United States

Office of

Personnel Management

The Federal Government’s Human Resources Agency

Retirement and Insurance Service

Benefits Administration Letter

 

Number: 00-202 Date: January 21, 2000

Subject: Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program: Termination of Guam

Memorial Health Plan, Enrollment Code ZA

We sent you Benefits Administration Letter (BAL) 00-201 dated January 10, 2000, advising you

that the Guam Memorial Health Plan, enrollment code ZA, had lost its contract with the Guam

Memorial Hospital, and that we were authorizing a special open enrollment period during which

enrollees could change to another health plan. The special open enrollment period was from

January 10, 2000, until February 7, 2000.

We have just been notified by the Guam Memorial Health Plan that, due to recent financial

circumstances, they will be withdrawing from the FEHB Program effective February 1, 2000. 

Therefore, all current enrollees of the Guam Memorial Health Plan must make a new plan

selection during this special open enrollment period in order to continue their health

insurance coverage. Agencies are asked to be liberal with the cutoff date to ensure that all

enrollees who wish to select a new plan have adequate time to do so. The effective date of all

changes made during this open season should be made retroactive to the beginning of the first pay

period in January.

The Plan will send the enrollees a letter to advise them that they must select another carrier. We

have attached a copy of that letter for your information.

Thank you for your cooperation in assisting your enrollees to change carriers.

Attachment

Abby L. Block, Chief

Insurance Policy

 and Information Division

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Civil Service Federal Employees Federal Employees Federal Employees

Retirement Group Life Health Benefits Retirement

System Insurance Program System
2

TO FEDERAL ENROLLEES GUAM MEMORIAL HEALTH PLAN, ENROLLMENT

CODE ZA

We notified you earlier this month that a special open enrollment period from January 10, 2000,

until February 7, 2000, was authorized to allow Federal enrollees to select another health plan if

they wished. However, the Guam Memorial Health Plan has notified the Office of Personnel

Management (OPM) that we will be withdrawing from the Federal Employees Health Benefits

(FEHB) Program effective February 1, 2000. Therefore, you must transfer to another

participating health plan during this special open enrollment period. 

You may want to contact your current providers to find out which health plans those providers

participate with under the FEHB Program. You may then contact your servicing personnel office

to enroll in one of those plans.

Please contact your personnel office to obtain a 2000 Guide to Federal Employees Health

Benefits Plans. You may request brochures directly from the health plans at the phone numbers

appearing in the Guide. You may also visit the 2000 FEHB web site (www.opm.gov/insure) to

view a plan’s brochure or the FEHB Guide and obtain valuable information to help you choose a

health plan.

IF YOU ARE AN EMPLOYEE, we strongly encourage you to take a copy of this letter to your

personnel office immediately and enroll in a new plan. The effective date of the new coverage

will be retroactive to the first day of the first full pay period in January (January 2 for most

Federal employees). If you do not change plans, you will not have insurance coverage as of

February 1, 2000.

IF YOU ARE AN ANNUITANT under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) or the

Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), you have already received a separate notice with

instructions on how to make an enrollment change. That notice gave you the option to select a

new plan or to remain in your current plan. Since Guam Memorial Health Plan is dropping out of

the FEHB Program, you no longer have the option of remaining in your current plan. You must

select a new plan. If you do not elect a new plan, OPM will deem that you have elected to enroll

in the standard option of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Service Benefit Plan. This will ensure

your continued coverage and eligibility to participate in the FEHB Program. If Blue Cross and

Blue Shield is the plan you want, don’t wait for OPM to enroll you. You should make that

selection now to avoid a delay in receiving your plan identification card. Coverage under your

new health plan will be retroactive to January 1, 2000.

We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your cooperation.