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: 97-401 Date: August 14, 1997 

Subject: Federal Employees Health Benefits Program Open Season - Introduction

DATES The 1997 Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program

open season will be held from November 10 through 

December 8, 1997.

 

BALs As we proceed with our preparations for the 1997 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 1998, suggested open season notices for your

employees, and other useful information that will enable you to

conduct a successful open season at your agency. 

 

EMAIL HOTLINE The telephone open season hotline used during the past several

 Address HOTLINE@opm.gov.

 Purpose open season BAL, or any other questions about open season, just

open seasons has been replaced this year with an Internet email

hotline.

 

The address for the open season email Hotline is

 

The email Hotline will enable us to answer agencies' open season

questions quickly and efficiently. If you have a question about an

direct your question to HOTLINE@opm.gov. Be sure to include

your phone number in case we need to call you.

 
Benefits Administration Letter 97-401

 Users The email Hotline is for the use of agency headquarters

Insurance Officers only. Employees should direct their

questions to their personnel offices. Personnel offices should

direct their questions to their headquarters Insurance Officers.

The email Hotline may not be used by or on behalf of annuitants.

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE 1997 OPEN SEASON

 FEHB Guides There will be no changes in the quantity of RI 70-1, the FEHB

 Audio Cassettes for the visually impaired. Agencies must order these tapes

 OPM Web Site and OPM's Web site <http://www.opm.gov/insure> and OPM

 OPM ONLINE ONLINE (202-606-4800). The FEHB Guide and each brochure

Guide used by most employees, for the 1997 open season. The

same quantity that was printed for the 1996 open season -- an

amount equal to 60% of an agency's population -- will be printed

for this year's open season.

 

OPM will not be involved in the ordering of audio cassette 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 (sometime in

late August).

 

The 1998 FEHB Guide (RI 70-1), all health plan brochures, and

the News Release announcing the 1998 rates will be uploaded to

will be available in PDF format for downloading and printing, as

well as WordPerfect 5.1 suitable for the visually impaired.

In addition, the Web site will contain a version of the FEHB

Guide designed specifically for the electronic environment. It

will contain links from plans' names to the plans' brochures, in

both formats. It will also contain links from the FEHB Guide

and the brochures to plan Web sites for additional information

about the plan, and links to other Web sites.

 

 Abby L. Block, Chief

 Insurance Policy and Information Division