Q. I am a FERS employee who will be eligible for retirement in five years. My health insurance is covered under my husband, who works for the post office and is also a FERS employee. My husband will retire in four years. Will I be able to be covered under his Federal Employees Health Benefits after he retires, or do I need to sign up for my own FEHB? Because I am five years from retirement, do I need to have my own FEHB for five years?
A. No, you don’t have to sign up. As long as your husband is enrolled in the self-and-family option of his plan and he is eligible to carry that enrollment into retirement, you are covered. To be eligible to carry that insurance into retirement, your husband need only be enrolled for the five consecutive years before he retires.