Remember the Christmas when you expected a cute puppy, or maybe a playful kitten but instead found two goldfish under the tree?  Goldfish are great, they can be super pets, but …

Life deals most of us goldfish moments, letting us down when our expectations were apparently too great.  Which is sort of what’s happening now in a large segment — both young and old — of the federal family.

Hundreds of thousands of feds and retirees couldn’t wait for details about their 2016 federal health plan choices.  For the first time people will have a self-plus-one (S+1) option, along with the self-only or family options.  Most S+1 supporters assumed their premiums would be much lower since their “family” would consist of just two people.

But the difference between the S+1 and family plan premiums next year will be slight. In a previous column, we listed the 2016 Blue Cross-Blue Shield premiums.  GEHA is also a very popular plan among feds.  Next year its high option family plan will cost employees $256.93 biweekly. The new S+1 option will be slightly less, at $229.16.  The difference is greater in the APWU high option choices.  Next year people who pick the family plan will pay $$215.60 per pay period, while those who go into the new S+1 option will pay $155.07.  For more on the new option, plus the full range of premiums for nationwide fee-for-service plans, click here.

So what’s wrong with the new plus one premiums?  Here’s what some readers are saying:

 “Well, I’m sure glad I waited with baited breath for the new Self plus One in the FEHB.  I have BC/BS Basic and have been paying for Self and Family for years.  Only the spouse and I now so the Self plus One was going to be a real bargain, or so I thought.  I can’t believe that it is only $7 per month less than the Self and Family.  How on earth can that be?  I’ve also see a couple of plans where the Self plus One is actually MORE than the family plan.  Only the government could manage to create such a disaster.  There really should be an investigation of this whole thing.  And, to add insult to injury, they have all gone up substantially for next year.  Bet there are many more feds, active and retired, who are very disappointed  right now.” — David C. 

mmmm, not much of a savings on my Kaiser plan.  Self + 1 is $25 more than Self and family. … Must be government accounting … — Matt with the IRS

Nearly Useless Factoid:

By Michael O’Connell

Actor Bill Murray’s favorite musical is “Oklahoma!”

Source: IMDB

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