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: 97-402 Date: August 29, 1997 

Subject: 1997 Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program Open Season:

Ordering and Distribution of Open Season Materials

I. Overview

 A. Open Season Materials. 

Open season materials are prepared for use by employees and other FEHB enrollees

during open season and throughout the year. 

The following materials will be used during the 1997 open season:

1. 1998 Guide to Federal Employees Health Benefits Plans (FEHB

Guides). These booklets are prepared for various groups of enrollees. They

contain a comparison chart giving general information about the plans and their

premium rates, the FEHB Customer Satisfaction Survey results, and

Information on which plans are accredited by the National Committee on

Quality Assurance (NCQA). This year they will also include information about

plans' Websites.

2. Plan brochures. These brochures are the statements of benefits, exclusions,

and limitations.

3. Materials for the visually-impaired.

4. SF 2809 (Health Benefits Registration Form). 

 B. Shipping and Packaging

 

Printing contractors will continue to use color-coded shipping labels to distinguish 

between FEHB Guides (goldenrod) and plan brochures (pink). FEHB Guides and 
Benefits Administration Letter 97-402 2

plan brochures will be packaged in groups of 25 and boxed at up to 250 items per

container. 

II. FEHB Guides

 A. Names and Numbers

1. 1998 Guide to Federal Employees Health Benefits Plans for Federal

Civilian Employees (RI 70-1). This Guide will be used by most employees. 

The rates shown are the enrollee's share of the biweekly and monthly

premiums. [The corresponding Guide for Postal employees is RI 70-2.]

2. 1998 Guide to Federal Employees Health Benefits Plans for: Temporary

Continuation of Coverage (TCC) and coverage under the Spouse Equity

Law or similar statutes providing coverage to former spouses (RI 70-5).

This Guide shows the monthly premium rates for enrolled former spouses (total

premium) and for persons eligible for TCC (total premium plus 2%

administrative add-on).

3. 1998 Guide to Federal Employees Health Benefits Plans for 

certain temporary employees -- those eligible to enroll in FEHB under 

5 U.S.C. 8906a (RI 70-8). This Guide shows the full biweekly and monthly

premium rates (without a Government contribution) for all plans.

 B. How do agencies get the Guides?

We will arrange to have supplies of the FEHB Guides shipped to each agency's

designated shipping points.

In addition, FEHB Guide RI 70-1 will be available for downloading and printing from

both OPM ONLINE (202-606-4800) and our Website (http://www.opm.gov/insure). 

 

 C. How many do agencies get?

The quantity is based on information on the number of eligible employees provided to

OPM by headquarters Insurance Officers.

As was done last year, for RI 70-1 and RI 70-8, the quantity is equal to 60% of the

reported number of eligible employees.

 D. What do agencies do with them?

RI 70-1 and RI 70-8 will not be printed in sufficient quantities to give a personal copy

to each employee. Before open season begins, agencies must notify employees of the

availability of RI 70-1 and RI 70-8. Employees should be given their agency 

contact to obtain copies of these Guides if they are considering making a change during

open season.
Benefits Administration Letter 97-402 3

Please note: In response to agencies' concerns, the RI 70-5 (for TCC/Spouse

Equity enrollees) and the RI 70-8 (for temporary employees) will be printed on

different color paper this year. The RI 70-5 will be on gray paper, the RI 70-8 on

buff paper.

Agencies should hold a quantity of RI 70-1 and RI 70-8 in reserve for use during

calendar year 1998. Throughout the year, agencies must give the appropriate FEHB

Guide to new employees and others who become eligible to participate in the FEHB

Program.

RI 70-5 will be printed in the same quantities as in the past. Agencies are responsible

for distributing RI 70-5 to the former-spouse and TCC enrollees whose enrollments

they maintain. (Those agencies for which the National Finance Center maintains these

accounts do not have this responsibility.)

 E. How do agencies order more?

Additional (limited) quantities will be available upon written request only from agency

headquarters Insurance Officers after January 1, 1998. [OPM cannot fill orders for

agency field offices. They must request additional stock from their agency

headquarters Insurance Officers.]

The address is OPM/RIS, Forms Analysis and Design, Room 4H28, ATTN: RI-[insert

the number of the Guide being ordered], Washington, DC 20415-0001. Forms may

also be ordered through email at the following address: RISFORMS@opm.gov.

Be sure to include an agency contact telephone number and the shipping address.

III. Plan Brochures

 A. How do agencies get managed fee-for-service plan brochures?

Managed fee-for-service plans will ship a supply of their brochures to each agency's

designated distribution points.

 B. How do agencies get brochures for plans with a point of service product?

If the plan is a managed fee-for-service plan with a point of service product, the plan

will ship a supply of their brochures to each agency's designated distribution points. If

the plan is a health maintenance organization (HMO) with a point of service product,

you must order plan brochures directly from the plans.

 C. How do agencies get health maintenance organization plan brochures?

Agencies must order HMO brochures directly from the plans. Agencies will be 

provided with a list of plan contacts for this purpose.
Benefits Administration Letter 97-402 4

The personnel official designated for each agency installation must determine the

number of employees working at or serviced by the installation who are eligible to

enroll in each HMO; i.e., the number of employees located in the plan's service area. 

The installation should then contact each plan and provide the plan with:

1. A conservative estimate of the number of eligible employees. (Be sure to

include former spouse and TCC enrollees in this estimate.) 

2. The address to which the plan should ship the brochures.

After receiving this information, the plan will ship a supply of brochures directly to the

installation.

 D. How many brochures do agencies get?

Managed fee-for-service plans are given a distribution list that shows the quantity they

are to ship to each distribution point (generally 15% of the agency's eligible FEHB

population). Each agency orders HMO, and HMO with a point of service product,

brochures directly from the plans and should be sent a quantity equal to 15% of the

number of eligible employees. This amount is computed by the plans at the time of

shipment.

 E. What should agencies do with them?

Each employee currently enrolled will receive a brochure from his or her plan, along

with a notice of the plan's 1998 premium rates.

Agencies must keep a supply of brochures on hand for reference and for distribution to

employees who decide to enroll or change plans. These brochures must be readily

accessible to employees.

Agencies must maintain close control over the issuing of plan brochures. Employees

should be permitted to take copies home for review. If an employee enrolls or changes

health plans, he/she should keep the brochure for that plan. Other brochures should be

returned promptly to the office.

Wherever possible, agencies must give their former-spouse and TCC enrollees the

same access to brochures as employees. Agencies must tell their former-spouse and

TCC enrollees how to obtain brochures and SF 2809 enrollment forms if they are

interested in changing plans. If the employing office maintaining the enrollment is

unable to fill a request for a brochure (e.g., if the enrollee is in an area not served by

the plans for which the employing office has brochures), the individual should be

advised to call the plan at the telephone number listed in the FEHB Guide.

 F. How do agencies order more brochures?

Agencies must request additional brochures directly from the plans. 
Benefits Administration Letter 97-402 5

IV. MATERIAL FOR THE VISUALLY-IMPAIRED

 A. What is available?

1. 1998 Guide to Federal Employees Health Benefits Plans for Federal

civilian employees (RI 70-10). The content of this booklet is the same as the

RI 70-1, but it is printed in large type on 11 x 17 inch paper.

2. 1998 fee-for-service plan cassette tapes for visually-impaired employees.

These are tone-indexed cassette tapes of the brochures for the open fee-forservice plans.

3. All of the information in the FEHB Guides, as well as each health plan

brochure, is available on our Website and on our Bulletin Board System in

electronic formats suitable for the visually-impaired. Cassette tapes are 

available from the plans (see below).

 B. How do agencies get RI 70-10?

OPM will arrange to have supplies of RI 70-10 shipped to each agency's headquarters

distribution points based on the quantities indicated by headquarters Insurance Officers

in May. This amount should be sufficient for open season use, as well as for

distribution to visually-impaired employees who become eligible to enroll during 1998.

Additional copies may be ordered in writing by the agency headquarters Insurance

Officer. The address is OPM/RIS, Forms Analysis and Design, Room 4H28, ATTN:

RI 90-10, Washington, DC 20415-0001, or FAX the order to 202-606-0910. You may

also order through email at RISFORMS@opm.gov.

Be sure to include an agency contact, telephone number, and the shipping address.

 C. How do agencies get cassette tapes?

Cassette tapes will be available directly from the plans. A list of plan contacts to use

for ordering the tapes is attached.

 D. Agency Responsibilities

All Federal agencies at the headquarters and installation levels should take steps to seek

out visually-impaired employees and to let them know that the large-print FEHB

Guide, the cassette tapes, and OPM Web site/OPM ONLINE are available.

V. SF 2809 (HEALTH BENEFITS REGISTRATION FORM)

 A. How do agencies order?

Agencies must order SF 2809 directly from General Services Administration (GSA)

supply centers, just as they order other OPM-issued Standard Forms. SF 2809 is
Benefits Administration Letter 97-402 6

available from GSA/Federal Supply Service using the normal FEDSTRIP/MILSTRIP

procedures. Contact your purchasing or acquisitions office for your agency's

procedures.

SF 2809 is not available from GSA Customer Service Centers or from OPM.

Note: Agencies whose employees have access to Employee Express to make open

season changes should keep this in mind when determining how large a supply of 

SF 2809 they need to order.

 B. What is the cost?

The National Stock Number (NSN) for SF 2809 is 7540-01-231-6227; the price is

approximately $12.00 per hundred. The August 1992 edition is the only version that

can be used.

 C. What should agencies do with the form?

Agencies must keep sufficient quantities of SF 2809 available to handle requests, both

during open season and throughout the year. The form should be given to employees

and former spouse and TCC enrollees who are enrolled in plans that will not be

participating in the FEHB Program after December 31, 1997.

VI. PREMIUM RATES

OPM announces premium rate changes each year in a news release. Agency payroll 

offices, however, must not use these rates to update their payroll systems. OPM's Office 

of Financial Control and Management will issue a Payroll Office Letter giving the official 

enrollee withholding rates and Government contribution rates and other information 

relevant to payroll offices.

The Payroll Office Letter will also provide agencies with information on obtaining a 

PC-compatible floppy disk containing the 1998 FEHB rates.

 Abby L. Block, Chief

 Insurance Policy 

 and Information Division

Attachment

 
Benefits Administration Letter 97-402 7

 Open Fee-for-Service Plan Audio Cassette Coordinators

Plan Contact Phone FAX

BCBS Paula Spurway 202-942-1274 202-942-1265

Alliance Larry Lindsey 202-939-6369 202-939-6389

APWU Carroll Midgett 301-622-5554 301-622-5591

GEHA Jane Overton 816-257-3330 816-257-3233

Mail Handlers Mary Beth Lynch 301-517-2059 301-517-2127

NALC Dave Lorenz 703-729-4677 703-729-8109

Postmasters Linda Griffin 703-683-1664 703-683-2937