Health benefits & 5 year rule before retirement
According to HR, you have to be on federal health insurance for five years before you are able to retire and carryover FEHB for life. As a young employee, I don't think this is fair. I am paying higher premiums and have heard another employee essentially bragging that he is on his wife's insurance now (which is a lot cheaper), but plans to switch over to a federal plan soon so that he AND his wife can receive benefits ...more »
According to HR, you have to be on federal health insurance for five years before you are able to retire and carryover FEHB for life. As a young employee, I don't think this is fair. I am paying higher premiums and have heard another employee essentially bragging that he is on his wife's insurance now (which is a lot cheaper), but plans to switch over to a federal plan soon so that he AND his wife can receive benefits post retirement. HR told him he can add his wife at anytime (i.e. she does not need to be on his insurance for five years) before he retires. I think this five year policy is making it harder for those of us who have been paying into the system for a long time. You should have to be on a federal plan for a minimum of ten years before you retire.
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