Podcast appearances and mentions of walton francis

November 20, 2023 on ForYourBenefit, our hosts Bob Leins, CPA®, and Tammy Flanagan, Senior Benefits Director NITP, welcome insurance expert and author Walton Francis and his colleague Kevin Moss to talk about FEHBP Open Season. The Consumers' CHECKBOOK Guide shows that most families can save $2,000 or more by selecting better plan choices. Francis and Moss are the principal authors of both online and print versions of Consumers' CHECKBOOK Guide to Health Plans for Federal Employees. The Guide gives you vital insurance information that you cannot get from any other source. It tells you how much money you can save by changing – or by staying in – your health insurance plan and summarizes thousands of facts about the plans to simplify your choice. At the Guide's website, www.guidetohealthplans.org, you can check to see if your agency has purchased access to the Guide for you. It rates about 160 health insurance plans available to Federal employees and retirees, including about 20 national plans, and about 140 health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and other local plan options, including two dozen Consumer-Driven and High Deductible plan options. The Guide rates not only regular insurance plans open to both employees and annuitants, but also about 40 plans open only to annuitants on Medicare that provide special Medicare benefits, pay most or all of the Part B premium, or both. Its ratings of plan costs take into account premiums, catastrophic limits, and estimates of likely out-of-pocket costs for medical expenses of every kind. The Guide compares plans for insurance value in dealing with unforeseen medical expenses, not just for the routine costs you can predict. It rates dental and vision plans as well. It provides dollar estimates of likely dental costs, taking into account both premiums and out-of-pocket expenses. It compares dental coverage in all plans, not just stand-alone plans. For questions or comments, email us in advance at ForYourBenefit@nitpinc.com Copyright © 2023 Federal News Network. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

November 21, 2022 on ForYourBenefit, our hosts Bob Leins, CPA®, and Tammy Flanagan, Senior Benefits Director NITP, welcome insurance expert and author Walton Francis and his colleague Kevin Moss to talk about FEHBP Open Season. The Consumers' CHECKBOOK Guide shows that most families can save $2,000 or more by selecting better plan choices. Francis and Moss are the principal authors of both online and print versions of Consumers' CHECKBOOK Guide to Health Plans for Federal Employees. The Guide gives you vital insurance information that you cannot get from any other source. It tells you how much money you can save by changing – or by staying in – your health insurance plan and summarizes thousands of facts about the plans to simplify your choice. At the Guide's website, www.guidetohealthplans.org, you can check to see if your agency has purchased access to the Guide for you. It rates about 270 health insurance plans available to all Federal employees and retirees, including twenty national plans, over 200 health maintenance organization (HMO) and preferred provider (PPO) local area options, and over a dozen consumer-driven and high deductible plan options. The Guide rates not only regular insurance plans open to both employees and annuitants, but also about 20 plans open only to annuitants on Medicare that provide special Medicare benefits, pay most or all of the Part B premium, or both. Its ratings of plan costs take into account premiums, catastrophic limits, and estimates of likely out-of-pocket costs for medical expenses of every kind. The Guide compares plans for insurance value in dealing with unforeseen medical expenses, not just for the routine costs you can predict. It rates dental and vision plans as well. It provides dollar estimates of likely dental costs, taking into account both premiums and out-of-pocket expenses. It compares dental coverage in all plans, not just stand-alone plans. For questions or comments, email us in advance at ForYourBenefit@nitpinc.com

Federal workers, retirees and their surviving spouses are fortunate in many ways. They have a large number of health plans to choose from. The government will pay much if not most of the premium. No one can be turned down for any reason. Full coverage continues in retirement, which is not the case in most private plans. While the choice of 20 to nearly 40 health plans and options is bewildering, it is an effort everybody should make. Many federal agencies have made it easier for people to shop at work, on the clock, by subscribing to Checkbook's Guide to Health Plans For Federal Employees. The online guide makes it easy for people to check out plans, benefits, networks, catastrophic coverage and, of course, premiums. The good news, for you and me, is that Walton Francis is my guest today on Your Turn. Remember, the countdown clock is ticking and you've got skin — literally and in money — in this open season. Francis is the long time editor of the Checkbook Guide, which, if your agency hasn't subscribed for you, you can get by clicking here. You can save an additional 20% with the promotion code FEDNEWS.

Before you answer, your first question might be “what's a Joe Namath?” or “what's this Medicare Advantage thing?” If you are of a certain age, and like (or hate) professional football, you will know that Joe was a very famous, successful college and professional quarterback. Now he is best known for TV commercials telling seniors how to get the most out of Medicare. And he is not alone. The FEHB open season runs through Dec. 13. so there is still plenty of time to compare plans, in addition to your current carrier, and compare their premiums, benefits, drug coverage and physician network. For folks trying to navigate the world of Medicare and FEHB benefits, it is even more complicated. Unless you have an expert at hand which, if you are reading this, you do. Spoiler alert: I am not the expert. Not even close. But I know who is. That would be Walton Francis, long-time editor of Checkbook's Guide to Federal Health Plans. And he's going to be my guest today on Your Turn.

Federal workers and retirees have little time to miss another deadline and lose, as in overpay up to $2,000, on next year's health premiums. All they have to do to ensure loser status for insurance premiums is nothing. Ignore open season (which runs through Dec. 13). Stay in the same health plan you've belonged to since the Carter administration. Don't even consider leaving the high or standard option of your favorite plan since Friends or the Fresh Prince of Belair topped the TV charts. Most private sector companies offer minimum choices, minimum premium sharing and zero help to workers during their open seasons. Not Uncle Sam. When it comes to a helping health plan hand, the federal government can't be beat. The Office of Personnel Management offers an excellent website which helps workers navigate the various plans, options and premiums. Most agencies now offer (free to employees) the Consumer Checkbook guide to federal health plans. Its long-time editor Walton Francis sorts out the best deal for workers, retirees or survivor annuitants. You can check to see if your doctor is in network and find out other things that should be a factor in deciding on your 2022 health plan. To kick off open season, Walt Francis will be my guest today on Your Turn. He'll answer questions and give you a checklist of what to do during this open season. That will include things like health plans that offer HSAs (health savings accounts) for employees. Some of them who have been in HSA plan for years now have accounts of $50.000.

November 8, 2021 on ForYourBenefit, our hosts Bob Leins, CPA®, and Tammy Flanagan, Senior Benefits Director NITP, welcome insurance expert and author Walton Francis to talk about FEHBP Open Season. The Consumers' CHECKBOOK Guide shows that most families can save $2,000 or more by selecting better plan choices. Francis is the principal author of both online and print versions of Consumers' CHECKBOOK Guide to Health Plans for Federal Employees. The Guide gives you vital insurance information that you cannot get from any other source. It tells you how much money you can save by changing – or by staying in – your health insurance plan, and summarizes thousands of facts about the plans to simplify your choice. At the Guide's website, www.guidetohealthplans.org, you can check to see if your agency has purchased access to the Guide for you. It rates about 275 health insurance plans available to all Federal employees and retirees, including twenty national plans, over 200 health maintenance organization (HMO) and preferred provider (PPO) local area options, and over a dozen consumer-driven and high deductible plan options. The Guide rates not only regular insurance plans open to both employees and annuitants, but also about 20 plans open only to annuitants on Medicare that provide special Medicare benefits, pay most or all of the Part B premium, or both. Its ratings of plan costs take into account premiums, catastrophic limits, and estimates of likely out-of-pocket costs for medical expenses of every kind. The Guide compares plans for insurance value in dealing with unforeseen medical expenses, not just for the routine costs you can predict. It rates dental and vision plans as well. It provides dollar estimates of likely dental costs, taking into account both premiums and out-of-pocket expenses. It compares dental coverage in all plans, not just stand alone plans. For questions or comments, email us in advance at ForYourBenefit@nitpinc.com

Do you hate change, or making decisions? Is the car you are driving right now the same one you’ve owned since Jimmy Carter occupied the White House? Are you planning to finally have air conditioning installed in your home this year? Are you waiting for vinyl records to make a total comeback? Do you tend to put things off? Or try not to think about worst-case-scenarios — like a car wreck, or major illness — because it is depressing? Or can wait maybe until the current pandemic is over? Still not completely comfortable in the 21st century? Welcome to the club. According to the experts, many federal workers — and some retirees too — have excellent health insurance coverage. But most, thanks to the power of inertia, are paying too much in premiums. Consumer Checkbook’s Guide to Federal Health plans says “most people can save $2,000 or more in premiums next year, if they do something between now and Dec. 14 when the health insurance hunting season ends. My guest is Walton Francis, a retired former government official who wrote the book — literally — on the various plans in the FEHBP program. He’ll be talking about how to find the best buy for you and your family. And maybe save lots of money.

Walton Francis, editor of Checkbook’s Guide to Federal Health plans, believes that too many people are in the wrong health plan. Wrong as in too expensive. He says all the plans are good to excellent BUT some simply cost too much because their premiums are too high since they are top-heavy with what the industry calls “heavy users” — retirees who are older, sick, have higher prescription drug prices and who remain in the same plan year after year while younger and healthier workers move from plan to plan. Walt Francis says many people can save $1,000 to $2,000 in premiums next year if they’ll spend a couple of hours shopping online over the next few days. In addition to the free health plan shopping guide provided by the Office of Personnel Management, many agencies have subscribed to the excellent Checkbook Guide so you can comparison shop from home. It’s worth seeing if your agency provides that perk. He'll join us to discuss on today's episode of Your Turn.

According to the latest projection, there is at least a 20% chance you are in the wrong health plan. And that you are very likely paying more than necessary in premiums. This is especially true for retirees who may have been in the same health plan for years. So, is that BS... or fact from more reliable sources? Walton Francis is again our guest on Your Turn. He talks about what you should be looking for, and what to avoid, while navigating this year's open season. Walt spent many years in a top job at the Department of Health and Human Services. No BS data in his knowledge base. Just facts.

November 16, 2020 on ForYourBenefit, our hosts Bob Leins, CPA®, and Tammy Flanagan, Senior Benefits Director NITP, welcome insurance expert and author Walton Francis to talk about FEHBP Open Season.  The CHECKBOOK’s Guide shows that most families can save $2,000 or more by selecting better plan choices. Francis is the principal author of both online and print versions of Consumers’ CHECKBOOK’s Guide to Health Plans for Federal Employees.  The Guide gives you vital insurance information that you cannot get from any other source.  It tells you how much money you can save by changing – or by staying in – your health insurance plan, and summarizes thousands of facts about the plans to simplify your choice. At the Guide’s website, www.guidetohealthplans.org, you can check to see if your agency has purchased access to the Guide for you. It rates all of over 250 health insurance plans available to Federal employees and retirees, including twenty national plans, over 200 health maintenance organization (HMO) and preferred provider (PPO) local area options, and over a dozen consumer-driven and high deductible plan options.  Its ratings of plan costs take into account premiums, catastrophic limits, and estimates of likely out-of-pocket costs for medical expenses of every kind. The Guide compares plans for insurance value in dealing with unforeseen medical expenses, not just for the routine costs you can predict. It rates dental and vision plans as well. It provides dollar estimates of likely dental costs, taking into account both premiums and out-of-pocket expenses, not just descriptions. It compares dental coverage in all plans, not just stand alone plans. For questions or comments, email us in advance at ForYourBenefit@nitpinc.com

November 16, 2020 on ForYourBenefit, our hosts Bob Leins, CPA®, and Tammy Flanagan, Senior Benefits Director NITP, welcome insurance expert and author Walton Francis to talk about FEHBP Open Season.  The CHECKBOOK’s Guide shows that most families can save $2,000 or more by selecting better plan choices. Francis is the principal author of both online and print versions of Consumers’ CHECKBOOK’s Guide to Health Plans for Federal Employees.  The Guide gives you vital insurance information that you cannot get from any other source.  It tells you how much money you can save by changing – or by staying in – your health insurance plan, and summarizes thousands of facts about the plans to simplify your choice. At the Guide’s website, www.guidetohealthplans.org, you can check to see if your agency has purchased access to the Guide for you. It rates all of over 250 health insurance plans available to Federal employees and retirees, including twenty national plans, over 200 health maintenance organization (HMO) and preferred provider (PPO) local area options, and over a dozen consumer-driven and high deductible plan options.  Its ratings of plan costs take into account premiums, catastrophic limits, and estimates of likely out-of-pocket costs for medical expenses of every kind. The Guide compares plans for insurance value in dealing with unforeseen medical expenses, not just for the routine costs you can predict. It rates dental and vision plans as well. It provides dollar estimates of likely dental costs, taking into account both premiums and out-of-pocket expenses, not just descriptions. It compares dental coverage in all plans, not just stand alone plans. For questions or comments, email us in advance at ForYourBenefit@nitpinc.com

Suppose you or a family member get the coronavirus next year and DON’T die? Suppose you come out of it, maybe with many medical problems to come, but alive. Then what? Between now and early December, you will be picking the health plan that will cover you and yours — during what may be one of the greatest pandemics in history — in 2021. This is not one where you throw a dart at a board and pick whatever gets hit. This requires some homework. To help us with that we are joined by Walton Francis, longtime editor of the Washington Consumers Checkbook Guide to Health Plans.

So when in doubt and with the deadline fast-approaching the way to guarantee the best coverage is to check out and stick with one of the plans with the highest premiums. If it costs a lot, it’s gotta be good, right? The good news is that many of the highest-premium plans are excellent. The bad news is they cost too much for what you get. In many cases you can get similar coverage with the plan’s basic option, which costs much less. Or if you need to save money only look at the plans with the lowest premiums. What could possibly go wrong, right? What could go wrong is that if you have an unexpected condition or emergency — i.e. the reason people buy insurance in the first place — you might be out of pocket big-time with a low premium plan. Which is why you either gotta shop or maybe continue to shell out big bucks for nothing. So low premium, good, high premium, better! Correct? Wrong, says Walton Francis, editor of Consumers’ “Checkbook Guide to Health Plans for Federal Employees.” He will be my guest on today’s Your Turn radio show at 10 a.m. EST on www.federalnewsnetwork.com or 1500 AM in the Washington, D.C., area.

Folks who do their health plan homework between now and Dec. 9 can in many cases save a couple thousand dollars in premiums next year — right off the bat. And/or they can get started with an “IRA on steroids” paid for by their health plan. Many retirees can have their Medicare Part B premiums paid for them by their health plan. The trick is knowing which plans work best for you, and how your long-time plan, which has been great in every way, may have simply become too expensive. Walton Francis, editor of Consumers’ Checkbook Guide to Health Plans for Federal Employees says the IRA on steroids is available to workers who pick from one of several plans high deductible heal plans (HDHPs) or consumer-driven health care (CDHC) plans that will give you money each year to be used for medical services or, if not used, can be rolled over into an account earns interest. In some cases, he says, participants have built up five-figure accounts.

Hosts Bob Leins, CPA®, and Tammy Flanagan, Senior Benefits Director NITP, welcome insurance expert and author Walton Francis to the studio to talk about FEHBP open season.

If wasting a couple-thousand dollars next year is no big deal to you, you can skip this. But if you’d be interested in saving $1,000-$2,000 on your federal health plan in 2020, read on. Walton Francis, who literally wrote the book on the federal health program said that many, many workers and retirees are paying too much because of the plan they are in. And with a little shopping they could save a bundle and still get excellent coverage.

Premiums are important if you are on a limited budget. But so is the plans’ catastrophic coverage (the limit on the amount you will have to pay out of pocket if you have a serious accident or major illness in 2019). Equally important, be sure your doctor(s) will be in the network of the plan(s) you are considering. Fortunately for people looking for good coverage at a low premium there are a lot of choices among the local HMOs and national fee-for-service plans. Walton Francis, editor of Consumers Checkbook Guide to Federal Health Plans, answers questions from listeners on this episode of Your Turn radio show.

The possibility of a Dec. 7 partial government shutdown is another good reason feds — especially retired government workers — should pick their 2019 health plan ASAP. Walton Francis, editor of Consumers Checkbook Guide to Federal Health Plans, joins host Mike Causey on this week's Your Turn. He talks about best buys and explains why many more people need to switch plans.

On this week's episode of  Your Turn radio show, Walton Francis answers your questions. He's the guy who wrote the book on how to pick the best federal health plan: Checkbook's Guide To Health Plans For Federal Employees. Next Mr. Pat Grady, TRICARE Health Plan chief, tells us about changes that active military and veterans should be aware of this Open Season.

Nearly half the questions health insurance hunters have involve or revolve around Medicare Part B. As in, do I need it? Can I afford it? What, if any, are the alternatives to Medicare Part B? What happens to the premium if I delay taking it? And by the way, what is it?The short answer is that it depends. On your age, health, financial situation, etc.

Most feds will stay in the same health plan theyve been in for years. Maybe even decades.Walton Francis, editor of Consumers Checkbook Guide to Health Plans for Federal Employees, says thats a mistake. Francis says all of the plans are good, but some may be wrong for you. Or too expensive for what they cover.Francis will be the guest today at 10 a.m. ET on Your Turn. Hell be answering questions sent in by listeners over the last two weeks. If you have one, fire it off to host Mike Causey (before showtime) at: mcausey@federalnewsradio.com.Listen at 10 a.m. ET on Federalnewsradio.com or at 1500 AM in the D.C. area. The show will also be archived on our home page so you can listen later.

Hosts Bob Leins and Tammy Flanagan, Senior Benefits Director at NITP, welcome insurance expert and author Walton Francis to the studio to talk about FEHBP open season. The Checkbook's Guide shows that most families can save $2,000 or more by selecting better plan choices.

info@podcastone.com1779112Wed, 15 Nov 2017 08:01:00 PSTMike Causey00:43:17American Armed Forces Mutual Aid Association,Benefits,Blended Retirement,Blended Retirement System,Federal Employees Health Benefits Program,FEHB,Health Insurance,Mike Causey,Open Season,Pay,Retirement,Walt Francis,Your Money,Your Turnhttps://pdst.fm/e/chtbl.com/track/E2G895/aw.noxsolutions.com/launchpod/adswizz/1127/11151

This week on ForYourBenefit, welcome insurance expert and author Walton Francis to the studio to talk about FEHBP open season and his written guide on how families can save $1000 or more by selecting better plan choices.

Tune in to FEDTalk this week for Open Season tips from Walton Francis, insurance expert and author of the Consumers' CHECKBOOK Guide to Health Plans for Federal Employees.

Tune in to FEDTalk this week for Open Season tips from Walton Francis, insurance expert and author of the Consumers' CHECKBOOK Guide to Health Plans for Federal Employees.

This week on For Your Benefit, our hosts Bob Leins and John Elliott welcome insurance expert and author, Walton Francis, to the studio to talk about FEHBP open season.