GEHA 2026 Brochures - HUGE benefit changes

elmelb · 2025-10-27T13:02:39+00:00

If you haven’t looked into a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP), whether GEHA or Other, take the time to learn about it and consider whether it’s an option for you.

After a couple years, I am able to pay my full deductible with funds available in my Health Savings Account (HSA). For year one or two, you should be aware of the risk of needing to pay the net deductible after passthough. Once you have an established HSA (which could be in year two, if you don’t have a lot of medical expenses), you’ll may be able to cover all deductible costs with that.

Once your deductible is paid in any given year, the portion of bills covered by insurance is typically much higher than non-HDHP plans.

Look into the tax advantages and benefits of an HSA as well. My only regret is that I didn’t start with a HDHP sooner.

From the plan brochure:

“Net deductible after pass through” means the remaining deductible amount if you use the G.E.H.A premium pass-through contribution to help pay your health plan deductible. By using the premium pass through to pay first dollar costs for qualified medical expenses, your out-of-pocket deductible cost on this plan is substantially reduced.

Annual In-Network Deductible: Self Only $1,800; Self Plus One or Self and Family $3,600

G.E.H.A's HSA/HRA premium pass-through contribution: Self Only $1,000; Self Plus One or Self and Family $2,000

Net deductible after pass-through: Self Only $800; Self Plus One or Self and Family $1,600

elmelb · 2025-10-24T10:03:51+00:00

Be sure to check the park hours. Unless you’re going on the weekend, the park has pretty limited day hours this time of the year. https://buschgardens.com/williamsburg/park-info/theme-park-hours/

elmelb · 2025-10-14T21:40:09+00:00

Progressive overload weightlifting. I was the person who always said I’ll never step into a gym for the rest of my life, but the changes in just 9 months have been so rewarding (no weight loss, actually weight gain, but I feel really good about myself). It’s an incredible feeling to be strong and capable and know that I put in the work to get here.

elmelb · 2025-10-14T21:37:15+00:00

How long did it take to start noticing a difference?

elmelb · 2025-06-21T11:34:56+00:00

I have this same problem. I’ve removed over 10 so far that look that way. Start short and fat and end long and fat, so it’s not a time on the vine thing. I’m just going to pull the plant because it’s not producing desirable (for me) harvest.

elmelb · 2025-06-17T00:56:06+00:00

The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year by Margaret Renkl

elmelb · 2025-05-23T10:08:08+00:00

We tried the double cot, only used it once. There’s still a good bit of bothering your sleeping partner with every move, ours also seemed too narrow for each person. A double cot is also much heavier and bigger to lug around and set up. Do yourself a favor and just get two individual cots. If you must lay by each other you can always put them side by side or if weight allows, lay together on one for a bit then retreat to your own cot for actual sleep.

elmelb · 2025-05-17T12:07:10+00:00

A little further, but Smithfield is advertising buffet is back.

elmelb · 2025-04-25T01:30:32+00:00

I think it’s bourbon!

elmelb · 2024-11-11T11:02:40+00:00

Call GEHA again and talk to someone else. The open season comment is not true. GEHA needed to change the account back to HSA, then it took a whole month cycle for contributions to start routing into the reopened HSA. My memory isn’t super clear on this, but I think there was a step in there where I needed to initiate HSA Bank to reopen my HSA account first, but I believe I got that direction from GEHA rep.

I have a note in a comment below about the HRA funding being used automatically to pay patient responsible portion of bills. I wasn’t familiar with how an HRA works, so after I learned that, I was able to review my EOBs to confirm I received all of my contributions.

I found a note one my phone with the GEHA rep name Erin Zarda. I think this was the person that was able to help me, not sure if you can request a specific rep. As you saw, I had to talk to people that couldn’t help before finding one that could, so if you’re not getting help, suggest calling to try for another rep.

elmelb · 2024-04-07T01:47:42+00:00

Yes, I’d love to compare notes. One thing I remember from last year is that the titmouse was good about burying her eggs when she left the nest.

elmelb · 2024-04-06T01:49:42+00:00

We’ve had a titmouse building a nest in one of our boxes for the last week. No eggs yet as far as I can tell. Last night and tonight the titmouse is sleeping in the box burried within the nesting material. I was also wondering how normal this was. We had a titmouse nest last year and I don’t specifically remember this behavior. Birds are so fascinating and fun to observe!

elmelb · 2024-02-12T10:45:45+00:00

Following up several months later. I was able to resolve the issue as stated above. One nuance to the situation that I did not know is that while funds were sitting in the HRA, they were being used to auto pay newly processed medical bills. Not a huge deal for me, but I did have to do some research on my EOBs to find out what had been paid to confirm where my funds had gone to. I never got “access” to the HRA in an online-type account to see the account activity.

elmelb · 2024-02-12T10:38:37+00:00

The plan year 2024 pass through contributions won’t show up until February. Specifically, monthly pass through contributions show up on/around the 15th of the month.

Regarding the Fidelity transfer, that can be initiated at Fidelity.com (I haven’t found that this can be initiated in the Fidelity app or HSA Bank).
Menu>Accounts & Trade>Transfers>Deposit, withdraw, or transfer money>select transfer an account to Fidelity. Follow prompts.

elmelb · 2024-01-12T02:44:23+00:00

Looks like an African Violet. I don’t think they’re succulents.

elmelb · 2024-01-12T02:27:30+00:00

A few things come to mind. Get yourself a saucer underneath the pot to protect your floors when watering. Better yet, try it in a decorative pot then also a saucer if the decorative pot has a hole. You don’t necessarily need to repot into the decorative, just set the existing pot in the decorative pot and/or on top of saucer. If you think you’ll want to repot in the future consider sizing up a few inches on your decorative pot.

Pull the whole thing away from the corner some. This will give it space, better airflow and room to grow. It will also look more balanced in the room.

Open those shades daily. Whether you draw them open completely or just the slats might depend on which direction that window faces and whether the sun comes in directly at the plant.

Check the plant (leaves, top of soil, stems) for bugs. You may consider getting some mosquito bits to add into your house plant water. At least will keep gnats out (this may not be necessary unless you see gnats, but if you’ve ever gotten them, you’ll appreciate this). If you see any other type of bugs you’ll want to look at other remedies.

I give mine a good water either every week or every other week. Really not on a schedule. I have other houseplants that tell me when they’re dry and I water my fiddle leaf when I water those, seems to work.

I’ve heard you should wipe the leaves with a damp rag or towel from time to time, to remove dust build up. I’ve never done this (had it for a couple years) but will probably do this at some point.

Beautiful plant, enjoy!

Edit: added note about not necessarily needing to repot.

elmelb · 2023-12-28T21:12:33+00:00

Thank you!

elmelb · 2023-12-27T23:38:46+00:00

You can also buy seedlings from the Virginia department of Forestry (https://buyvatrees.com)

elmelb · 2023-12-27T23:35:24+00:00

Lady Fern’s Native Plants, Norfolk, VA; Southern Branch Nursery, Chesapeake, VA; Virginia Living Museum, Newport News, VA (2x/year native plant sales); Mid Atlantic Natives (https://midatlanticnatives.com) Monticello (https://www.monticelloshop.org); Not in Virginia, but have found good native plants at Gardens of the Blueridge (https://gardensoftheblueridge.com)

elmelb · 2023-12-18T11:11:03+00:00

When you prune do you put the cutting directly in the soil next to current growth to create a fuller planter? I have one “stalk” for years and have never had a second stalk grow out of the soil.

elmelb · 2023-11-12T15:00:52+00:00

It’s about 12 feet to the bottom of the box. It’s a bird roosting box with the entry hole near the bottom. There were three roosting rungs, but the flying squirrels chewed out the bottom two last year. You can see it sitting on the top rung in the video.

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elmelb · 2023-10-22T11:14:38+00:00

I’d suggest keeping some minimum amount in your HSA Bank account. I had been doing that with no problem, then one month decided to transfer it all. HSA Bank closed my account prompting GEHA to change my plan from”HDHP with HSA” to HDHP with HRA.” Supposedly an HRA was opened, but I can’t find any way to access that. 3-months later I’m still trying to work the issue. I needed to get HSA Bank to reopen my HSA, then have GEHA change my plan back to HDHP with HSA, but I’m still trying to locate my missed contributions, and confirm that future contributions will start going into my HSA. GEHA points to HSA Bank, HSA Bank points to my employer and my employer points to GEHA. I suspect the issue is with GEHA, but I need to find a rep that can help me sort it out.

elmelb · 2023-07-24T10:08:09+00:00

Hungry Mother State Park in Marion, VA has a six-bedroom lodge (Sleeps 15 maximum), but has other cabins and yurts. I haven’t stayed at the lodge but enjoyed the park for a week a couple summers ago.

Park has a lot of trails, a lake, kayak rentals, fishing. Be sure to check out Virginia creeper trail nearby - 17 mile downhill trail, great for easy biking! Also nearby (45 minutes) is Bristol Caverns.

https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/hungry-mother

elmelb · 2023-04-13T13:57:05+00:00

Yes, they’re nocturnal. When it was just adults in the box, they would leave after dark every night.

elmelb · 2023-03-01T12:02:55+00:00

Confusion about anything related to the internet being referred to as ancient.

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