Civil Service Federal Employees Federal Employees Federal Employees

Retirement Group Life Health Benefits Retirement

System Insurance Program System

United States

Office of Personnel Management

Retirement and Insurance Service

Benefits Administration Letter

Number: 98-408 Date: August 6, 1998 

Subject: 1998 Federal Employees Health Benefits Program Open Season - Introduction

 

DATES

The 1998 Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program open season will be held

from November 9 through December 14, 1998.

BALs

As we proceed with our preparations for the 1998 open season, this introductory BAL

(Benefits Administration Letter) will be followed by a series of BALs designed to give you

information about ordering open season materials, significant FEHB plan changes for

1999, suggested open season notices for your employees, and other useful information

that will enable you to conduct a successful open season at your agency.

FEHB GUIDES

As announced in BAL 98-407, there will be a change in the quantity of RI 70-1, the FEHB

Guide used by most employees, and RI 70-8, the FEHB Guide used by most temporary

employees, for the 1998 open season. An amount equal to 50% of an 

agency’s population will be shipped, instead of 60%. 

The RI 70-4, previously used for retirees in retirement systems other than CERS/FERS,

has been eliminated and merged into the RI 70-9, which was previously used only for

CERS/FERS retirees. This affects only a very small number of agencies.

AUDIO CASSETTES

OPM will not be involved in the ordering of brochure audio cassette tapes for the visually

impaired. Agencies must order these tapes directly from the open fee-for-service plans. 

We will include the list of plan contacts from whom you may order the tapes when we

send you the BAL on ordering and distribution.
Benefits Administration Letter 98-408 2 

EMAIL HOTLINE

Our Internet email hotline will enable us to answer agencies’ open season questions

quickly and efficiently. If you have a question about an open season BAL, or any other

questions about open season, just direct your question to hotline@opm.gov. Be sure to

include your phone number in case we need to call you.

The email hotline is intended for the use of agency headquarters Insurance Officers

only. Personnel offices should direct their questions to their headquarters Insurance

Officers, and employees should direct their questions to their personnel offices. 

Employees may also obtain information about the FEHB open season by visiting the

FEHB web site described below. In addition, they may contact us by email through the

Feedback feature on the web site, or at fehb@opm.gov.

OPM WEB SITE 

This year, all 1999 FEHB Guides, all health plan brochures, and the News Release

announcing the 1999 premium rates will be available from OPM’s web site

(http://www.opm.gov/insure/health). The Guides and brochures will be available in PDF

format for downloading and printing, as well as a text version suitable for the visuallyimpaired.

In addition, the web site will contain a version of the FEHB Guide designed specifically

for the electronic environment. It will contain links from the plans’ names to the plans’

brochures in both PDF and text formats. It will also contain links from the FEHB Guides

and the brochures to plan web sites for additional information about the plans, as well as

links to other related web sites. 

The web site will also offer information about the new Patient Bill of Rights. 

Abby L. Block, Chief

Insurance Policy

 and Information Division