AFSPA Talks
This is an informational and educational podcast by the American Foreign Service Protective Association (AFSPA), featuring Chief Executive Officer, Kyle Longton. AFSPA Talks covers a range of topics across a multitude of categories, from mental wellness, to dental care, to speech and hearing awareness. This podcast is intended for all listeners, not only AFSPA members. This podcast is not intended to give out medical advice, please seek a professional for medical questions.
Episodes
79 episodes
AFSPA Talks 2025 Open Season
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 Benef...
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Season 15
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Episode 7
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28:43
AFSPA Talks Life Insurance for Millennials
September is Life Insurance Awareness Month (LIAM), and we are kicking things off with a focus on millennials. With our guest, Nicole Devlin from Prudential, we discuss the needs of this population and why now might be the best time for them to...
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Season 15
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Episode 5
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23:41
AFSPA Talks Navigating Back to School
It’s August, and for many families, that means preparing for a return to school. This can be a challenge for kids and parents. Changing routines, decreasing free time, and, for many of our members, new locations can make for bumpy August and Se...
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Season 15
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Episode 4
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1:12:28
AFSPA Talks Overseas Telehealth Services
In this episode, we talk with John McQuillan from Teladoc Health UK. He walks us through the care and consultation options available to Foreign Service Benefit Plan (FSBP) members outside the U.S. for general medical and mental health needs. He...
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Season 15
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Episode 3
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33:40
AFSPA Talks Support for LGBTQ+ Youth
It's Pride Month, and we're talking with Alyssa Clayden, PhD, LCSW. She first joined us in 2021 to discuss support for LGBTQ+ youth, and we're exploring the same topic in this episode. Our focus is on how parents and other family members and al...
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Season 15
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Episode 2
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49:30
AFSPA Talks Mental Health Coaching
May is mental health awareness month. Just as many factors can influence our mental health, there are a variety of support programs and treatment options to explore. Today, we welcome Jennifer Pertofsky-Plotnek, LCSW-C, CDCES, NCB-HWC. Sh...
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Season 15
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Episode 1
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27:51
AFSPA Talks Medicare PDP FAQs
In this episode, AFSPA CEO Kyle Longton, CAE, REBC addresses some of the most frequent questions AFSPA has received about the FSBP Express Scripts Medicare Prescription Drug Plan, or PDP. While he touches on some basics of the PDP, you can lear...
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Season 14
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Episode 8
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19:34
AFSPA Talks Medicare and the FEHB
In this 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 co...
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Season 14
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Episode 7
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50:46
AFSPA Talks Freedom Fertility Pharmacy
With this episode, we continue our February focus on fertility. For some people receiving treatment for diagnoses of infertility, prescription drugs can account for half the costs of their treatment. Ensuring on-time delivery of the drugs, unde...
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Season 14
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Episode 6
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26:51
AFSPA Talks Contraception Coverage
Our focus for the month of February is on fertility. We'll have more content later this month about the enhanced infertility coverage under the Foreign Service Benefit Plan for 2024. Today, though, we are talking about coverage for contraceptio...
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Season 14
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Episode 5
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9:37
AFSPA Talks Virtual Primary Care
In this episode of AFSPA Talks, we discuss a new solution from Teladoc. Lisa DeLarso joins us to share about Virtual Primary Care. Primary360 is a virtual primary care solution that inspires lasting relationships between people and care...
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Season 14
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Episode 4
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30:51
AFSPA Talks Maven
To kick off our 2024 podcasts, we have an episode focused on one of the new programs available to FSBP members: Maven Clinic. Maven is a comprehensive virtual care platform providing critical support across fertility, pregnancy, adoption, paren...
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Season 14
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Episode 3
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33:00
AFSPA Talks 2024 Open Season FAQs
With today's episode, we address the most frequently asked questions on open season. A panel of AFSPA experts joins to provide answers and clarity on changes for 2024. For more information on open season, please visit <...
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Season 14
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Episode 2
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22:58
AFSPA Talks Open Season 2024
Today, Kyle and Maddie discuss the 2024 open season with a particular focus on the improvements under FSBP. In particular, their discussion focuses on: Increases in the allowance for alternative benefits: massage, acupuncture, ...
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Season 14
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Episode 1
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28:16
AFSPA Talks ADHD
There are an increasing number of diagnoses of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in both children and adults. Despite the prevalence of this diagnosis, many do not understand this condition. Today, we welcome a health coach from B...
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Season 13
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Episode 7
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40:53
AFSPA Talks Medicare Prescription Drug Plans
Beginning in January 2024, many Federal Employee Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) plans will be offering a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan (PDP) to their members. The Foreign Service Benefit Plan will be among them. This program will result in s...
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Season 13
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Episode 6
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41:57
AFSPA Talks Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program
In 2021, we offered an episode diving into the various options that are available for long-term care insurance. Shortly after we aired that program, the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIS or LTCFEDS) stopped accepting new applicat...
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Season 13
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Episode 5
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31:07
AFSPA Talks Women's Pelvic Health
Today, AFSPA welcomes Dr. Kandis Daroski, PT, DPT, to our show to discuss a new offering from Hinge Health: their Women's Pelvic Health program. Dr. Kandis talks through common pelvic floor issues and how they manifest themselves and how they a...
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Season 13
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Episode 4
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31:09
AFSPA Talks Back to School Mental Health
For many of us, the end of August means a return to school. That transition can come with a number of changes and challenges. Today, we explore some of the mental health challenges that may arise and how parents can promote mental wellness for ...
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Season 13
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Episode 3
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40:21
AFSPA Talks Skin Cancer
Skin cancer is the most common cancer and 1 in 5 Americans will be diagnosed with it in their lifetime. As we spend more time in the sun due to summertime, it is important to know the different types of skin cancer, how to prevent it, and what ...
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Season 13
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Episode 2
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35:23
AFSPA Talks Travel Insurance
It's summer, and for many of us, that means some travel. These days, travel is rarely without some interruption or challenge, and there's help available when the unexpected becomes inevitable. AFSPA's Sr. Director for Ancillary Insurance Progra...
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Season 13
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Episode 1
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27:33
AFSPA Talks Autism Awareness
This episode has been in the works for more than a month. April was Autism Awareness Month. Approximately 1 in 36 people are diagnosed with autism, but many of us understand little about the diagnosis. Today, Heather Buzbee of Brightline Health...
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Season 12
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Episode 4
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23:35
AFSPA Talks Mental Health, Women’s Health, and More
This week, we bring you an overview of health topics for the month of May: Mental Health Awareness Month, Blood Pressure Awareness Month, Better Speech and Hearing Month, and Women’s Health Week. There are a number of programs mentioned in this...
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Season 12
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Episode 3
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18:04
AFSPA Talks Infertility Awareness
A recent WHO study concluded that 1 in 6 adults around the world experiences infertility in their lifetime. Procedures for diagnosing and treating infertility have come a long way in recent decades, and health insurance coverage around these pr...
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Season 12
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Episode 2
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46:25
AFSPA Talks COVID-19 Three Years Later
Today, we bring you something a bit different than our typical episode. It was just over three years ago, in March 2020, when COVID-19 profoundly changed life for most of us. The last three years had profound effects on healthcare around the wo...
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Season 12
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Episode 1
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50:17