Civil Service 

Retirement 

System 

Federal Employees’ 

Group Life 

Insurance Program 

Federal Employees 

Health Benefits 

Program 

Federal Employees 

Retirement 

System 

Federal 

Long Term 

Care Insurance 

Program 

United States 

Office of 

Personnel Management 

The Federal Government’s Human Resources Agency

Retirement and Insurance Service 

Benefits Administration Letter 

Number: 02-407 Date: October 24, 2002 

Subject: 2002 Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program Open Season: 

Notice to Employees

GENERAL 

This Letter contains a sample announcement for agencies to use to notify their employees of the 

upcoming FEHB open season, as well as instructions to agencies concerning the notification. 

 

REQUIRED LANGUAGE 

Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 

The Office of Management and Budget asked us to advise you to include the following statement 

in your notices to employees about open season: 

Please note that information you provide by enrolling in the Federal Employees 

Health Benefits 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 Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, 

Medicare, or other Government benefits programs. 

Temporary Continuation of Coverage (TCC) 

The FEHB law requires that before open season, you notify all employees eligible for FEHB, 

whether enrolled or not, of their rights under temporary continuation of coverage. We included 

language about TCC in our suggested announcement. If you prepare your own open season 

announcement you must include this TCC language. 
2

Agency Responsibility 

You must inform your employees, participating former spouses, and TCC enrollees, in advance, 

of the dates and purpose of open season. You may use the attached a suggested announcement. 

Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP) Open Season 

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management is pleased to sponsor the Federal Long Term Care 

Insurance Program, an important new benefit for Federal and Postal employees and annuitants, 

members and retired members of the uniformed services and their qualified relatives. Long Term 

Care Partners, LLC, a joint partnership formed by John Hancock Life Insurance Company (John 

Hancock) and Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MetLife), is administering the FLTCIP. 

The FLTCIP Open Season continues through December 31, 2002, and is active employees’ 

opportunity to apply for coverage with abbreviated underwriting. We are asking you to include 

information on the FLTCIP open season in your announcement to employees. We have included 

language in the attached sample announcement. 

FEHB WEBSITE 

We are encouraging all employees to use the FEHB Web Site during the 2002 Open Season. You 

may download the 2003 FEHB Guides, Plan brochures, SF 2809, as well as all open season Benefits 

Administration Letters (BAL) from this site. All Federal agencies at the headquarters and 

installation levels must take steps to seek out visually impaired employees and to let them know that 

the large-print FEHB Guide, the cassette tapes, and the FEHB web site are available. All of the 

information in the FEHB Guides, as well as each health plan brochure, is also available in 

electronic formats accessible to the visually impaired on the website. Please encourage your 

employees to visit the website at www.opm.gov/insure.

 

 

 Abby L. Block 

 Assistant Director 

 for Insurance Programs
3

Attachment 1 

SUGGESTED ANNOUNCEMENT 

NOTICE TO EMPLOYEES 

 SUBJECT: 2002 Health Benefits Open Season 

 The Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) open season is November 11 

through December 9, 2002. Your current health plan will send you a copy of its 

brochure and a notice of its 2003 rates before open season begins. Be sure you 

review the section of the brochure that describes how benefits have changed for 

2003. 

 During open season, any eligible employee who is not currently enrolled may 

enroll, and any eligible enrollee may change from one plan or option to another, 

from self only to self and family, or make a combination of these changes. In 

addition, open season allows employees to change their premium conversion 

election. An eligible employee who enrolls in FEHB may elect to participate or to 

waive participation in premium conversion. An eligible enrollee may elect to 

begin participation if they have previously waived, or waive participation. 

 Enrollees who wish to continue their current FEHB enrollments and premium 

conversion elections 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, 2002, or whose plans dropped the enrollment 

code they are enrolled in, MUST enroll in a different plan to continue FEHB 

coverage in 2003. (See attached lists of terminating plans and codes.) [If you do 

not attach the list, include the names of the terminating plans within the text of 

your announcement.] 

Types of Plans Available Under the FEHB Program 

Managed Fee-for-Service Plans 

 

These plans reimburse you or your health care provider for covered services after you 

receive the service. If you enroll in one of these plans, you may choose your own 

physicians, hospitals, and other health care providers. 

 These plans are considered "managed" because they all contain features such as precertification of hospital admissions and utilization review of ongoing care. In 

addition, most of the fee-for-service plans have preferred provider arrangements in 

many parts of the country. You can reduce your out-of-pocket expenses and, in some 

cases, receive enhanced benefits by using preferred providers. 
4

Fee-for-service plans include the Blue Cross Blue Shield Service Benefit Plan and 

plans sponsored by unions and other employee organizations. Several employee 

organization plans are open to all eligible employees who are full or associate 

members of the organizations that sponsor the plans. Other employee organization 

plans are restricted to certain groups and/or agencies. 

 (See the employee organization plan brochures for information about 

membership requirements and membership dues, which are in addition to 

your biweekly or monthly premiums) 

Health Maintenance Organization Plans (HMOs) 

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 employees within the plan's enrollment area. You cannot 

enroll in an HMO if you are located outside its enrollment area. Refer to the plan's 

brochure if you have any questions about the enrollment area. If you are enrolled in 

an HMO, be sure to review the brochure carefully to see if there are any 

changes in the plan's service area, which would require any action on your part.

Plans Offering a Point of Service (POS) Product 

Some FEHB plans combine their features. A number of fee-for-service and HMO 

plans offer two forms of health care delivery, known as "in network" and "out of 

network." 

In an HMO that offers a POS product, the POS product acts like a fee-for-service 

plan. The HMO enrollees may use non-affiliated (out of network) providers if they 

wish, but the services will cost them more--in terms of deductibles and coinsurance--

than if they used plan providers. 

 In a fee-for-service plan with a POS product, the POS product acts like an HMO. If 

they agree to let their medical care be managed by in network physicians, plan 

enrollees will get a better benefit, usually in the form of richer benefits and lower 

copays or coinsurance. 

If you are considering enrolling or making an enrollment change, contact [location] to 

obtain a copy of the 2003 Guide to Federal Employees Health Benefits Plans (FEHB 

Guide). The FEHB Guide contains a comparison chart that gives general information 

about each plan. The Guide also shows the biweekly and monthly premium rates, as well 

as the accreditation status of those plans that took the initiative to seek review by the 

National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), the Joint Commission on 

Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), and/or American Accreditation 
5

Healthcare Commission (URAC). 

Do not rely solely on the FEHB Guide when deciding whether to enroll or change 

enrollment to a specific plan. If you decide you are interested in making an enrollment 

change after reviewing the FEHB Guide, you should consult the plan's brochure for a 

complete description of benefits. Brochures for all plans will be available for your 

inspection at [location]. 

Internet Availability 

If you have access to the Internet, you should know that all 2003 FEHB Guides and health plan 

brochures will be available from the Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) web site 

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

downloading and printing, as well as a text version suitable for the visually impaired. The web site 

will contain links from the Guides and brochures to health plan web sites for information about 

the plans, as well as links to other related web sites. 

How to Enroll or Make an Enrollment Change During Open Season

Employees who wish to enroll or change their FEHB enrollment must complete a Health 

Benefits Registration Form [Standard Form (SF) 2809]. These forms are available from 

the [name and room number of appropriate office] and must be completed and submitted 

to that office before the close of business on the last day of open season. You may also 

obtain the SF 2809 from the OPM web site. 

Employees who wish to change their premium conversion election must complete a FEHB 

Premium Conversion Waiver/Election Form. You should make desired enrollment 

changes as early as possible during open season to ensure timely processing. 

 [Agencies whose employees have access to Employee Express should provide 

information to their employees about using the system to make open season 

changes.]

New enrollments, changes to current enrollments, and changes to premium conversion 

elections made during open season generally will become effective the first day of the first 

pay period beginning on or after January 1, 2003. If you change plans, any covered 

expenses incurred between January 1, 2003, and the effective date of the open season 

change will count toward the 2002 deductible of the plan you are changing from. 

Information that you provide by enrolling in the Federal Employees Health Benefits 

Program may be used for computer matching with Federal, state, or local agencies' 

files to determine whether you qualify for benefits, payments, or eligibility in the 

Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, Medicare, or other Government 

benefits programs. 
6

Temporary Continuation of Coverage (TCC) 

 If you have FEHB coverage and leave Federal employment, you will usually be 

eligible for up to 18 months of TCC (unless you are separated for gross 

misconduct). TCC can continue for up to 36 months for dependents who lose 

eligibility as family members under your enrollment. This includes spouses who 

lose coverage because of divorce and children who lose coverage because they 

marry or reach age 22. 

 TCC enrollees must pay the total plan premium (without a Government 

contribution) plus a 2% charge for administrative expenses. There are specific 

periods within which you or your dependent must enroll for TCC. Contact your 

personnel office for a copy of RI 79-27 for more information. 

Important: You must exhaust TCC eligibility as one condition for guaranteed 

access to individual health coverage under the Health Insurance Portability and 

Accountability Act. 

 

PATIENT SAFETY 

Medical error and patient safety are not well understood by most Americans. Every hour, 

many Americans die in a hospital due to avoidable errors, and others become disabled. 

Many patients get the wrong medicine, tests, and/or diagnosis. By asking questions, 

learning more, and understanding your risks, you can improve the safety of your health 

care, and that of your family members. We are asking that enrollees take steps safer health 

care. We have attached a copy of the “Five Steps to Safer Health Care.” 

FEDERAL LONG TERM CARE INSURANCE PROGRAM (FLTCIP) OPEN SEASON 

FEHB Plans do not cover long term care. You can protect yourself against the high cost of long 

term care by applying for insurance in the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP). 

 Open Season to apply for coverage ends on December 31, 2002. There are several advantages to 

applying during Open Season: 

You and your spouse need only answer a few questions about your health during Open 

Season. You can still apply after Open Season, but you will have to answer more healthrelated questions. 

Your premiums are based on your age as of July 1, 2002. After Open Season, your 

premiums are based on your age at the time LTC Partners receives your application. 

FEHB plans do not cover the cost of long term care! Long term care insurance is designed to 

help cover the cost of services for people needing assistance with activities of daily living 

(custodial care), such as eating, dressing, and bathing, or who have a severe cognitive impairment 
7

such as Alzheimer's disease. Care can be received at home, an adult day care center, a hospice, 

an assisted living facility, or a nursing home. 

Your qualified relatives are also eligible to apply for coverage. This includes your current 

spouse, adult children, parents, parents-in-law, and stepparents. 

Unlike other benefit programs, you have to take action – you won’t receive an application 

automatically. You must request one through the toll-free number or website listed below. 

The FLTCIP web site, www.ltcfeds.com, offers online applications, an interactive calculator to 

provide customized price quotes based on age and choice of benefits, and educational resources 

about long term care and long term care insurance. You may also call 1-800-LTC-FEDS (1-800-

582-3337); (TDD for the hearing impaired: 1-800-843-3557) to speak to a certified long term 

care insurance specialist. 

Act now so you won’t miss the abbreviated underwriting available to employees and their 

spouses, and the July 1 “age freeze”. Order an Open Season Information Kit with application 

today! 

{End sample announcement} 

 
8

Attachment 2 

Five Steps to Safer Health Care 

1. Speak up if you have questions or concerns. Choose a doctor who you feel comfortable 

talking to about your health and treatment. Take a relative or friend with you if this will help 

you ask questions and understand the answers. It's okay to ask questions and to expect 

answers you can understand. 

2. Keep a list of all the medicines you take. Tell your doctor and pharmacist about the 

medicines that you take, including over-the-counter medicines such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and 

dietary supplements like vitamins and herbals. Tell them about any drug allergies you have. 

Ask the pharmacist about side effects and what foods or other things to avoid while taking 

the medicine. When you get your medicine, read the label, including warnings. Make sure it 

is what your doctor ordered, and you know how to use it. If the medicine looks different than 

you expected, ask the pharmacist about it. 

3. Make sure you get the results of any test or procedure. Ask your doctor or nurse when 

and how you will get the results of tests or procedures. If you do not get them when expected 

-- in person, on the phone, or in the mail -- don’t assume the results are fine. Call your doctor 

and ask for them. Ask what the results mean for your care. 

4. Talk with your doctor and health care team about your options if you need hospital 

care. If you have more than one hospital to choose from, ask your doctor which one has the 

best care and results for your condition. Hospitals do a good job of treating a wide range of 

problems. However, for some procedures (such as heart bypass surgery), research shows 

results often are better at hospitals doing a lot of these procedures. Also, before you leave the 

hospital, be sure to ask about follow-up care, and be sure you understand the instructions. 

5. Make sure you understand what will happen if you need surgery. Ask your doctor and 

surgeon: Who will take charge of my care while I'm in the hospital? Exactly what will you 

be doing? How long will it take? What will happen after the surgery? How can I expect to 

feel during recovery? Tell the surgeon, anesthesiologist, and nurses if you have allergies or 

have ever had a bad reaction to anesthesia. Make sure you, your doctor, and your surgeon all 

agree on exactly what will be done during the operation.