GEHA (Government Employees Health Association) is a self-insured, not-for-profit association providing medical and dental plans to federal employees and retirees and their families through the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) program and the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP).

GEHA
Company typePrivate, not-for-profit
IndustryHealth insurance, dental insurance
FoundedKansas City, Missouri (1937 (1937))
FounderRailway Mail clerks
HeadquartersLee's Summit, Missouri
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Arthur A Nizza, DSW President and CEO
ProductsPreferred provider organization (PPO), high-deductible health plan (HDHP), Connection Dental
Number of employees
1,500
SubsidiariesGEHA Solutions • Surety Life
Websitegeha.com

GEHA provides benefits to more than 2 million people worldwide.

The company currently offers traditional fee-for-service medical plan options with a preferred provider organization (PPO) along with a high deductible health plan (HDHP) that can be paired with a health savings account (HSA). On the dental side, GEHA offers two options under the Connection Dental Federal FEDVIP plan.

In 2006, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) chose GEHA as one of a select number of companies to offer supplemental benefits to federal employees under the Federal Employee Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP).

GEHA has two subsidiaries: GEHA Solutions and Surety Life. GEHA Solutions f/k/a PPO USA was formed in 1997 to market the following products outside federal markets: Connection Dental Network, Connection Vision powered by EyeMed, and Connection Hearing by HearPO. GEHA acquired Surety Life in 2012, giving GEHA flexibility to offer additional products to existing and new customers.[citation needed][1]

Company profile

edit

History

edit
 
Photo of a Railway Mail Service clerk at work on the Chicago and North Western.

GEHA traces its roots to 1937, when the Railway Mail Hospital Association was formed in Kansas City, Missouri, to help provide U.S. Railway Mail Service clerks with assistance for their medical expenses.[2][3] Twenty years later, the company expanded its scope to offer health insurance benefits to federal employees and retirees from all agencies and branches of government. In 1964, the company officially became known as the Government Employees Hospital Association. In 2007, the organization changed its name to Government Employees Health Association.[citation needed]

GEHA was one of the first insurance carriers eligible to provide coverage to federal employees under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Act of 1959. The FEHBP contracts with several hundred health insurance plans to provide coverage for more than 8 million federal enrollees and dependents, including retirees.[citation needed]

Evolution of the company name

edit

The company's name has changed six times since its founding in 1937:

  • 1937: Railway Mail Hospital Association
  • 1950: Postal Transport Hospital Association
  • 1958: Federal Postal Hospital Association
  • 1964: Federal Employees Hospital Association
  • 1965: Government Employees Hospital Association
  • 2007: Government Employees Health Association

Key people

edit

These are the people who have served as GEHA's president over time:

  • 1938–1948: Walter C. Tuchfarber
  • 1948–1975: Charles L. Massie
  • 1975–1988: Raymond E. Rowland
  • 1988–1992: James R. Cantrell
  • 1993–2015: Richard G. Miles
  • 2015–2018: Julie Browne
  • 2018–2021: Darren Taylor
  • 2021–present: Arthur A. Nizza, DSW

Sponsorships

edit

On March 4, 2021, GEHA and the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League announced GEHA had received naming rights to the Chiefs' stadium. It was renamed GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.[4]

References

edit
  1. ^ "GEHA And The Kansas City Chiefs Partner With Wreaths Across America To Honor Those Who Have Fallen". Lee's Summit Tribune. 2022-12-24. Retrieved 2023-09-18.
  2. ^ "Federal Diary Live". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2016-08-28.
  3. ^ "The Sharing Economy". Retrieved 11 August 2016.
  4. ^ "Chiefs and GEHA Announce Naming Rights Agreement for GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium". Chiefs.com. Archived from the original on 2021-03-04. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
edit