Kind of depends on the type of FERS Plan he is signed up for.

The way it used to be is payroll deductions were added to a fund, similar to a 401k plan with employer matched+plus contributions, an annuity for retirement to fulfill Healthcare after retirement.

There used to be 3 plans, typical SS+Medicare A+B plus Anthem or some other plan to cover the gaps.

Then the annuity plan, probably the best plan as annuities have a high return rate depending on the term and since it's a group annuity gets a great return on investment where the government can pocket a pile of money.

Then there is the basic plan, TPS or something

I had read last year that many FERS plans were canceled and the costs had increased on certain plans with higher deductibles and co-pays but didn't pay that much attention to it since I'm not in that work pool.

My wife used to work for FEMA way back in the 80s and 90s but didn't retire, rather resigned when we left the bay area