Benefits

What’s ahead for feds in 2017?

This year, NARFE and other groups believe they will face a hard fight protecting feds and retirees from changes in their health program.

January 31, 2017 6:12 pm

1 min read

So far, President Donald Trump’s major fix-the-government action is the 90-day hiring freeze.

Meantime, lots of feds and groups (unions, management associations, etc.) that represent them believe this is a year when they will be playing big-time defense to thwart serious efforts to mess with their pay, their retirement system, the employee-retirees’ share of health premiums and their Medicare Part B premiums. For the most part, anything you’ve got appears to be on somebody’s hit list. And with one party in control of the House, Senate and White House, gridlock — which shielded many proposed benefit changes over the last eight years — may not be a “problem.” So what’s in the line of fire?

This week on Your Turn, host Mike Causey will talking with Jessica Klement. She worked on Capitol Hill before becoming legislative director of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees.

This year, NARFE and other groups believe they will face a hard fight protecting feds and retirees from changes in their health program. They expect there will be a major effort to trim the government’s share of health premium payments (now about 71 percent of the total premium), a move Klement says could cost the typical fed or retiree family as much as $50,000 (in higher premiums) over a 10-year period.

Listen if you can either at Federal News Radio or in the D.C. area on 1500 AM. You can also dial 712-432-5393 to listen live from any phone. If you have questions for Jessica Klement, email them to Mike before showtime (10 a.m. EST). If you can’t listen live, the show will be archived on our Your Turn page.