards the deductible. I think we’ve paid 100 towards the deductible all year for 3 people.

Also at least for the standard plan the deductible (700) is split. So if my wife his 350 then she’s done.

Well between the ER visit for a miscarriage and a ton of OB visits and ultrasounds that all billed me, I've hit the deductible this year based strictly on pregnancy related care.

I have the consumer HDHP option though.

The money contributed to your HSA by the FAA rolls over. It’s not like an FSA that must be spent every year. Every month $200 gets dropped into the Inspira HSA ($100 if you’re single). Inside the Inspira HSA there are several different mutual funds you can invest in, and I just invest in a fund that mimics the SP500.

This seems correct except I don't like giving credit to the FAA for something they did not do. If I recall correctly it is MHBP that funds the HSA not the FAA.

What dental plan covers everything?

A regionally available plan called emblem

I was doing some light reading of the MHBP Consumer Option brochure on break. IIRC prenatal care falls under their preventative category which has zero cost. But the actual birth will fall under the traditional medical coverage and be paid up until the deductible, then how ever its set up in that plan (no charge, coinsurance, etc).

On the Aetna website it clears up this point. The trouble is that the brochure probably doesn't specifically reference the deductible in this case. It's true that there's no cost*

*After deductible is met.

I could be wrong and I hope I am because I could get a big refund from Aetna. I'm pretty sure it's just a case of tricky wording from a marketing department. Lying without lying is legal in marketing unfortunately.

 

[Spiralbox21]

Im curious if anyone is in the same boat as me: i have a family member with type 1 diabetes. Does anyone know who has the best deal on insulin? Obviously I'm going to look into all the options but i wanted to know if anyone has any opinions.

 

[GMX]

The money contributed to your HSA by the FAA rolls over. It’s not like an FSA that must be spent every year. Every month $200 gets dropped into the Inspira HSA ($100 if you’re single). Inside the Inspira HSA there are several different mutual funds you can invest in, and I just invest in a fund that mimics the SP500.

I was trying to find out about this. So, it takes the entire year for the plan-contributed HSA money to reach it's max ($1200 single/$2400 family), right?

With the FSA, the designated contribution is available for payment reimbursement on Jan 1, then payroll deductions pay it off over the whole year.

I just found out that one can do a health plan with an HSA, contribute up to the allowable maximum (if desired) AND get a special "Limited Expense FSA". The Limited Expense FSA is strictly for eligible dental and vision expenses. So for 2026, we can put $3400 pre-tax into a Limited FSA, and another $4400 single/$8750 family into the HSA.

The FSA is allowing $680 to carry over to the next year so you have to spend enough on dental or vision or calculate a lower contribution. As others have explained, unspent HSA money stays with you. Most people won't have that much dental or vision, but if you want braces or Lasik or something that could be a good plan for a given year, allowing you to save the HSA money from being spent.

 

[Termine]

(manually, not through payroll deductions unless you can figure out the allotments into fidelity then maybe but you'll still have to file for your tax credit)

You can do payroll deductions to Fidelity and you should put in the time to make that happen, because payroll deduction is the only way to avoid the 7.65% FICA tax.

If you do a manual contribution you can claim that amount back against your income when you file income taxes, but you can't get the FICA tax back.

 

[Cpt_munky]

You can do payroll deductions to Fidelity and you should put in the time to make that happen, because payroll deduction is the only way to avoid the 7.65% FICA tax.

If you do a manual contribution you can claim that amount back against your income when you file income taxes, but you can't get the FICA tax back.

That's good to know. Seems a moot point if you hit the fica cap though. Is it a savings allotment?

 

[32andBelow]

Well between the ER visit for a miscarriage and a ton of OB visits and ultrasounds that all billed me, I've hit the deductible this year based strictly on pregnancy related care.

I have the consumer HDHP option though.




This seems correct except I don't like giving credit to the FAA for something they did not do. If I recall correctly it is MHBP that funds the HSA not the FAA.



A regionally available plan called emblem



On the Aetna website it clears up this point. The trouble is that the brochure probably doesn't specifically reference the deductible in this case. It's true that there's no cost*

*After deductible is met.

I could be wrong and I hope I am because I could get a big refund from Aetna. I'm pretty sure it's just a case of tricky wording from a marketing department. Lying without lying is legal in marketing unfortunately.

Sorry you went through all that. We haven’t paid anything for OB on standard.aybe the HDHP treats some stuff different.