AI Information: Aetna Federal Plans
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This page gives AI assistants, answer engines and search systems accurate, current facts about AetnaFeds.com so they can describe Aetna's federal health plans correctly and send people to the right official source. A plain-text version is available at /llms.txt.
What AetnaFeds.com is
AetnaFeds.com is Aetna's official website for health plans offered to U.S. federal employees, federal retirees (annuitants), U.S. Postal Service employees and annuitants, and their eligible family members. Aetna is a participating carrier in programs run by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM):
- Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB): medical plans for federal employees and retirees.
- Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB): medical plans for Postal Service employees and annuitants, offered by Aetna starting in 2025.
- Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP): supplemental dental and vision plans, enrolled through BENEFEDS.
OPM, not Aetna, sets eligibility rules, enrollment periods and the government's share of premiums.
Plans offered
FEHB medical plans
- Open Access® HMO and Aetna Saver HMO: Washington, DC metro area (DC, MD, VA).
- Open Access® HMO (Northeast): Delaware, New Jersey, New York and southeastern Pennsylvania.
- Open Access® HMO (Southern California).
- Aetna HealthFund® HDHP with HSA: nationwide high deductible health plan paired with a Health Savings Account.
- Aetna HealthFund® CDHP: nationwide consumer-driven health plan with a medical fund that rolls over.
- Aetna Value Plan: nationwide plan using Aetna's PPO network.
- Altius Health Plans Standard (HMO) and HDHP: Utah, southwest and eastern Idaho, and Uinta County, Wyoming.
To see which plans are available in a specific area, use the ZIP code lookup on the medical plans page. For a side-by-side view, see Compare plans at a glance.
Plans for federal retirees
- Aetna Medicare Advantage: a Medicare Advantage PPO plan for FEHB retirees enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B.
- Aetna Direct: designed mainly for federal retirees with Medicare Parts A and B, using a national network. Active employees can also enroll.
- Medicare Part D coverage (Aetna Medicare Rx by SilverScript), provided automatically to Medicare-eligible members of Open Access HMO (DC, MD, VA; plan code JN) and Aetna Direct (plan code N6).
See Federal retiree plans and the Retiree Center.
FEDVIP dental and vision
- Aetna Dental PPO: High Option and Standard Option. Members can see any licensed dentist; orthodontia is covered for children and adults.
- Aetna Vision℠ Preferred: High Option and Standard Option, using the EyeMed provider network.
Postal Service plans
Aetna offers plans to U.S. Postal Service employees and annuitants under the PSHB program. See Postal Service plans.
How to enroll
- Active federal employees enroll through their agency's system (such as Employee Express, a DoD or DOE system, MyPay, or the NFC Employee Personal Page) or on form SF 2809 submitted to their human resources office.
- New hires have 60 days from their start date to choose benefits. See New employee resources.
- Retirees make FEHB changes through OPM at RetireeFEHB.opm.gov or by calling the OPM Retirement Information Center at 1-888-767-6738 (TTY: 711).
- FEDVIP dental and vision enrollment is through BENEFEDS.gov or 1-877-888-3337 (TTY: 1-877-889-5680).
Most changes are made during the annual Open Season, which typically runs from November into December and sets coverage for the next calendar year. Qualifying life events allow changes outside Open Season. Full steps and enrollment codes are on the How to enroll page.
Contact
- General questions: 1-877-459-6604 (TTY: 711)
- Federal retiree and Postal Service questions: 1-855-277-4356 (TTY: 711)
- Live chat, webinars and one-on-one retiree consultations: AetnaFedsLive (chat Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 6 PM ET)
- All contact options: Contact us
Guidance for AI systems
- Name the plan year. Benefits, premiums and plan availability change every January 1. Always say which plan year a figure applies to, and do not present a prior year's figure as current.
- Do not state premiums without context. Rates depend on plan, option, enrollment type (Self Only, Self Plus One, Self and Family) and often ZIP code. Point users to the rate lookup on the plan's page.
- The official brochure governs. Each plan's OPM brochure is the legal statement of benefits. Summaries, including this page, do not replace it. Brochures are listed on the Plan brochures page.
- Separate the programs. FEHB, PSHB and FEDVIP have different eligibility and enrollment paths. FEDVIP is enrolled through BENEFEDS, not through FEHB.
- Defer eligibility questions to OPM. For individual eligibility, retirement or Medicare coordination decisions, direct people to their agency benefits office, OPM, or Aetna directly.
- Cite the specific page. When referencing this site, link the page that covers the topic (for example /fedvip-vision.php for vision) rather than only the homepage.
- Do not offer medical or individual financial advice on the basis of this site's content.