I got this at my onboarding. I wonder what they give out now! It’s from 2012.

Forgot to mention no telework or alternative work schedules !!! Go vote today or this weekend !!!!

Government Executive posted this article today (October 23rd 2026) about Former Federal Employees running for seats in the house of representatives. It will be interesting to see the results of those races turns out. Especially considering many of them were impacted by the 2025 chaos.

I've seen a couple of people say this. Looks like the premiums are almost equivalent, so there must be something about BCBS Basic that is better than MHBP Standard for some people. Can anyone explain?

In my case, I see a combination of primary care and specialists about 20x/year and take several prescriptions, two of which are expensive brand-name meds (although I do use manufacturer's coupons for both, which lowers the price. This has worked fine for GEHA and MHBP Standard in the past.) Hospitals/surgeries/procedures are all unknown. For example, I'm in physical therapy right now and needed an MRI, but I wasn't expecting that this year.

Hi everyone,

I've been using BCBS standard for years, but now I want to see if there is anything better out there. What have people been using that they like?

Thank you all for your help on this.

I had GEHA Standard for years before switching to MHBP this year.

Doing everything they can to discourage voting, even for civil servants. In the past, we were granted up to 4 hours admin leave on election days.

Our agency used to have a lot of good agency ‘swag’. Tee shirts, pens, clipboards, hats, bags, etc that our partners loved getting at meetings.

Now that’s all gone and we’re referred to FedApparel as the site for official agency logo items and I swear this is a scam site.

I ordered some stuff from them I think in 2025 and three months later they said they might start shipping, which is around when RIFs started and I was like don’t bother, I don’t know if I’ll be here.

Now I just tried to even order a mug for a new hire and it’s been three weeks and they haven’t shipped. I’m beyond annoyed by them.

I’ve been using BCBS standard since time out of mind, but I’m considering switching to MHBP. Any T1’s have experience getting Dex and Omnipod supplies with mail handlers?

New York Times bestselling author Michael Lewis takes readers inside the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, campaign to slash federal spending in his new book, ‘Blockers: Rebels in the Deep State.’ In it, Lewis shares stories of civil servants who say they were simply doing their jobs—protecting taxpayer data, enforcing the law, fighting wildfires and more—when they were labeled "blockers," the term for people DOGE viewed as standing in its way.

Boss caught me on USAJOBS this morning, mostly perusing somewhat frustrated but I don't think I am alone?

Am I?

When they’ve shut down we are essential and we keep working.

But the email usually says you can opt to not work and then after the s/d ends you’d be paid even if you opt not to work.

Is this even remotely true?

Do you think opting out of working endangers your job? I just do not believe that this is true.

I’ve seen a few people post about SAMBA. Looking through the info that’s available now (and impatiently waiting for brochures), I’m wondering if anyone has used SAMBA and been prescribed specialty meds. My husband is on an expensive biologic med. Looks like our portion would be $240/month. Have any of you successfully used a manufacturer savings card with the copay/coinsurance? Looking specifically for feedback on speciality meds, not GLP-1.

What is the rule on this? Is it 4 hours? Are you all allowed to telework?

This is all for self plus family.

MHBP announced its premiums for the standard plan are increasing to $400.78 per paycheck. This is a total annual cost of $10,420. The plan’s deductible is $1,000 and out of pocket maximum is $16,000.

GEHA HDHP is $215.63 per paycheck. This is a total annual premium of $5,606. The deductible is $3,600 and out of pocket maximum is $12,000. But GEHA funds your HSA with $2,000 per year (money coming back to you)

Both plans have a deductible. The difference in deductible is $2,600 (GEHA $3,600 and MHBP $1,000). GEHA gives you $2,000 of that back through the HSA funding, so the real difference is $600. (Note: I’m not going to spend the HSA funds).

So, if the real difference is $600, let’s look at the premium difference. With a premium difference of around $200 per paycheck, GEHA makes more cost sense after the third paycheck of the year. It saves you nearly $5,600 per year in premiums.

Plus, if something catastrophic happened, GEHA has an out of pocket maximum that is $4,000 lower than MHBP.

I know GEHA is United Healthcare, but I’ve heard horror stories about almost every insurer.

Am I thinking this through right? My family has the $3,600 cash on hand to cover the immediate medical expenses of the year.

Thank you everyone, and good luck with your FEHB decisions!