AFSPA Talks

It's Financial Wellness February at AFSPA, and we're excited to highlight the expertise available from some of our partners. Federal employees' retirement and insurance needs are unique from those in the private sector, and that means they need advisors with unique expertise. Our partners at GEBA and GEBA Wealth Management offer just that. To tell us about their services, we're happy to welcome GEBA President an...

Today, we kick off Ancillary January with a focus on our combined dental and vision discount program offered in partnership with Careington. Valerie DeBruin joins us to discuss how this program differs from insurance, both in the services provided and the cost to the member. Stay tuned to the end for a mention of the hearing discount program, too. 

For more information on all of our ancillary programs, please visit www.afspa.org/aip...

Accessing mental health care can be a challenge. Outside the U.S., that challenge can at times be insurmountable. FSBP offers a program to help members around the world access counselors and other support to meet their behavioral, mental, and emotional health needs. Lyra Health is available to FSBP members outside the U.S. for counseling at no cost. Today, Karen Munson joins us to discuss this program and how members can access it....

In today's episode, we discuss the updated requirements for GLP-1s for the Foreign Service Benefit Plan. Grace Silverio from Teladoc Health breaks down the new Advanced Weight Management Program required for FSBP members taking GLP-1s for weight loss in the U.S. 

It's Open Season! If you're looking for more information on the FSBP's premiums, plan changes, and more, click here. 

If you would like to register for a...

Today, AFSPA Talks Prescription Drug Coverage in 2026. For the first time in a decade, we're making changes to the cost shares for prescription drugs. Join us today to talk through the changes and understand what your costs will be in 2026. See the changes at www.afspa.org/openseason. Price your drugs at www.express-scripts.com/fsbp, and be sure to select 2026. 

For members who have opted in to the FSBP-Express Scripts Medicare...

November has begun, and that means that the start of open season is only a week away. We've got your preview of open season changes in today's episode. Be sure to follow us for further updates, as we'll be diving deeper into some of the benefit changes in the weeks ahead. 

Join us for a live event to learn more about our open season changes. See your options at: www.afspa.org/events. 

 Our discussion today is full of r...

October is Menopause Awareness Month. In this week's episode, we discuss the symptoms of Menopause and how it can affect daily life for women. We are joined by Shardae Jackson, Senior Manager of Client Success at Maven Clinic. Maven Clinic has a Menopause and Midlife Health program that focuses on treatment for menopause stages and symptoms. 

To learn more about joining Maven Clinic, please visit this page. Maven Clinic is avai...

Pelvic health issues can emerge in a variety of ways at any age. Often, people experiencing these issues assume that such problems are just a fact of life and do not discuss their concerns or seek treatment. Our goal for today's episode is to break down some of the taboos surrounding pelvic health issues and provide a solution from our partners at Hinge Health. Dr. Bijal Torpani, PT, DPT, joins us to discuss the Women's P...

Today, we answer the question of what to do when facing a serious diagnosis. Where do you turn and when? What are the next steps? FSBP members in the United States can access an expert second opinion program from 2ndMD. Nurse Kim Rebec joins us to talk about the ins and outs of this service, which is available at no charge to FSBP members in the U.S.  

For more information, visit https://www.2nd.md/ or download the 2ndMD app from th...

August is Breastfeeding Awareness Month. Mary Rood Cunningham, a Senior Client Success Manager at Maven Clinic, and Dr. Viraj Radia, a pediatrician with Maven Clinic, join us to discuss breastfeeding's benefits, best practices, and obstacles. 

To learn more about Maven Clinic and to join at no cost for FSBP Members around the globe, check out www.mavenclinic.com/join/fsbp. 

Check out our Events page for free webinars and other e...

For this week's episode of AFSPA Talks, we revisit an episode from July 2023 about Skin Cancer. Now that it is summertime, we know that many of our listeners will be spending time in the sun. Skin cancer is the most common cancer. To help us understand more about skin cancer, we had Leah B. Jacobson, Sr. Medical Director at Aetna join us.

You can stay in touch with AFSPA and all we have coming up by visiting www.afspa.org/...

Happy Pride! For this week's episode, we wanted to share some information that would be helpful to members who have contacted us with questions about care and support for their children who are exploring their identities. We went back into our archive, and we're sharing an episode with Alyssa Clayden, PhD, LICSW, from the Truman Group that we originally published in June 2024.

You can stay in touch with AFSPA and all we h...

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. The recent changes to the federal workforce and the uncertainty that continues for many have resulted in mental health concerns for many with ties to federal employment - employees and family members alike. Stress, anxiety, fear, anger, and worry are all understandable reactions, but you do not have to face these challenges alone. We at AFSPA encourage you to make use of resources that may be a...

In this episode of AFSPA Talks, we continue our conversation from Annual Meeting about weight loss, cardiovascular health, and diabetes management. Today's focus is on Chronic Care Management Programs. To tell us more about those programs, we have Grace Silverio from Teladoc Health. 

For more information about the Chronic Care Management Programs available to Foreign Service Benefit Plan members at NO COST, click here.

If you ha...

This month, AFSPA Talks takes a look at some of the support programs available to members of the Foreign Service Benefit Plan. To begin, we'll discuss the Lifestyle and Condition Coaching (LCC) program with Dr. Vivian Ogueli and Leah Perry, RN. They offer details on how to complete a health risk assessment (HRA) and earn $75 in wellness incentives, utilize the LCC offerings to mitigate any health risks, meet your goals, and ge...

In this podcast episode, AFSPA CEO, Kyle Longton provides a comprehensive overview of how Medicare and the Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB) program work together. Learn about each part of Medicare - A, B, C, and D - and what factors you should consider when deciding whether to enroll in Part B.
 
Please note: this presentation addresses only how Medicare and FEHB work together. It is not intended for audiences beyon...

Two years ago, access to on-base care for Department of Defense civilians changed, which had a particular impact on those living and working in Japan. Since then, DoD leaders have been working on a program to support the needs of civilian employees in Japan. That program launched at the beginning of this year, and we wanted to know more about how it came about, how it works, and who it helps. 

Joining us to walk us through...

With Open Season over and a new year underway, hosts Kyle Longton and Maddie Norton use the first episode of 2025 to provide tips for the 10,000 new FSBP members and the more than 100,000 continuing members. Here are links to the resources they mentioned during this episode: 

AFSPA Website: www.afspa.org

Online Portals for FSBP Members (including demo videos): https://www.afspa.org/online-member-portals/

FSBP Provider Search Tool: www...

It's November, which means Federal Benefits Open Season is almost here. Today, Maddie and Kyle discuss health insurance, dental and vision insurance, and flexible spending account options before diving into changes for the Foreign Service Benefit Plan for 2025. 

 This is just the start of AFSPA's Open Season work. Please find more information at www.afspa.org/openseason. 

Join us for a webinar or other event throughout Open...