If you live in a hermetically-sealed, germ-free environment, eat only veggies, drink filtered water and come from a family where everybody lives into the triple digits, stop right here. You don’t need to read any further. Return, in peace, to your nut cutlet salad. But …

If you are just an ordinary man or woman (regardless of what your spouse tells you) read on. You can save yourself some money, and maybe lots of grief in 2015.

Federal and postal workers and retirees have until Dec. 8 to pick next year’s health plan. While it isn’t rocket science, a little study can help you find the best plan for you and your family, at the lowest cost. The secrets are in the Consumer’s CHECKBOOK Guide to Health Plans for Federal Employees. Either the handbook or the online version your agency may have subscribed to, for you. To see if it has, click here.

CHECKBOOK ranks health plans based on the premium you will pay in each, plus likely out-of-pocket costs depending on what kind of medical year you may have in 2015. If you want to keep a plan that will allow you to keep (and afford) your favorite doctor or doctors, check out several plans. Then check with your Doc to see if he or she is going to be part of those plans’ network next year.

Here are CHECKBOOK’s picks, showing best buys based on premiums and out- of-pocket costs if you have an “average” medical year. The figures shown include premiums plus what you can expect to pay for uncovered services. Assume you will be using preferred providers (doctors in the plans’ network):

National Fee For Service Plans

• Foreign Service ($2,390)
• Blue Cross Basic ($2,490)
• GEHA standard ($2,540)
• NALC high option, ($2,700)
• APWU high option ($2,170)
• Compass Rose ($2,830)
• SAMBA standard ($2,880)
• Aetna Value Plan $2,910)

CHECKBOOK also gives good ratings to other plans with higher premiums. But see if any of the above fit your plans and have your doctor in their network. And if prescription drugs are important to you, check out that benefit when you compare plans.

Health Maintenance Organizatons

Here are Checkbook’s ratings for managed-care HMOs. Some are limited to the D.C. area:

• Kaiser standard ($1,790) and high option ($2,210: Care-First standard POS ($2,220)
• Aetna Open Access basic ($2,330)
• CareFirst high option ($2,510) Innovation Health (Northern Virginia) ($2,520)
• UnitedHealthCare Value Plan ($2,710)
• MD-IPA $3,110) and Aetna Open Access high option ($4,950)

Check out a couple in each option, then run them by your doctor. A little study now could save you $1,000 or more in premiums and out-of-pocket costs next year.

NEARLY USELESS FACTOID:

By Michael O’Connell

The 1985 science fiction film Cocoon won two Academy Awards — one for Best Visual Effects and one for Best Actor in A Supporting Role for Don Ameche.

Correction: Yesterday’s NUF gave the incorrect city for reader Richard Patton. He lives in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Tip of the Nearly Useless Cap to reader Tom Wisener of Stafford, Virginia, for catching that error.

Source: Wikipedia

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