David Yoder, Senior Vice President of the Federal Employee Program for Blue Cross Blue Shield, joined the America's Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the FEP dental and vision plans available to federal employees, postal workers, uniformed service members and retirees.
Yoder said the program has been able to keep rates flat on the majority of its products this year, attributing that achievement to a strong emphasis on preventative care. The logic being that catching a problem early is far less expensive than treating it after it has developed, he said. On the vision side, FEP has increased its eyewear allowance from $140 to $160 this year, giving members more to work with when selecting frames and lenses.
Yoder emphasized that the FEP dental and vision plans are separate products that must be elected separately during the Open Enrollment Period, traditionally referred to as “Open Season” by federal government employees. Members should evaluate each plan on its own merits rather than on premiums alone. He described Open Season as a brief but critical window and urged federal workers to think ahead about what their healthcare needs will look like in the coming year rather than waiting until a problem arises.
David Yoder opened with a point of real pride for the Federal Employee Program (FEP) this year: the ability to hold rates flat on the majority of its dental and vision products despite the ongoing pressure of healthcare cost inflation.
The mechanism behind that achievement is not complicated, he said. Preventive care is cheaper than treatment. An annual eye exam that catches a developing condition costs far less than treating that condition after it has progressed. A regular dental cleaning that identifies an early cavity costs far less than a root canal. When members use their preventive benefits consistently, the plan's overall cost remains lower, and premiums remain stable, he said.
He described this as a commitment to the workforce the FEP serves. This includes federal and postal employees, as well as uniformed service members, who are under significant financial and professional pressure. They also benefit the most from knowing their coverage costs will not increase unexpectedly.
Yoder described the FEP dental network as being built to support federal and postal workers who live everywhere, not concentrated just in major metropolitan areas. The network is nationwide, so that a postal worker in a rural community has the same access as a federal employee in a major city. Coverage is comprehensive, with providers in the network offering the full range of care benefits rather than a limited subset.
The vision network follows the same approach: bringing the most cost-effective options to members across the country. Eye exams, frames, contact lenses and lenses are all part of the coverage structure.
Open Season is the window during which federal employees and postal workers can elect, change or drop their FEP dental and vision coverage for the coming year. Yoder described it as a brief period that requires thinking ahead — not just about what a member needs right now. Members are encouraged to consider what they are likely to need over the next 12 months.
His advice for members approaching Open Season is to resist the reflex to evaluate plans based solely on premium. Total out-of-pocket cost — what a member will actually spend on care in the coming year, including copays, deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums — is the more meaningful number. A lower-premium plan that leaves a member paying significantly more when they actually use their benefits may not be the better value. A plan with a slightly higher premium and strong preventative coverage may cost less overall.
He also urged members who do not currently wear glasses and may not think they need vision coverage to reconsider. The value of a vision plan is not just in helping pay for glasses or contacts, but also in the annual eye exam that checks for conditions developing beneath the surface of what a member can see or feel. Conditions identified during a routine exam are far less expensive to address than those that go undetected until symptoms appear. The same logic applies to dental. Members who currently have no dental problems benefit from the cleanings and checkups that keep them that way.
Yoder also addressed a point of common confusion. The FEP dental plan and the FEP vision plan are separate products. They are not bundled. A member who wants both must elect both, in separate places, during Open Season. A member who elects dental coverage is not automatically covered for vision and vice versa.
He said both plans are voluntary. No member is required to elect either, but for the vast majority of federal and postal workers and uniformed service members, both represent real value. And if a member does not elect coverage during Open Season, they must wait until the following year to enroll. A need that arises in the interim — an unexpected dental issue, a change in vision — cannot be addressed through an in-year election.
More information on FEP Blue’s dental and vision plans for federal employees, postal workers and uniformed service members is available at fepblue.org.
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