After talking with thousands of federal employees there is one thing that most feds have in common: Blue Cross Blue Shield.
My best estimate is that between 6-7 out of 10 federal employees are covered by Blue Cross Blue Shield.
That is a crazy high number!!
There are over 200 FEHB options and a strong majority of all federal employees are in the few plans offered by a single company?!?
Best Option, Really?
Blue Cross has some great plans that work really well for a lot of people.
However, I have seen many feds spend way too much on FEHB premiums because they were in a plan that wasn’t a great fit for them.
Blue Cross may be the best option for you but it is certainly worth you time to look around.
Blue Cross Prices Rising Faster
Moving into 2023, all FEHB plan premiums rose by an average of 7.2% but Blue Cross Blue Shield Standard premiums increased by about 11%.
And it is not uncommon for the more popular plans to have price hikes that are higher than others.
I Actually Like Blue Cross
Despite writing this article, I am actually a big fan of Blue Cross. They do a lot of things really well.
However, just by virtue of the percentage of federal employees that use Blue Cross I can guarantee that many people chose a Blue Cross plan not because they researched all the options but because that is what their friend/coworker/spouse/parent chose.
So this next open season, give it a shot.
Look around.
One of two things will happen.
You might be pleasantly surprised that you found coverage that is better suited for you at a better price putting more money in your pocket every paycheck.
Or you’ll find out that your current plan may actually be the best fit for you but now you’ll come away feeling a lot more confident about your choice.
