United States 

Office of 

Personnel Management 

The Federal Government’s Human Resources Agency

Retirement and Insurance Service 

Benefits Administration Letter 

Number: 00-404 Date: September 29, 2000 

Subject: 2000 Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program: Significant Plan 

Changes 

 

PURPOSE 

This letter transmits lists of significant events affecting certain plans during the upcoming FEHB 

Open Season. Please note that some of these events will require action on the part of agencies and 

enrollees. Also note the plans that are dropping out of the Program at the end of 2000. Since 

employees in these plans must enroll in new plans during open season if they are to continue 

insurance coverage in 2001, we ask that you distribute this list widely within your agencies. 

TERMINATIONS 

Table 1: Plans Dropping Out of the FEHB Program for 2001 

Table 2: Plans Reducing Their Service Areas by Terminating an Enrollment Code 

What Must Employees Do? 

• Employees in terminating plans (Table 1) or in terminating codes (Table 2) must choose a 

new health plan during open season. 

• New coverage. Coverage under an enrollee’s new health plan will be effective the first day 

of the pay period beginning on or after January 1, 2001: for most employees this will be 

January 14, 2001. Enrollees will remain covered and receive benefits under the old plan 

until coverage under the new plan becomes effective. 

 

Civil Service Federal Employees Federal Employees Federal Employees 

Retirement Group Life Health Benefits Retirement 

System Insurance Program System 

What Must You Do? 
Benefits Administration Letter 00-404 

2

• You must notify employees in the terminating plans and enrollment codes to select new plans. 

 Advise your employees that if they do not choose new health plans, they will not have 

coverage in 2001.

• We strongly recommend that you distribute copies of these lists to each employee, along with 

your agency’s notice about open season. 

• We also recommend that you follow up with employees in these plans and remind them to 

select new plans. 

• Belated changes. Some employees still might not get the word to change plans during open 

season. We encourage you to be liberal in accepting belated open season changes from 

employees enrolled in terminating plans/enrollment codes. 

What Will Health Plans Do? 

• Plan Notification. The plans in tables 1 and 2 have been instructed to notify enrollees of the 

need to select new health plans for 2001. However, because some plans’ enrollment and 

address lists may not be up to date, we encourage you to accept belated changes. 

SERVICE AREA REDUCTIONS 

Table 3: Plans Reducing Their Service Areas Without Terminating an Enrollment Code 

Enrollees in the service areas being terminated must elect new health plans for 2001. Enrollees 

who do not choose new health plans will have to travel to their plan’s remaining service area to 

receive full benefits. 

 

Table 4: Plans Splitting a Service Area 

Enrollees in these plans must complete a Standard Form (SF) 2809 to enroll in the new code for 

their service area or elect another health plan during the open season. 

What Must You Do? 

 • We strongly recommend that you distribute a copy of these lists to each employee, along with 

your agency’s notice to employees about open season. 

 • If you do not distribute the lists, remind employees to check their new health plan brochures 

carefully to see if there have been any changes to their plans’ service areas that will affect 

them. 

OTHER SERVICE AREA CHANGES 

Table 5: New Plans Entering the Program for 2001 
Benefits Administration Letter 00-404 

3

Table 6: Plan Adding a Standard Option 

Table 7: Service Area Expansions With a New Enrollment Code 

Table 8: Service Area Expansions Without New Enrollment Codes 

What Must You Do? 

 • You must include these new plans and expanded service areas when you count the number of 

eligible employees and place your orders for brochures. 

MISCELLANEOUS CHANGES 

Table 9: Plan Mergers 

These plans are merging with other plans at the end of 2000. Enrollees in the “old” plans will be 

transferred automatically to the “gaining” plans and do not need to take action. Enrollees in the 

old plans, must choose different plans during open season if they do not wish to be transferred to 

the new plans. 

Table 10: Plan Name Changes 

Table 11: Enrollment Code Changes 

Table 12: Plans Dropping a Point of Service Product 

These plans are dropping their Point of Service Product (POS) for 2001. Enrollees who use the 

POS Option may want to consider changing plans during open season. 

Table 13: Plan Name and Enrollment Code Changes 

These plans are changing from multiple contracts to one contract for 2001, as well as changing 

the enrollment codes. Enrollees will be automatically transferred to the new contract unless they 

change plans during the open season. 

Table 14: Plans Adding Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) Service 

Table 15: Contract Consolidations 

 

These plans are changing from multiple contracts to one contract for 2001. Enrollees will be 

automatically transferred to the new contract unless they change plans during the open season. 

What Must You Do? 

 • You must notify your employees of the changes in Table 13 and 15 

 • Benefits may be different for year 2001 
Benefits Administration Letter 00-404 

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What Must Enrollees Do? 

 • Enrollees must review the plan brochure for benefit changes 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 

We have made many changes to the FEHB web site. The site has information on topics such as: 

• FEHB Open Season 

• Premium Conversion 

• Long Term Care 

• Patient Bill of Rights 

•Mental Health and Substance Abuse Parity

The site also provides interactive tools such as “Plan Smart Choice” to assist employees in choosing the 

right health plan for them. You may also download the 2001 FEHB Guides, Plan brochures, as well as 

all open season Benefits Administration Letters (BAL) from this site. 

We encourage you and your employees to visit the web site at www.opm.gov/insure for the most 

up to date information. 

 

SPECIAL NOTICE 

• SAMBA (enrollment code 44), a nationwide fee-for-service plan open to specific groups, has 

extended its eligible enrollment population for 2001 to include the offices of all Presidentially 

appointed Inspector Generals (IGs). 

• As of April 26, 2000, Foreign Service Benefit Plan (enrollment code 40) expanded its population 

of eligible members to include Department of Defense civilians, who are now eligible for 

membership in its Protective Association and will be able to join the Plan. 

 

 Abby L. Block, Chief 

 Insurance Policy 

 and Information Division 

Attachments 

NOTE: This letter and its attachments were updated November 3, 2000. Updates are shown in yellow 

highlighted text. 
Benefits Administration Letter 00-404 

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TABLE 1 

PLANS DROPPING OUT OF FEHB FOR 2001

Employees in these plans who do not change health plans during open season will not have health 

benefits for 2001. 

State Plan Name Code 

Arizona United Healthcare of Arizona TD, 2S 

Arizona Humana Health Plan of Arizona DY 

Colorado HMO Colorado/Nevada L2 

Colorado Cigna Healthcare of Colorado 1C 

Connecticut Harvard Pilgrim Health Care 68 

Florida Prudential HealthCare HMO HE 

Florida United HealthCare of Florida QK 

Indiana PARTNERS of Indiana MC 

Indiana Humana Care Plan 18 

Iowa Care Choices FA 

Kansas Prudential HealthCare HMO 1K 

Kentucky Humana Care Plan 18 

Kentucky Humana Care Plan HR 

Kentucky Pacificare of Ohio, Inc. R8 

Maine Harvard Pilgrim Health Care 68 

Massachusetts Harvard Pilgrim Health Care 68 

Michigan Priority Health BQ 

Michigan Physicians Health Plan U8 

Missouri Prudential HealthCare HMO 1K 

Nebraska Care Choices FA 

Nevada HMO Colorado/Nevada VS 

New Hampshire Harvard Pilgrim Health Care 68 

New York Blue Choice HMO 5L, S7 

New York Kaiser Permanente QH 

New York Harvard Pilgrim HealthCare 68 

New York MDNY Healthcare, Inc. 5Y, 8U 

North Carolina Prudential HealthCare HMO Q4 

Ohio Prudential HealthCare HMO Q9 

Ohio * PacifiCare of Ohio, Inc. R8 

Ohio QualMed Plans for Health/Ohio/West Virginia QJ 

Oklahoma CommunityCare HMO 7C 

Oklahoma BlueLincs HMO N5 

Pennsylvania QualMed Plans for Health 24 

South Carolina Prudential HealthCare HMO Q4 

South Dakota Care Choices FA 
Benefits Administration Letter 00-404 

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Table 1 Continued – Plans Dropping Out of FEHB for 2001 

Vermont Harvard Pilgrim HealthCare 68 

Virginia John Deere Health Plan (REMOVE THIS ROW) 3J 

Virginia Prudential HealthCare HMO V6 

Wisconsin Physicians Plus HMO 7P 

Wisconsin Human Wisconsin Health Org. X1 

West Virginia QualMed Plans for Health/Ohio/West Virginia QJ 

West Virginia SuperBlue HMO 8T 

West Virginia Health Assurance HMO (REMOVE THIS ROW) 6L 

* This plan terminates December 31, 2000. Benefits will not be provided to enrollees after that 

date. Please refer to BAL 00-218 for an open enrollment opportunity for enrollees of this 

plan. 

TABLE 2 

PLANS REDUCING THEIR SERVICE AREAS 

BY TERMINATING AN ENROLLMENT CODE 

Enrollees in these enrollment codes who do not change health plans during open season will 

not have health benefits for 2001. 

State Plan Name Code Terminated 

Florida Humana Medical Plan JH, 7F, P5, 9D, P7 

Illinois Aetna U.S. Healthcare 6T 

Maine Aetna U.S. Healthcare 9M 

Missouri Aetna U.S. Healthcare 6T 

New York Independent Health Association C1 

Ohio United Health Care of Ohio VC 

Texas Texas Health Choice 2T 

Texas Aetna U.S. Healthcare TS 

Texas Humana Health Plan of Texas TW, TX, UE 
Benefits Administration Letter 00-404 

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TABLE 3 

PLANS REDUCING THEIR SERVICE AREAS 

WITHOUT TERMINATING AN ENROLLMENT CODE 

Enrollees in the area being dropped who do not change health plans during open season will 

have to travel to their plan’s remaining service area to obtain medical care in order to receive 

full benefits from the plan in 2001. 

State Plan Name Code Area Dropped 

Arizona Health Plan of Nevada NM Mohave County 

California National HMO Health Plan MN San Joaquin (partial), Merced, Frenso, 

Contra Costa, Alameda, and Madera 

counties 

Georgia Aetna U.S. Healthcare 2U Baldwin, Bibb, Houston, Jones, Pulaski, 

Twiggs, and Washington counties 

Illinois Group Health Plan MM Jackson, Perry, Randolph, and Union 

counties 

Indiana • Aetna U.S. Healthcare S3 Ripley and Union counties 

Kentucky • Aetna U.S. Healthcare S3 Bracken, Carroll, and Mason counties 

Maryland George Washington 

University HP 

E5 Cecil County 

Michigan M-CARE EG Barry, Kalamazoo, and Saginaw counties 

Ohio Paramount Health Care U2 Ashland, Crawford, Hardin, Knox, Lorain, 

Marion, Morrow, Richland, and Wyandot 

counties

Ohio • Aetna U.S. Healthcare S3 Drake county 

Ohio CHP of Ohio MG All counties except Licking, Ottawa, 

Sandusky, and Seneca 

Tennessee* John Deere 3J All of Tennessee 

Virginia * John Deere 3J All of Virginia 

Virginia George Washington 

University HP 

E5 City of Winchester, Wayne and Frederick 

counties 

Washington Aetna U.S. Healthcare 8J Port Angeles, Sequim, Anacortes cities 

Washington PacifiCare of Washington WB Walla Walla, and San Juan counties 

Washington First Choice Health Plan 5G Grays Harbor and Mason counties 

Wisconsin Unity Health Plans W4 Eau Claire, and Chippewa counties 

Wisconsin Valley Health Plan VH All counties except Chippewa, Dunn and 

Eau Claire 

* See Table 11 for additional changes to this plan 

• See Table 9 for additional changes to this plan
Benefits Administration Letter 00-404 

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TABLE 4 

PLANS SPLITTING A SERVICE AREA 

Enrollees in this plan under the 2000 enrollment code shown below should check their plan 

brochure to determine which 2001 code they should be under. Enrollees in the 2000 code who 

should change, but do not, will still have coverage, however they will be enrolled in code 7J 

although they may live in Kentucky or Indiana. Enrollees who wish to remain in code RD will 

have to re-enroll in that code during open season. 

State Plan Name Code (2000) Code (2001) 

Indiana Aetna U.S. Healthcare RD RD, 7L 

Kentucky Aetna U.S. Healthcare RD RD, 7L 

Ohio Aetna U.S. Healthcare RD RD, 7D, 7J 

Enrollment code RD split into four service and enrollment areas (7J, 7L, 7D and retained RD). 

The following is important information about the change to code RD: 

• You must automatically transfer enrollees from code RD into code 7J on January 1 or the first day 

of the pay period beginning after January 1, 2001. 

 

• If an enrollee is currently enrolled in RD and wishes to have coverage under RD, they still will be 

automatically changed to code 7J by the agency. The enrollee must re-enroll in code RD during 

Open Season. 

• Although all enrollees will be changed to 7J, some are eligible to choose one of the three other 

Aetna codes during Open Season. If the enrollee is eligible to enroll under another Aetna 

enrollment code, they will have a premium advantage by selecting, 7L, 7D or RD. The benefits 

related to all four codes are the same. 

• If the enrollee does not act they will be automatically enrolled in code 7J.
Benefits Administration Letter 00-404 

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TABLE 5 

NEW PLANS ENTERING THE PROGRAM FOR 2001 

State Plan Name Code General Location 

Indiana Sagamore Advantage HMO 6Y Most of Indiana 

Louisiana Amcare Health Plans ZQ Baton Rouge 

Alexandria/Shreveport 

Louisiana Amcare Health Plans ZH New Orleans 

New York Healthfirst New York 7N New York City 

Oklahoma Amcare Health Plans ZX Oklahoma City/Tulsa 

Texas Amcare Health Plans 2V Houston/El Paso 

Texas Amcare Health Plans ZG Austin/San Antonio 

TABLE 6 

PLAN ADDING A STANDARD OPTION 

State Plan Name Code 

Nationwide GEHA 31 

TABLE 7 

SERVICE AREA EXPANSIONS 

WITH A NEW ENROLLMENT CODE 

State Plan Name New Code General Location 

Illinois Aetna U.S. Healthcare D4 Metro St. Louis area: Madison and St. 

Clair counties 

Kentucky Blue Grass Family Health BD Southern Kentucky 

Kentucky Blue Grass Family Health BH Western Kentucky 

Michigan SelectCare HMO KP Flint area 

Missouri Aetna U.S. Healthcare D4 Metro St. Louis area: Jefferson, St. 

Charles, St. Louis City, and St. Louis 

counties 

New 

York 

Aetna U.S. Healthcare TG Syracuse area 

Texas Mercy Health 

Plans/Premier 

HM Texas 
Benefits Administration Letter 00-404 

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TABLE 8 

SERVICE AREA EXPANSIONS 

WITHOUT NEW ENROLLMENT CODES 

State Plan Name Code General Location of New Area 

Colorada Aetna U.S. Healthcare 6F Mesa County 

Delaware Aetna U.S. Healthcare SU All of Delaware 

Georgia Aetna U.S. Healthcare 2U Wilkes County 

Illinois PersonalCare's HMO GE Coles, Clark, Crawford, Cumberland, Edgar, 

and Shelby counties 

Indiana Aetna U.S. Healthcare RD Franklin, Dearborn, Switzerland, and Ohio 

counties 

Iowa SecureCare of Iowa 3Q Adair, Appanoose, Audubon, Davis, Monroe, 

Wayne, Carroll, Cerro, Gordo, Hancock, 

Palo Alto, Chickasaw, Hardin, Winnebago, 

Clay, Howard, Worth, Floyd, Kossuth, 

Wright, Franklin, and Mitchell counties 

Kentucky Aetna U.S. Healthcare RD Pendleton and Gallatin counties 

Louisiana Aetna U.S. Healthcare NG Baton Rouge parishes of Ascension, East and 

West Baton Rouge, East and West Feliciana, 

Iberville, Livingston, Point Coupe, St. 

Helena, and Tangipahoa, 

Lafayette parishes of Evangeline, Iberia, 

Lafayette, St. Ladry, St. Mary, St. Martin, 

Beauregard, Calcasieu, and Jefferson Davis 

The following parishes are increasing from 

partial to full: Acadia, Assumption, 

Plaquemines, St. James, Terrebonne, 

Washington, and Vermilion 

New Orleans 

Michigan Aetna U.S. Healthcare 8Z Ash, Bedford, Berlin, Dundee, Erie, Exeter, 

Frenchtown, Ida, LaSalle, London 

Kaiserville, and Summerfield townships 

Cities of Monroe, Luna Pier, and Petersburg 

Missouri * Aetna U.S. Healthcare 7K Buchanan, Cass, Clay, Jackson, Lafayette, 

Platte and Ray counties 

Missouri BlueCHOICE 9G Texas County 

Table 8 Continued – Service Area Expansions Without New Enrollment Codes 

North Aetna U.S. Healthcare 3G Wake, Durham, and Orange counties 
Benefits Administration Letter 00-404 

11

Carolina 

Ohio Vantage Health Plan 6A Lorain county 

Pennsylvania Aetna U.S. Healthcare KL Bradford, Clinton, Columbia, Sullivan, 

Wyoming, and Fulton counties 

Pennsylvania KeystoneBlue EF Cameron, and Potter counties 

Pennsylvania UPMC Health Plan 8W Erie, and Venango counties 

Virginia Aetna U.S. Healthcare JN Charles, Chesterfield, Colonial Heights, 

Dinwiddie, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico, 

Hopewell, King, William, New Kent, 

Nottaway, Petersburg, Powhattan, and 

Richmond counties 

Virginia MDIPA JP Waynesboro City, Staunton City, Buchanan, 

Pulaski, and Tazewell counties 

Wisconsin CompCare 69 Brown County 

* This change does not appear in the printed guide

TABLE 9 

PLAN MERGERS 

Enrollees in plans that merge will be transferred automatically to the surviving plan unless 

they choose a different plan during open season. 

State Merging Plans Code Surviving Plans Code 

Delaware Aetna U.S. Healthcare 

Aetna U.S. Healthcare 

NK 

SU 

Aetna U.S. Healthcare SU 

Georgia Prudential HealthCare HMO 

Aetna U.S. Healthcare 

EZ 

2U 

Aetna U.S. Healthcare 2U 

Indiana * Prudential HealthCare HMO 

Aetna U.S. Healthcare 

S3 

RD 

Aetna U.S. Healthcare RD 

Kentucky * Prudential HealthCare HMO 

Aetna U.S. Healthcare 

S3 

RD 

Aetna U.S. Healthcare RD 

Kentucky Humana Care Plan 

Humana Health Plan 

18 

D2 

Humana Health Plan D2 

Table 9 Continued – Plan Mergers 

Louisiana Aetna U.S. Healthcare TK Aetna U.S. Healthcare NG 
Benefits Administration Letter 00-404 

12

Aetna U.S. Healthcare NG 

Maryland Prudential HealthCare HMO 

Aetna U.S. Healthcare 

JB 

JN 

Aetna U.S. Healthcare 

(High Option) 

JN 

New Jersey Prudential HealthCare HMO 

Aetna U.S. Healthcare 

8P 

P3 

Aetna U.S. Healthcare 

(High Option) 

P3 

New York Kaiser Permanente 

C.D.P.H.P. 

QB 

SG 

C.D.P.H.P. SG, 

QB 

New York Kaiser Permanente 

C.D.P.H.P. 

PW 

SG 

C.D.P.H.P. SG, 

PW 

New York Prudential HealthCare HMO 

Aetna U.S. Healthcare 

9P 

JC 

Aetna U.S. Healthcare JC 

Ohio * Prudential HealthCare HMO 

Aetna U.S. Healthcare 

S3 

RD 

Aetna U.S. Healthcare RD 

Pennsylvania Prudential HealthCare HMO 

Aetna U.S. Healthcare 

VV 

SU 

Aetna U.S. Healthcare 

(High Option)

SU 

Texas Prudential HealthCare HMO 

Aetna U.S. Healthcare 

VX 

8X 

Aetna U.S. Healthcare 8X 

Texas Prudential HealthCare HMO 

Aetna U.S. Healthcare 

UP 

5B 

Aetna U.S. Healthcare 5B 

West 

Virginia 

HealthAssurance HMO 

Carelink Health Plans 

6L 

4C 

Carelink Health Plans 4C 

* See Table 3 for additional changes to this plan 

Prudential Healthcare HMO code S3 will merge into Aetna code RD. 

What Must You Do? 

• You must automatically transfer members from code S3 into code RD on January 1 or the first 

day of the pay period beginning after January 1, 2001. 

• Members transferred from S3 into RD must not be transferred into Aetna enrollment 

code 7J. (See Table 4 for additional information on code 7J)

TABLE 10 

PLAN NAME CHANGES 

State Plan Name (Old) Code Plan Name (New) 
Benefits Administration Letter 00-404 

13

Guam * PacifiCare Asia Pacific JK PacifiCare Health Insurance 

Company Micronesia 

Illinois * Rush Prudential HMO 17 UNICARE HMO 

Indiana * Rush Prudential HMO 17 UNICARE HMO 

Iowa Principal Health Care of 

Iowa, Inc. 

SV Coventry Health Care of Iowa, 

Inc. 

New York HealthCarePlan Q8 Univera Healthcare-WNY Inc. 

New York Prepaid Health Plan QE Univera Healthcare-CNY Inc. 

New York PHP Mohawk Valley 

Region 

SH Univera Healthcare-CNY Inc. 

Pennsylvania Penn State Geisinger 

Health Plan 

N9 Geisinger Health Plan 

* This change does not appear in the printed guide

TABLE 11 

ENROLLMENT CODE CHANGES 

You must transfer enrollees in these plans to the new codes unless they choose a different plan 

during open season. 

State Plan Name Code (Old) Code (New) 

Illinois John Deere 3J YH 

Iowa John Deere 3J YH 

Virginia * Aetna U. S. Healthcare Z1 XE 

(High Option) 

Virginia John Deere 3J YH 

Tennessee * John Deere 3J YH 

* See Table 3 for additional changes to this plan 
Benefits Administration Letter 00-404 

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TABLE 12 

PLANS DROPPING A POINT OF SERVICE PRODUCT 

Individuals who enrolled in these plans primarily to have access to the point of service 

products they offered in the past may want to consider changing plans. 

State Plan Name Code 

Arizona Health Plan of Nevada NM 

Colorado HMO Colorado/Nevada L2 

Nebraska GEHA Benefit Plan 31 

Nevada HMO Colorado/Nevada VS 

Ohio Blue Cross and Blue Shield 10 

TABLE 13 

PLAN NAME AND ENROLLMENT CODE CHANGES 

State Plan Name (Old) Old 

Code 

Plan Name (New) New Code 

Texas NYLCare Health Plans SW V2 HMO Blue Texas YX 

Texas NYLCare HP of the Gulf 

Coast 

UM HMO Blue Texas YM 

Texas NYLCare HP of the Gulf 

Coast 

ZE HMO Blue Texas YM 

Texas NYLCare HP of the Gulf 

Coast 

ZF HMO Blue Texas YM 

Note: The plan in this table has consolidated its contracts into one contract for 2001. 
Benefits Administration Letter 00-404 

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Table 14 

PLANS ADDING PPO SERVICE 

State Plan Name Code States with PPO Service 

Nationwide 

(for specific groups) 

Foreign Service 

Benefit Plan

40 Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, 

Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, 

Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New 

Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, 

Rhode Island, South Carolina and 

Tennessee

Nationwide 

(for specific groups) 

Rural Carrier 38 Arizona, California, Colorado, 

Connecticut, Delaware, Kansas, Maine, 

Massachusetts, Montana, Nebraska, 

Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, 

New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, 

Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota and 

Utah 

TABLE 15 

CONTRACT CONSOLIDATIONS 

State Plan Name (Old) Code Plan Name (New) 

Arizona PacifiCare of Arizona A3 

California PacifiCare of California CY 

Nevada PacifiCare of Nevada K9 

Oklahoma PacifiCare OK 2N 

Oregon PacifiCare of Oregon 7Z 

Texas PacifiCare of Texas GF 

Washington PacifiCare of Washington WB 

Washington PacifiCare of Oregon 7Z 

Pacificare Health Plans 

Note: PacifiCare will consolidate the above plans into one contract for 2001. There will be 

one plan, however the plan will keep all its current codes.