1999 Health Benefits Open Season Date: Mon, 01 Nov 1999 07:39:27 -0500 To: "USGS Employees" From: "Cindy S. Wylie" Subject: 1999 Health Benefits Open Season In Reply Refer To: Mail Stop 601 MEMORANDUM Supervisor, Managers, and Team Leaders: Please ensure that employees without access to e-mail receive a copy of this message. To: All U.S. Geological Survey Employees From: Robert Hosenfeld Personnel Officer Subject: 1999 Health Benefits Open Season A Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Open Season will be held from November 8 through December 13, 1999. Before open season begins, your current health plan should send you a copy of its brochure and a notice of its 2000 rates. During an open season, any eligible employee who is not currently registered may enroll; and any eligible employee may change from one plan or option to another, from self to self and family, or make a combination of these changes. Enrollees who wish to continue their current enrollments do not need to take any action during this open season. However, enrollees whose plans will not be participating in the FEHB Program after December 31, 1999, or whose plans dropped the enrollment code they are enrolled in, must enroll in a different plan to continue FEHB coverage in 2000. Because of the large number of health plan changes for 2000, you should refer to the Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) website at http://www.opm.gov/asd/index.htm. The list of plans not participating in 2000 can be found in Benefits Administration Letter No. 99-411. In addition, OPM should have all comparison guides and health plan brochures on http://www.opm.gov/insure by November 1, 1999. These may be viewed or printed to hard copy. There are three basic types of plans available under the FEHB Program: 1. Managed Fee-for-Service Plans - These plans reimburse you or your health care provider for covered services after the services are received. If you are enrolled in one of these plans, you may choose your own physicians, hospitals, and other health care providers. In most cases, a calendar year deductible must be met. Most fee-for-service plans have preferred provider arrangements. By using preferred providers, you can reduce your out-of-pocket expenses. Fee-for-service plans include the Blue Cross/Blue Shield Benefit Plan and plans sponsored by unions and other employee organizations. 2. Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) Plans - These plans provide a comprehensive array of medical services, emphasizing prevention and early detection of disease, through contracted physicians, hospitals, and other providers in particular locations. Each HMO is open to an employee's enrollment area. You cannot enroll in an HMO if you are located outside its enrollment area. 3. Point-of-Service (POS) Product - Some FEHB plans blend their features. A number of fee-for-service and HMO plans now offer both forms of health care services, known as "in network" and "out of network." In an HMO that offers a POS product, this product acts like a fee-for-service plan; the HMO's enrollees may use non-affiliated providers if they wish, but this increases the out-of-pocket expenses incurred. Conversely, in a fee-for-service plan with a POS product, the POS Product acts like an HMO; if the enrollee agrees to let their medical care be managed by a plan-affiliated gatekeeper physician, plan enrollees will get a better benefit in the form of lower copays or coinsurance. If you are considering enrolling or making a change, you should obtain a copy of the 2000 Guide to FEHB Plans for Federal Civilian Employees. These booklets are available from the OPM website at http://www.opm.gov/insure or your servicing personnel office. The FEHB Guide contains a comparison chart that gives general information about each plan and lists the biweekly cost for each health plan. The Guide also provides the results of the Customer Satisfaction Survey and the accreditation status of those health plans who participated in the national review. If you decide you are interested in making an enrollment change, you should consult your plan's brochure for a complete description of the benefits. These brochures are also available at the above website or from your servicing personnel office. IF YOU WISH TO MAKE AN OPEN SEASON CHANGE, YOU MUST USE EMPLOYEE EXPRESS. To make a change, you may either call the toll-free number at 1-800-827-6254 or use the Internet address at http://www.employeeexpress.gov. You will need your Personal Identification Number (PIN). Employees who need a new PIN may obtain one by calling the PIN Help Desk at (912) 757-3030 immediately. All open season changes through Employee Express must be made no later than midnight of December 13, 1999. New enrollments and changes to current enrollments elected during this open season will be effective January 2, 2000. If you change plans, any expenses incurred on January 1, 2000, will be covered under your old plan. Please note that information you provide by enrolling in the FEHB Program may also be used for computer matching with Federal, State, or local agencies' files to determine whether you qualify for benefits, payments, or eligibility in the FEHB Program, Medicare, or other government benefits programs. Any questions regarding this year's health benefits open season should be directed to your servicing personnel office.