Micah and Tammy have been seeing lots of mistakes and missteps happening lately, with more people reaching out to see whether they were wrong or...
Read MoreMicah and Tammy have been seeing lots of mistakes and missteps happening lately, with more people reaching out to see whether they were wrong or...
Read MoreWhen we talk about your FERS Retirement, we’re really talking about several different benefits. FERS (Federal Employees Retirement System) has three main components: Basic FERS...
Read MoreSpecial Benefit for Some FERS Who Retire Before Age 62 Have you heard about the FERS Supplement? It’s an important benefit for FERS planning to...
Read MoreFERS retirement benefits are complex. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all of the details. But it’s important to remember that federal benefits are just...
Read MoreHello, first off, I wanted to say I really enjoy your podcasts. I have really learned a lot from you both over the past year or two. I am a recent retiree, and I just switched over to an HSA (GEHA HDHP). I am new to the whole HSA thing as I had Blue Cross and APWU insurance for the previous 30 years, and I’m not sure I quite understand the benefits of it. Can you discuss the benefits of maximizing the amount of contributions to the HSA to maximize my benefit in retirement? Thanks!
Shawn’s question is one of my favorite topics to explain to federal employees at almost any stage of their career and even those who retired earlier than age 65. Shawn is enrolled in a high deductible health plan (HDHP) which is a health plan that has a high deductible… But it also offers a very interesting tax advantaged savings plan called a Health Savings Account or HSA. Here are some of the key features of an HSA:
In order to contribute to an HSA, you must be enrolled in a HDHP or high deductible health plan. These are health plans that have a deductible (the amount you must pay before the insurance steps in) of at least $1,400 / year (self only) or $2,800 / year (self plus one or family). These also have limits on the most you will pay out of pocket when using network providers which is $7,000 for self only and $14,000 for self plus one or family enrollments. All of the numbers used are 2021 dollar amounts. These may change from year to year.
FEHB HDHP plans will credit a portion of your premium to your HSA (think of this as a reduction in your deductible)
If you are not qualified to have an HSA, then you will receive a credit to an “HRA” (Health Reimbursement Arrangement)
GEHA 2021 deductible (this is the plan that Shawn is enrolled):
$1,500 self only
$3,000 self plus one or family
What are the contribution limits for an HSA?
Self only: $3,600 (2021)
Self Plus One or Self and Family: $7,200 (2021)
Catch-Up Contributions (age 55 and above): $1,000 (2021)
Deduct the reimbursement from FEHB plan from the contribution limit to determine maximum contribution to HSA each year
Shawn is enrolled in the GEHA HDHP plan that has the following reimbursement and out of pocket maximum:
GEHA provides a $75 / month ($900 / year) premium reimbursement for Self Only
GEHA provides a $150 / month ($1,800 / year) premium reimbursement for Self Plus One and Family
GEHA: Out-of-pocket maximum is $5,000 (self); $10,000 (self + one or family) in network;
out of network is $7,000 (self); $14,000 (self + 1 or family).
Here is an example that shows how your money can grow inside of an HSA:*
What else do I need to know?
FEHB plan will establish an HSA or HRA for you
GEHA uses HSA Bank (hsabank.com)
Receive your first HSA deposit by February 15 of new plan year
Additional plan contributions every month
Use debit card and online banking option to make payments
Pay using credit card and reimburse yourself from account
See IRS Publication 502 and IRS Publication 969 for more information regarding qualified medical expenses, health savings accounts and health reimbursement arrangements.
There are some other FEHB HDHP plans:
GEHA (plan codes 341 – 343)
Aetna (plan codes 224 – 226)
MHBP (Plan Codes 481 – 483)
United Healthcare (Plan codes LS1 – LS3; LU1 – LU3, plan codes vary by state)
There are few other regional HDHP plans, check opm.gov/healthcare/plan-information
“I have a question related to something in one of your articles about FEHB and Medicare. The article stated: “As a full-time Federal employee, you are eligible to enroll in
“Thank you very much for the great information. Question: Do I need to list my ex-spouse on my FERS retirement application if we were married for less than 10 years
“I watched the very helpful video on ROTH IRA conversions. I will be retiring by the end of 2022 and I do not have any funds in the Roth TSP,
“Is there a way, I can find out how much I will receive at retirement and when I can collect? I worked 24 years, but I don’t know my high
Get the most out of your federal retirement benefits by taking advantage of the FERS resources created by Micah Shilanski, CFP®, and the team of independent financial advisors at Shilanski & Associates, Inc. Join the thousands of federal employees who trust us to guide them in their retirement planning journey because of our unique perspective of how your FERS benefits contribute to your comprehensive financial plan.
Year after year I see Federal Employees missing the same critical concepts in their federal retirement planning. That’s why I’ve created an online workshop to help educate Federal Employees on these critical concepts.
If you are a Financial Advisor looking to work with Federal Employees,
we are always looking for Advisors that want to deliver massive value to clients.
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