AFSPA Talks – Details, episodes & analysis

It's November, which means Federal Benefits Open Season is almost here. Today, Maddie and Kyle discuss health insurance, dental and vision insurance, and flexible spending account options before diving into changes for the Foreign Service Benefit Plan for 2025. 

 This is just the start of AFSPA's Open Season work. Please find more information at www.afspa.org/openseason. 

Join us for a webinar or other event throughout Open Season. You can find the full list of webinars at www.afspa.org/events.  

View our past recordings of podcasts and AFSPA Live events at www.youtube.com/afspacares. 

To learn more about the open enrollment period through December 1, 2024, for our Group Enhanced Life (GEL) and Immediate Benefit Plan (IBP) programs, visit www.afspa.org/life. 

September is Life Insurance Awareness Month (LIAM), and we are kicking things off with a focus on millennials. With our guest, Nicole Devlin from Prudential, we discuss the needs of this population and why now might be the best time for them to consider this important part of their financial portfolio. 

 This episode is just the start of a busy month. Join us for more events, all available at www.afspa.org/events. 

• What You Should Know About Life Insurance webinar on 9/17 at 8 AM, 1 PM, and 6 PM ET. Register here. 
• Senior Living Foundation's Planning for Change Seminar on 9/24 at 1 PM ET at AFSPA Headquarters. Register here.
• Prudential Financial Wellness Checkups on 9/24 and 9/25. Register here. 
• AFSPA Live on 9/26 at 11 AM ET about AFSPA Life Insurance Plans. Watch live at youtube.com/afspacares.
• For more information on AFSPA's life insurance programs, visit www.afspa.org/life.

In this episode of AFSPA Talks, we discuss a new solution from Teladoc. Lisa DeLarso joins us to share about Virtual Primary Care.

Primary360 is a virtual primary care solution that inspires lasting relationships between people and care providers through longitudinal care plans, continuous care team support, and a unified, whole-person experience. Primary360 offers a solution that isn’t always available with traditional care—including personalization, flexibility, choice, convenience, and care coordination. From the new patient visit to every checkup afterward, Primary360 allows people to be fully supported by a care team across their healthcare needs.

For more information about virtual primary care, please visit Teladoc.com/Aetna or call 1-855-835-2362. 

Please note that the virtual primary care program is available only to FSBP members physically located in the United States.

To kick off our 2024 podcasts, we have an episode focused on one of the new programs available to FSBP members: Maven Clinic. Maven is a comprehensive virtual care platform providing critical support across fertility, pregnancy, adoption, parenting, pediatrics, and ongoing care including all stages of menopause. This program became available to FSBP members on January 1 at no cost. 

Marcy Cuneo and Teresa Wilkinson from Maven join AFSPA Talks to provide an overview of what Maven offers and how their care model works. Maven leaders will join us for AFSPA Live on February 29 at 11 am ET. See www.afspa.org/events for all of our upcoming events. 

To learn more about Maven, go to http://mavenclinic.com/join/FSBP

See the 2024 FSBP Brochure for full details of infertility coverage.

Please note that all infertility services, whether received in the U.S. or overseas, require prior approval. Call 800-593-2354 before scheduling services.

You also can connect with fertility advocates by calling 833-415-1709.

With today's episode, we address the most frequently asked questions on open season. A panel of AFSPA experts joins to provide answers and clarity on changes for 2024. 

For more information on open season, please visit www.afspa.org/openseason 

To contact the infertility prior approval line, call 1-800-593-2354. 

To contact the Plan's fertility advocate, call 1-833-415-1709. 

For more information about the FSBP Express Scripts Medicare Prescription Drug Plan, visit www.afspa.org/pdp. You will find the form there to opt out. 

For more on our direct billing partners, visit https://www.afspa.org/fsbp/overseas/overseas-partners/. 

For more information on dental, life, and disability insurance programs offered by AFSPA, visit www.afspa.org/aip.

Today, Kyle and Maddie discuss the 2024 open season with a particular focus on the improvements under FSBP. In particular, their discussion focuses on: 

• Increases in the allowance for alternative benefits: massage, acupuncture, and chiropractic services; 
• Expansion in the coverage of infertility services; and 
• The new Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plan (PDP) 

Don't miss other upcoming open-season events. Find all of our events at www.afspa.org/events. 

We couldn't fit all the information into the podcast, so here are some links with more information: 

• AFSPA/FSBP Open Season information: www.afspa.org/openseason 
• FSBP-Express Scripts Prescription Drug Plan (PDP): www.afspa.org/pdp 
• Prior approval line for Comprehensive Infertility and ART: 800-593-2354 
• Fertility Advocate: 833-415-1709 
• Gender Affirming Surgical prior approval: 800-593-2354 

There are an increasing number of diagnoses of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in both children and adults. Despite the prevalence of this diagnosis, many do not understand this condition. Today, we welcome a health coach from Brightline Health who will walk through the basics of ADHD including behaviors, symptoms and treatments. Our guest discusses the support offered by Brightline Health, an in-network, stateside provider for Foreign Service Benefit Plan members. 

Learn more and sign up for Brightline at www.hellobrightline.com/fsbp

Check out our latest blog about ADHD at afspa.org/blogs.

Find information about FSBP changes for 2024 and events around open season at www.afspa.org/openseason

Our full events calendar is available at www.afspa.org/events.

Beginning in January 2024, many Federal Employee Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) plans will be offering a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan (PDP) to their members. The Foreign Service Benefit Plan will be among them. This program will result in savings for our members aged 65 and older. Join us for a detailed discussion of PDPs generally and the specifics of the FSBP PDP. 

Mark your calendars for two upcoming discussions of the FSBP PDP: 

October 31, at 12 noon ET - We will offer a live webinar with an overview of the PDP and a chance for you to ask your questions. 

November 30 at 11 am ET - Our monthly AFSPA Talks program will focus on the PDP and offer another opportunity for you to get answers about this program. 

You can learn more at www.afspa.org/fsbp/pdp. 

If you have questions about the benefits under the PDP, please contact the dedicated Express Scripts line at 855-690-8353, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 

For more information on Medicare Part D premiums, please visit https://www.medicare.gov/drug-coverage-part-d/costs-for-medicare-drug-coverage/monthly-premium-for-drug-plans. Please see the 2024 chart at the bottom of the page (based on 2022 income). 

In 2021, we offered an episode diving into the various options that are available for long-term care insurance. Shortly after we aired that program, the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIS or LTCFEDS) stopped accepting new applications and enrollments and changes to existing enrollments, and the stoppage is expected to last through at least December 2024. At the same time, the program is going through a contract renewal which is resulting in premium increases for many enrollees. 

This week, we welcome back Federal retiree and benefits expert Tammy Flanagan of Retire Federal. She breaks down the basics of LTC insurance, how the Federal program works, what these rate increases may mean, and the options LTCFEDS enrollees have as these changes occur. Don't miss this informative episode on a widely used Federal program. 

Links: 

Retire Federal - https://www.retirefederal.com/

Tammy's previous episode on Federal Retirement Planning - https://afspatalks.buzzsprout.com/1756283/11388923-afspa-talks-federal-retirement-planning

AFSPA Talks Long Term Care Insurance episode - https://afspatalks.buzzsprout.com/1756283/9592735-afspa-talks-long-term-care

Tammy's podcast "Plan Your Federal Retirement" - https://plan-your-federal-retirement.com/podcasts/

Today, AFSPA welcomes Dr. Kandis Daroski, PT, DPT, to our show to discuss a new offering from Hinge Health: their Women's Pelvic Health program. Dr. Kandis talks through common pelvic floor issues and how they manifest themselves and how they are typically treated (or more commonly not). She then talks through the innovative solution offered for treating pelvic floor disorders - remote exercise and physical therapy from Hinge Health. This program is available to FSBP members beginning October 1, 2023. 

Visit https://hinge.health/fsbp-podcast to learn more about all the programs from Hinge Health.

Find more information about how meditation can help with pelvic health: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/pain-and-the-whole-body/202309/how-meditation-can-support-pelvic-health

Register for a Hinge Health webinar to learn more: https://hingehealth.zoom.us/webinar/register/7616960129707/WN_nNXZdYArRpu56qeUXqkmzA 
Did you know that many women experience symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) for years without realizing it? Join Dr. Kandis Daroski and Dr. Bijal Toprani, two pelvic health experts from Hinge Health, for an insightful discussion about pelvic health and how to care for it.

Please note: This webinar is designed for those with female vaginal anatomy and is hosted by Hinge Health, a covered insurance benefit that employees on certain healthcare plans have access to. Please confirm with your employer if you qualify for Hinge Health.