Federal employees will get the same number of vision and dental insurance options in 2022 as they had in 2021, according to numbers released by the Office of Personnel Management Sept. 29.
Feds can choose from among 23 dental plans offered by 12 carriers, seven of which provide nationwide coverage, while the remaining five offer regional coverage.
Ten vision insurance plans will be available from five providers, all of which are offered nationally.
Costs for those plans will also see a minimal increase, with vision premiums going up by 0.95 percent on average and dental plans going up by 0.81 percent.
Vision and dental plans are optional choices for feds during open season, and employees cover the total costs of plan premiums themselves, without government contribution.
Insurance for vision and dental care, along with long term care insurance and flexible spending accounts, are offered through the BENEFEDS portal, which also manages the billing and customer service operations of such plans.
Open season for vision, dental and flexible spending accounts runs at the same time as Federal Employees Health Benefits open season from Nov. 8 to Dec. 13. BENEFEDS will host a virtual benefits fair for enrollees to talk with providers and review brochures during that same period.
Jessie Bur covers federal IT and management.
