Were changes made concerning childbirth and other womens health concerns?

Yes. All plans were required to provide for at least 48 hours of inpatient care for normal childbirth and 96 hours of inpatient care for caesarean deliveries. Mastectomy patients will have the option of inpatient care and will be permitted to stay at least 48 hours. Also, enrollees will be able to get mammography screenings according to the National Cancer Institute's minimum standard.

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My child is going to college this year. Will my health maintenance organization (HMO) cover him/her?

Yes, until your child becomes age 22 or marries. Since you are in an HMO, your child will be covered for services received from Plan providers and for emergency care away from home. Some HMOs offer benefits that are tailored specifically to your situation and others have reciprocal agreements with plans in other areas. Check with your plan.

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My plan denied my claim and I think they should have covered the services; what can I do?

First, check your plan's brochure to see if the service is covered, limited or excluded. The next step is to review the disputed claims section of your brochure. Briefly, the disputed claims section will direct you to write to the plan to explain why (in terms of the applicable brochure coverage provisions) you feel the services should be covered, and to ask the plan to reconsider your claim. If the plan again denies the claim, read the plan's decision letter carefully and then check your plan's brochure again. If you still disagree with the plan's decision, the disputed claims section of your brochure will show you how to write to the Office of Personnel Management to ask us to review the claim. We can't review a denied claim unless your plan has reconsidered it first (or at least been given an opportunity to reconsider it).

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I sent a disputed claim to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), how do I check the status and will you give me your decision over the phone?

Your disputed claim will be reviewed in one of four Insurance Contracts Divisions. Generally, the request will be acknowledged within 5 days. After the review is completed, OPM will send you a final response within 6 days. (If OPM needs more time before they can decide, or if you need to do more -- such as send OPM more information -- before they can decide, they will contact you within 14 work days and tell you what you still need to do, if anything.)

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I am interested in a benefit my own plan does not cover. Why won't the Office of Personnel Management make my plan cover it? What else can I do?

OPM believes that Federal employees are best served by benefit packages that are strong in hospital, surgical and medical benefits and that protect against significant and largely unforeseeable health care expenditures. On the other hand, they know some enrollees want additional benefits. You will find that coverage of additional benefits varies throughout the program. OPM believes that it is a good idea for enrollees to have choices in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. Check the brochures of the many other plans that are available to you. One or more of them may have what you want and you will be able to change to one of those plans at open season.

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I want to take advantage of the better benefits available by using a preferred provider (PPO) doctor but my plan doesn't have any in my area. Why can't non-PPO's be paid as PPO's when there aren't any PPO's in my area?

OPM ensures that the plans provide the benefits described in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program brochures. The health plans often make Preferred Provider Agreements and other arrangements with providers which are contractual arrangements between the carriers and the providers.

Because of the discounts that a plan realizes through its contracts with PPO providers, the plan is able to reimburse a higher percentage of the negotiated PPO allowance when PPO providers are utilized. It would not be cost effective for the plan to reimburse at the higher level when the provider is not giving a discount. Furthermore, much of the benefit you receive from using PPO providers comes from the PPO provider's agreement not to bill you for more than the negotiated PPO allowance. Non-PPO providers are under no such obligation. In some areas of the country, it is much more difficult for a plan to arrange PPO contracts for all types of services. In areas where there are no PPO providers, you can still receive your plan's regular benefits, as opposed to the incentivized PPO benefit.

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My friend got bad information from a Plan's customer service representative and got care based on that bad information. My friend thinks the Office of Personnel Management should order the plan to pay or allow a mid-year plan change. I don't think it should do either. Who is right?

You are correct. Problems arising from oral discussions are very difficult to settle later because they are impossible to prove or disprove. In contractual situations such as under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, oral statements can never be regarded as official and, so, the brochures state that oral statements made by any representative of a carrier cannot modify the benefits described in the brochure. If a serious decision -- such as whether to enroll or not enroll in a plan -- hinges on such a coverage issue, do not rely on a verbal response. This is particularly true if the response disagrees with the plan's brochure benefits description.

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Why can't the doctors stay with the plan a year instead of dropping out at any time? I can't keep up with who is participating and who is not.

The Federal Employees Health Benefits Program runs on a calendar year basis -- from January through December. But the carriers' provider contracts are spread throughout the year, as are the carriers' policies with other employers.

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My plan requires that I get preauthorization for surgery. My physician told me that I need this surgery but my plan will not authorize it. What can I do?

First, have your doctor contact the plan to discuss the situation. You and your doctor can provide your plan with information to support your contention that the surgery should be authorized, such as medical records that indicate the need for the surgery, and ask your plan to reconsider its decision. If the plan reconsiders its decision but continues to uphold its denial, and after considering the plan's rationale you still disagree, the disputed claims section of your plan's brochure will show you how to write to the Office of Personnel Management to ask them to review the claim.

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I am going to retire soon. What are the requirements to continue health benefits into retirement?

In order for you to continue your health benefits enrollment into retirement, you must:

Have retired on an immediate annuity (that is, an annuity which begins to accrue no later than one month after the date of your final separation); and

Have been continuously enrolled (or covered as a family member) in an Federal Employees Health Benefits Program plan for the five years of service immediately preceding retirement, or if less than five years, for all service since your first opportunity to enroll.

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How do I get a waiver of the 5-year coverage requirement to continue health enefits into retirement with the buyout legislation?

You may not need to write to the Office of Personnel Management. If you think you might qualify for a waiver of the 5-year coverage requirement, contact your human resources/personnel office for information. If you meet the requirements, your agency will attach a memorandum to your retirement application stating that you meet the requirements for waiver by the Office of Personnel Management.