United States

Office of Personnel Management

Retirement and Insurance Service

Benefits Administration Letter

Number: 97-411	Date: November 10, 1997

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

The purpose of this letter is to correct certain errors that have been discovered in the 1998 Guide to Federal Employees Health Benefits Plans and in BAL 97-403, Significant Plan Changes. Please bring these corrections to the attention of your employees.

•	The FEHB Guide incorrectly lists the Nashville area as part of the service area of United HealthCare of TN (Code QR). The plan has dropped Nashville from its service area for 1998; the plan's service area should have been listed as Chattanooga/Knoxville/Memphis. Enrollees in the Nashville area who do not change health plans during open season will have to travel to the plan's remaining service area to obtain medical care in order to receive full benefits.

•	Humana Medical Plan-FL (Code P5) is splitting its service area in 1998. Code P5 will cover the Jacksonville area; the new code, 7F, will cover the Orlando/Gainesville area. Attachment 5 of BAL 97-403 inadvertently reversed these designations. Information in the FEHB Guide is correct.

•	The service areas for United Health Care of Ohio (Codes 3U and VC) are correctly described in the FEHB Guide, but not in BAL 97-403. The Code 3U service area is Cincinnati/Dayton/Springfield/Toledo and Northern Kentucky. It does not include all of Ohio. The Code VC service area is Central/NE/South Central Ohio. It does not include Northern Kentucky.

•	In the FEHB Guide: Under the Foreign Service Benefit Plan, the PPO benefit for outpatient doctor tests is 90%, not 80%.

•	In the FEHB Guide: Under the Triple-S Plan of Puerto Rico, the enrollee copay/coinsurance for in-network outpatient visits is $5, not "None."

We regret any inconvenience you may have been caused, and we appreciate your efforts to bring these corrections to the attention of your employees.

Abby L. Block, Chief

Insurance Policy

and Information Division