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United States 

Office of 

Personnel Management 

The Federal Government’s Human Resources Agency

Retirement and Insurance Service 

Benefits Administration Letter 

Number: 00-222 Date: November 22, 2000 

Subject: Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program: Foundation Health 

Plan -Termination of Enrollment Code 5D

Foundation Health Plan, in the state of Florida, is terminating enrollment code 5D effective 

December 31, 2000. Code 5D consists of the following counties: Brevard, Hillsborough, Martin, 

Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Pasco, Pinellas, St. Lucie and Seminole. 

All enrollees in code 5D must change their enrollment to another participating plan during this 

open season, November 13, 2000 – December 11, 2000, in order to continue to receive benefits 

under the FEHB Program in 2001. The effective date of the new coverage will be the first day 

of the first pay period which begins on or after January 1, 2001. 

Since the 2001 FEHB Guides have already been printed this plan code appears in the Guides. 

Please do not allow employees to newly enroll in this code.

A special notice was sent to enrollees advising them to make a change to a new plan. We have 

attached a copy of that letter for your information. 

Thank you for your cooperation in this matter. 

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 
TO FEDERAL ENROLLEES OF 

FOUNDATION HEALTH, A FLORIDA HEALTH PLAN 

Foundation Health Plan (enrollment codes 5D1 and 5D2) has eliminated the 5D rating area and Brevard, 

Hillsborough, Martin, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Pasco, Pinellas, St. Lucie, and Seminole counties 

will not be offered through the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program in 2001: 

Transitional Care Under the Patients’ Bill of Rights 

This Plan will stop participating in the above mentioned service area in the FEHB Program effective 

December 31, 2000. If you have read about the Patients’ Bill of Rights, you may know that enrollees 

under the FEHB Program who are seeing a specialist for a chronic or disabling condition or who are 

in the second or third trimester of a pregnancy have a right of up to 90 days of continued treatment 

(or treatment through the end of post-partum care) following notice that a plan is leaving the FEHB 

Program. 

To continue to receive benefits under the FEHB Program, you must transfer to another participating health 

plan during the upcoming Open Season, November 13, 2000 through 

December 11, 2000. 

If you are an employee, you should contact your personnel office and enroll in a new health plan no later 

than December 11, 2000. If you do not enroll by that date, you will not have any health benefits 

coverage for 2001. The effective date of the new coverage will generally be the first day of the first pay 

period beginning on or after January 1, 2001. The new premium will be effective the first full pay period 

in 2001. For Postal employees the date a premium change is effective will usually be January 13, 2001, 

and for non-Postal employees the date will usually be January 14, 2001. 

If you are retired, your retirement system will send you a package of Open Season material to help you 

select a different health plan. This package will contain information on requesting brochures for those 

plans in which you are interested and also on changing your enrollment to a new health plan. You must 

select a new health plan during the Open Season. If your selection is not received by the end of 

Open Season, current regulations provide that you will be deemed to have elected Standard Option 

coverage under the government-wide Blue Cross and Blue Shield Service Benefit Plan. All 

annuitant changes will become effective January 1, 2001.

If you are a Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) or Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) 

retiree and need additional information or if you did not receive an open season package, you should call 

Open Season Express at 1-800-332-9798 or access Open Season Online at 

{http://www.opm.gov/retire/fehb}. For the hearing impaired, the Retirement Information Office has a tollfree TDD number you may use for assistance (1-800/878-5707). If you do not have a telephone, you can 

write to the Open Season Processing Center at P.O. Box 4198, Iowa City, IA 52244-4198. Please include 

your annuity claim number in any correspondence you send to the Open Season Processing Center. If you 

are a retiree of another Federal retirement system, you must contact that system for assistance. 

Please remember you must choose a new health plan during the 2000 Open Season. Employees must submit 

a completed enrollment form no later than December 11, 2000. If you are an employee and you do not return 

an enrollment form, you will not have health benefits coverage for 2001. CSRS and FERS retirees should 

call Open Season Express at 1-800-332-9798 to make their Open Season enrollment changes.

Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.