Hello and welcome to the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) and DC Employees Health Benefit (DCEHB) 2023 Open Enrollment site for retired police officers, firefighters and teachers and their survivors. My name is Kimbra . I will be assisting you with completing your FEHB open enrollment election.
The annual open enrollment period gives you an opportunity to review your current level of health insurance coverage, reflect on your healthcare needs and decide which coverage options are best for you. This year, open enrollment runs from Monday, November 14th through Monday, December 12th. During open enrollment you can:
change from one plan to another;
add an eligible dependent (i.e., spouse and/or child(ren));
remove an ineligible dependent;
suspend your coverage; or
cancel your coverage.
Please note that if you cancel your coverage, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) will not allow you to reenroll at a later date.
Changes made during open enrollment will go into effect on January 1, 2023.
Where can I find more information?
If you are satisfied with your current plan, you do not have to do anything. Your current health plan will automatically continue into the 2023 calendar year. However, if you would like to make a change or if you’d like to view what options are available to you:
Select the red button if you were originally hired by DC Government on or before September 30, 1987;
Select the blue button if you were originally hired by DC Government on or after October 1, 1987.
Are you the survivor or dependent of someone who is a retired police officer, firefighter or teacher? Click on the button that corresponds with their date of hire to view the information that pertains to you.
Are you ready to learn more? Let’s take a look at the Federal Employees’ Health Benefit (FEHB) program.
The Federal Employees’ Health Benefits (FEHB) program, is sponsored by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). The program provides comprehensive health insurance. You can choose from fee for-service (FFS) plans, health maintenance organizations (HMOs), consumer-driven health plans (CDHPs) and high deductible health plans (HDHPs).
Premiums vary by plan but generally you pay about 30% and your agency pays about 70%.
To learn more about which plans are available to you, visit OPM’s website at https://www.opm.gov/healthcare-insurance/healthcare/plan-information/compare-plans/.
Once there, enter your 5-digit zip code, select your enrollee type and your pay frequency. For you, your enrollee type is annuitant, and your pay frequency is monthly.
Press the search key at the bottom of the page. A new page entitled 2023 FEHB Plan Results will pop up with all of the plan options available to you. On this page you will see the monthly premium, the copays associated with the plan, the prescription drug benefits and your annual out of pocket maximums. You can select 3 plans to compare at once.
This is great information to have. But remember, if you are happy with your current plan, you do not have to do anything. Your current health insurance plan will automatically renew for the 2023 calendar year.
What's new for 2023?
For those of you who reside in the DC, Maryland or Virginia area, CareFirst BlueChoice will be changing its name. Please make a note of the name change as you will be receiving new health insurance identification cards at the beginning of the new year.
Beginning in 2023, health plans will not be allowed to charge you more than $35 for a one-month supply of each Medicare Part D-covered insulin product you are prescribed. In addition, charges in connection with insulin prescriptions will no longer be subjected to meeting the annual deductible requirement.
In case you are curious, most of our annuitants and survivors are covered by one of the following insurance carriers:
Mail Handlers Benefits Plan
Government Employees Health Association, Inc. (GEHA)
CareFirst BlueChoice
Kaiser Permanente
BlueCross BlueShield
MDIPA (a United Healthcare Company) and
Aetna
Again, if you are satisfied with your health insurance plan, you do not have to do anything, your health insurance coverage will automatically renew for the 2023 calendar year. But if you would like to make a change, you must complete the FEHB Health Benefits Election Form.
If you are making a change to your plan, you need to complete Parts A, B, C and H;
If you are adding a dependent, you need to complete Parts A, B, C and H:
If you are adding a spouse, you are required to submit a copy of the marriage certificate;
If you are adding a child, you must submit a copy of the birth certificate for each child;
the child must be unmarried and under age 26 (if 26 or older, the child can only be covered if he/she is incapable of self-support because of a disability that began before age 26. Documentation of this instance must be provided to DCRB);
You must be the primary source of financial support for the child;
If you are adding a stepchild or grandchild, the parent-child relationship must be with you and not the biological parent.
Once you've completed the required information, you will enter the name of your current plan and the corresponding enrollment code in section B. In section C, enter the name and the enrollment code of the plan you are electing for the 2023 calendar year. If you are considering suspending your coverage, you must complete Part G. If you are cancelling your coverage, you must complete Part F.
It is important to note that if you cancel your enrollment in the FEHB program, you cannot re-enroll at a later date. Remember to sign and date the form in Part H. Unfortunately, we are not allowed to accept forms that have not been signed. Then submit your open enrollment election. We’ll tell you more about that later.
Here are some key dates to remember.
Open enrollment begins on Monday, November 14th
Open enrollment ends on Monday, December 12th
If you are happy with your current plan, you do not have to do anything. Your coverage will automatically be renewed on January 1, 2023.
Changes will be electronically transmitted to the carrier by December 22nd
You should check your mail for your new identification cards. ID cards will begin to arrive in the beginning of January 2023
Your effective date of coverage will be January 1, 2023
Deductions for the new premiums will begin on February 1, 2023
Here are some options available to you to make your transition much easier.
Member Services Online 24/7 - You can now visit dcrb.dc.gov to complete and submit your Open Enrollment election online directly to the DCRB Member Services team. Select “Member Services Online 24/7” and “Member Web Submission Forms” to access the online form.
DCRB Drop Box is a “no contact” tool. Between 8:30am and 5:00pm, you can drop off forms outside of the DCRB suite. Forms are collected and distributed at the end of each day.
U. S. Mail: District of Columbia Retirement Board
Attn: Member Services Center
(Open Enrollment)
900 7th Street, NW, Second Floor
Washington, DC 20001
Thank you so much for participating. Our benefits administration team is here to serve you from 8:30am to 5pm. Monday through Friday, except district holidays. You can reach our office at 202-343-3272 or toll free at 866-456-3272 or hearing impaired #711.