FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 9, 1998

CONTACT: Michael Orenstein (202) 606-1800 mworenst@opm.gov

Washington, D.C. -- Federal employees and retirees pondering which health care plan best suits their needs are getting extra help from the Office of Personnel Management during the November 9 to December 14 Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) open season.

The hallmarks of the federal health care program are quality and choice, said OPM Director Janice R. Lachance. We are leading the nation in complying with the Presidents Patients Bill of Rights, which improves both quality and choice. And were improving customer service and choice through a pilot program that helps federal enrollees decide which health care plan best meets their needs.

The pilot program on the Internet -- PlanSmartChoice -- gives employees and retirees living in Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Washington, D.C. access to an on-line health plan comparison tool at OPMs FEHBP web page. About 625,000 employees and retirees live in the pilot areas.

Selecting a health plan is a very personal matter, and decisions are based on factors unique to the individual or family, Lachance said. PlanSmartChoice allows enrollees to compare plans on the basis of what is most important to them.

Because it is a pilot program, PlanSmartChoices evaluations are available only on Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) that operate in these five areas. However, there are 13 fee-for-service plans offered through FEHBP whose boundaries stretch beyond these areas, and federal enrollees nationwide can evaluate the fee-for-service plans with PlanSmartChoice.

The Internet address for accessing PlanSmartChoice is www.opm.gov/insure. Look for the 1999 plan information and click on Help Me Choose a Health Plan.

After accessing the site, employees identify plans available to them by keying in their zip codes and completing a brief profile. Employees then fill in their individual preferences. Comparative information provided to PlanSmartChoice users includes medical benefit features, customer satisfaction ratings, accreditation status, size of the provider care network, and cost.

PlanSmartChoice users will encounter a menu of factors used in the evaluation process.

They select their preference between two parameters of medical services and features. For example, one question asks the users preference between a health plan that has no annual deductible and offers no dental care coverage, or one that has an annual deductible of $150 but covers a variety of dental procedures. This and other preferences are cross-referenced and weighed. PlanSmartChoice then presents the plans that best fit the users choices.

Other information provided includes satisfaction data from health plan members, health plan comparisons, and a glossary of terms.

Were paying so much attention to consumer information because that is a cornerstone of the Presidents Patients Bill of Rights, Lachance said. The Presidents Advisory Commission on Consumer protection and Quality in the Health Care Industry, as well as his Patients Bill of Rights, stress that we need to strengthen the hand of consumers. Education and information are critical if our employees are going to make sound health care decisions. Sound health care decisions must be based on more than rates and your best friends recommendation.

As an employer, we must make sure that those participating in our health insurance program have a wide and full variety of information that lets them make informed choices. PlanSmartChoice helps do that.

PlanSmartChoice was developed through a grant from the Agency for Health Care Policy & Research, Department of Health and Human Services. The pilot is presented by OPM and the National Institute of Health (NIH).

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