Panel seeks better health care benefits for federal workers
The House Government Reform Committee Thursday called for the Office of Personnel Management to study and recommend improvements in dental, vision and hearing benefits for federal workers.
The committee unanimously approved legislation calling for the study (H.R. 3751) by voice vote.
The bill requires OPM to submit a study to Congress that describes and evaluates currently available supplemental and additional dental, hearing and vision benefits and the costs of such benefits. Under the bill, OPM must then make recommendations for improvements.
Hearing benefits and the screening for glaucoma to be included under the vision benefits were added to the bill under an amendment by Rep. Jo Ann Davis, R-Va., which passed without any objections. The amendment also established a new deadline of no later than six months after the bill is enacted for the study to be presented to Congress, instead of the original June 30, 2004 date.
Improved benefits are "an issue of great importance to federal employees," Davis said earlier this month when her Civil Service subcommittee marked up the bill. Industry representatives have said that federal dental and vision benefits fall below those offered in the private sector, Davis added.
COMMENTS
- First of all I would like to say thanks for the continous improvement to the dental and vision health coverage. The problem that I am having, presently I am a GS-5 employee, single parent;and speaking for other low grade employee finding themselves in the same circumstance; I have a son who is a full time college student and will be 22 in Jan 2005. Because he needs continious health insurance in order to provide coverage for my family it will be over $500. a month. Not only do we have to pick up the full government cost but an additional 2% administrative cost. My question: why can't the government change the cut off time to 23 years of age? Most children graduate at 18 years of age plus four years of college put them right at 22. In my case my son who was born in January would turn 22 after only 3 1/2 years in college. If the benefit plan does not change this year I pray it does for other parents in the future. Thanks YVONNE GREEN Posted December 7, 2004 1:32 PM
