Eyes and Teeth

The House of Representatives passed a bill recently expanding the insurance available to federal employees for dental and vision coverage.

The Senate version of the legislation has been approved by the Governmental Affairs Committee, but has yet to be voted on by the full chamber.

Senate aides expressed confidence that the dental and vision bill would be passed when lawmakers returned to Congress from their current recess. Senate Governmental Affairs Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine, who introduced the bill with Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, said she believes federal employees want expanded dental and vision insurance coverage.

"Customer surveys indicate that [Federal Employees Health Benefits Program] enrollees want more comprehensive dental and vision benefits than those that are currently being provided in the FEHB program," Collins said in a July statement on the Senate floor. "The increasing demand for dental and vision benefits has prompted Sen. Akaka and me to pursue legislation that would offer separate and improved coverage for federal employees, retirees, and their families."

In her speech, Collins noted that the legislation would not affect existing FEHBP dental and vision coverage, and it would not pass on costs to taxpayers.

"By leveraging the purchasing power of the federal government, combined with market-driven competition, OPM would have the ability to provide access to more comprehensive dental and vision coverage to employees and retirees at no cost to the federal government," Collins said.

The legislation includes some options that will look new to federal employees. Traditionally, federal workers have been able to choose self, or self and family when choosing health insurance. In the new legislation, employees can enroll in the insurance category "self plus one." The legislation also requires OPM to submit a report to Congress investigating ways to make FEHBP benefits available to available to "unmarried dependent children of federal employees and annuitants, under 25 years of age, who are enrolled as full-time students."