Coverage under this plan qualifies as minimum essential coverage. Please visit the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) website at www.irs.gov/uac/Questions-and-Answers-on-the-Individual-Shared-Responsibility-Provision for more information on the individual requirement for MEC.

See www.opm.gov/healthcare-insurance for enrollment information as well as:

• Information on the FEHB Program and plans available to you
• A health plan comparison tool
• A list of agencies that participate in Employee Express
• A link to Employee Express
• Information on and links to other electronic enrollment systems

Also, your employing or retirement office can answer your questions, and give you brochures for other plans and other materials you need to make an informed decision about your FEHB coverage. These materials tell you:

• When you may change your enrollment
• How you can cover your family members
• What happens when you transfer to another Federal agency, go on leave without pay, enter military service, or retire
• What happens when your enrollment ends
• When the next Open Season for enrollment begins

We do not determine who is eligible for coverage and, in most cases, cannot change your enrollment status without information from your employing or retirement office. For information on your premium deductions, you must also contact your employing or retirement office.

Once enrolled in your FEHB Program Plan, you should contact your carrier directly for address updates and questions about your benefit coverage.

Self Only coverage is only for the enrollee. Self Plus One coverage is for the enrollee and one eligible family member. Self and Family coverage is the enrollee, and one or more eligible family members.  Family members include your spouse and your dependent children under age 26, including any foster children authorized for coverage by your employing agency or retirement office. Under certain circumstances, you may also continue coverage for a disabled child 26 years of age or older who is incapable of self-support.

If you have a Self Only enrollment, you may change to a Self Plus One or Self and Family enrollment if you marry, give birth, or add a child to your family. You may change your enrollment 31 days before to 60 days after that event. The Self Plus one or Self and Family enrollment begins on the first day of the pay period in which the child is born or becomes an eligible family member. When you change to Self Plus One or Self and Family because you marry, the change is effective on the first day of the pay period that begins after your employing office receives your enrollment form. Benefits will not be available to your spouse until you are married. We may request that an enrollee verify the eligibility of any or all family members listed as covered under the enrollee's FEHB enrollment.

Contact your carrier to obtain a Certificate of Creditable Coverage (COCC) or to add a dependent when there is family coverage.

Contact your employing or retirement office if you are changing from Self to Self Plus One or Self and Family or to add a newborn if you  currently have a Self Only plan.

Your employing or retirement office will not notify you when a family member is no longer eligible to receive benefits, nor will we. Please tell us immediately of changes in family member status, including your marriage, divorce, annulment, or when your child reaches age 26.

If you or one of your family members is enrolled in one FEHB plan, you or they cannot be enrolled in or covered as a family member by another enrollee in another FEHB plan.

If you have a qualifying life event (QLE) - such as marriage, divorce, or the birth of a child - outside of the Federal Benefits Open Season, you may be eligible to enroll in the FEHB Program, change your enrollment, or cancel coverage.  For a complete list of QLEs, visit the FEHB website at www.opm.gov/healthcare-insurance/life-events/.  If you need assistance, please contact your employing agency, Tribal Benefits Officer, personnel/payroll office, or retirement office.

Family members covered under your Self and Family enrollment are your spouse (including your spouse by valid common-law marriage if you reside in a state that recognizes common-law marriages) and children as described below. A Self Plus One enrollment covers you and your spouse, or one other eligible family member as described below.

Natural children, adopted children, and stepchildren
Coverage: Natural children, adopted children, and stepchildren are covered until their 26th birthday.

Foster children
Coverage: Foster children are eligible for coverage until their 26th birthday if you provide documentation of your regular and substantial support of the child and sign a certification stating that your foster child meets all the requirements. Contact your human resources office or retirement system for additional information.

Children incapable of self-support
Coverage: Children who are incapable of self-support because of a mental or physical disability that began before age 26 are eligible to continue coverage. Contact your human resources office or retirement system for additional information.

Married children
Coverage: Married children (but NOT their spouse or their own children) are covered until their 26th birthday.

Children with or eligible for employer-provided health insurance
Coverage: Children who are eligible for or have their own employer-provided health insurance are covered until their 26th birthday.

Newborns of covered children are insured only for routine nursery care during the covered portion of the mother's maternity stay.

You can find additional information at www.opm.gov/healthcare-insurance.

OPM has implemented the Federal Employees Health Benefits Children’s Equity Act of 2000. This law mandates that you be enrolled for Self Plus One or Self and Family coverage in the FEHB Program, if you are an employee subject to a court or administrative order requiring you to provide health benefits for your child(ren).

If this law applies to you, you must enroll in Self Plus One or Self and Family coverage in a health plan that provides full benefits in the area where your children live or provide documentation to your employing office that you have obtained other health benefits coverage for your children. If you do not do so, your employing office will enroll you involuntarily as follows:

• If you have no FEHB coverage, your employing office will enroll you for Self Plus One or Self and Family coverage, as appropriate, in the lowest-cost nationwide plan option as determined by OPM;
• If you have a Self Only enrollment in a fee-for-service plan or in an HMO that serves the area where your children live, your employing office will change your enrollment to Self Plus One or Self and Family, as appropriate, in the same option of the same plan; or
• If you are enrolled in an HMO that does not serve the area where the children live, your employing office will change your enrollment to Self Plus One or Self and Family, as appropriate, in the lowest-cost nationwide plan option as determined by OPM.

As long as the court/administrative order is in effect, and you have at least one child identified in the order who is still eligible under the FEHB Program, you cannot cancel your enrollment, change to Self Only, or change to a plan that does not serve the area in which your children live, unless you provide documentation that you have other coverage for the children.

If the court/administrative order is still in effect when you retire, and you have at least one child still eligible for FEHB coverage, you must continue your FEHB coverage into retirement (if eligible) and cannot cancel your coverage, change to Self Only, or change to a plan that does not serve the area in which your children live as long as the court/administrative order is in effect. Similarly, you cannot change to Self Plus One if the court/administrative order identifies more than one child. Contact your employing office for further information.

The benefits in this brochure are effective January 1. If you joined this Plan during Open Season, your coverage begins on the first day of your first pay period that starts on or after January 1. If you changed plans or plan options during Open Season and you receive care between January 1 and the effective date of coverage under your new plan or option, your claims will be processed according to the 2022 benefits of your prior plan or option. If you have met (or pay cost-sharing that results in your meeting) the out-of-pocket maximum under the prior plan or option, you will not pay cost-sharing for services covered between January 1 and the effective date of coverage under your new plan or option.  However, if your prior plan left the FEHB Program at the end of the year, you are covered under that plan’s 2021 benefits until the effective date of your coverage with your new plan. Annuitants’ coverage and premiums begin on January 1. If you joined at any other time during the year, your employing office will tell you the effective date of coverage.

If your enrollment continues after you are no longer eligible for coverage (i.e. you have separated from Federal service) and premiums are not paid, you will be responsible for all benefits paid during the period in which premiums were not paid. You may be billed for services received directly from your provider. You may be prosecuted for fraud for knowingly using health insurance benefits for which you have not paid premiums. It is your responsibility to know when you, or a family member, are no longer eligible to use your health insurance coverage.

When you retire, you can usually stay in the FEHB Program. Generally, you must have been enrolled in the FEHB Program for the last five years of your Federal service. If you do not meet this requirement, you may be eligible for other forms of coverage, such as Temporary Continuation of Coverage (TCC).

You will receive an additional 31 days of coverage, for no additional premium, when:

• Your enrollment ends, unless you cancel your enrollment, or
• You are a family member no longer eligible for coverage.

Any person covered under the 31-day extension of coverage who is confined in a hospital or other institution for care or treatment on the 31st day of the temporary extension is entitled to continuation of the benefits of the Plan during the continuance of the confinement but not beyond the 60th day after the end of the 31-day temporary extension.

You may be eligible for spouse equity coverage or Temporary Continuation of Coverage (TCC), or a conversion policy (a non-FEHB individual policy).

If you are divorced from a Federal employee, or annuitant, you may not continue to get benefits under your former spouse’s enrollment. This is the case even when the court has ordered your former spouse to provide health coverage for you. However, you may be eligible for your own FEHB coverage under either the spouse equity law or Temporary Continuation of Coverage (TCC). If you are recently divorced or are anticipating a divorce, contact your ex-spouse’s employing or retirement office to get information about your coverage choices. You can also download the guide from OPM’s website, www.opm.gov/healthcare-insurance/healthcare/plan-information.  We may request that an enrollee verify the eligibility of any or all family members listed as covered under the enrollee's FEHB enrollment.

If you leave Federal service, Tribal employment or if you lose coverage because you no longer qualify as a family member, you may be eligible for Temporary Continuation of Coverage (TCC). The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) did not eliminate TCC or change the TCC rules. For example, you can receive TCC if you are not able to continue your FEHB enrollment after you retire, if you lose your Federal or Tribal job, if you are a covered dependent child and you turn 26, etc.

You may not elect TCC if you are fired from your Federal or Tribal job due to gross misconduct.

Enrolling in TCC. Get the RI 79-27, which describes TCC, from your employing or retirement office or from www.opm.gov/healthcare-insurance. It explains what you have to do to enroll.

Alternatively, you can buy coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace where, depending on your income, you could be eligible for a new kind of tax credit that lowers your monthly premiums. Visit www.HealthCare.gov to compare plans and see what your premium, deductible, and out-of-pocket costs would be before you make a decision to enroll. Finally, if you qualify for coverage under another group health plan (such as your spouse’s plan), you may be able to enroll in that plan, as long as you apply within 30 days of losing FEHB Program coverage.

You may convert to a non-FEHB individual policy if

• Your coverage under TCC or the spouse equity law ends (If you canceled your coverage or did not pay your premium, you cannot convert);
• You decided not to receive coverage under TCC or the spouse equity law; or
• You are not eligible for coverage under TCC or the spouse equity law.

If you leave Federal or Tribal service, your employing office will notify you of your right to convert. You must contact us in writing within 31 days after you receive this notice. However, if you are a family member who is losing coverage, the employing or retirement office will not notify you. You must contact us in writing within 31 days after you are no longer eligible for coverage.

Your benefits and rates will differ from those under the FEHB Program; however, you will not have to answer questions about your health, a waiting period will not be imposed, and your coverage will not be limited due to pre-existing conditions. When you contact us, we will assist you in obtaining information about health benefits coverage inside or outside the Affordable Care Act’s Health Insurance Marketplace in your state. For assistance in finding coverage, please contact us at (888) 865-5813 or visit our website at www.kp.org/feds.

If you would like to purchase health insurance through the ACA's Health Insurance Marketplace, please visit www.HealthCare.gov. This is a website provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that provides up-to-date information on the Marketplace.

We will send you an identification (ID) card when you enroll. You should carry your ID card with you at all times. You must show it whenever you receive services from a Plan provider, or fill a prescription at a Plan pharmacy. Providers may request photo identification together with your ID card to verify identity. Until you receive your ID card, use your copy of the Health Benefits Election Form, SF-2809, your health benefits enrollment confirmation letter (for annuitants), or your electronic enrollment system (such as Employee Express) confirmation letter.

If you do not receive your ID card within 30 days after the effective date of your enrollment, or if you need replacement cards, call Member Services at 404-261-2590 (locally in the metropolitan Atlanta area) or 888-865-5813 (long distance), (TTY: 711), or write to us at: Member Services Department, Nine Piedmont Center, 3495 Piedmont Road, NE, Atlanta, GA 30305-1736. After registering on our website at www.kp.org/feds, you may also request replacement cards electronically.

You get care from “Plan providers” and “Plan facilities”. You will only pay cost-sharing as described in Section 4. Your Cost for Covered Services.

FEHB Carriers must have clauses in their plan provider agreements. These clauses provide that, for a service that is a covered benefit in the plan brochure or for services determined not medically necessary, the plan provider agrees to hold the covered individual harmless (and may not bill) for the difference between the billed charge and the in network contracted amount. If a plan provider bills you for covered services over your normal cost share (deductible, copay, co-insurance), contact your Carrier to enforce the terms of its provider contract.

Plan providers are physicians and other healthcare professionals in our service area that we contract with to provide covered services to our members. We contract with The Southeast Permanente Medical Group, Inc. (Medical Group) to provide or arrange covered services for our members. Medical care is provided through physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and other skilled medical personnel. Specialists in most major specialties are available as part of the medical teams for consultation and treatment. We credential Plan providers according to national standards.

This plan recognizes that transsexual, transgender, and gender-nonconforming members require health care delivered by healthcare providers experienced in transgender health. While gender reassignment surgeons (benefit details found in Section 5(b)) and hormone therapy providers (benefit details found in Section 5(f)) play important roles in preventive care, you should see a primary care provider familiar with your overall health care needs. Benefits described in this brochure are available to all members meeting medical necessity guidelines.

We list Plan providers in the provider directory, which we update periodically. Directories are available at the time of enrollment or upon request by calling our Member Services Department at (404) 261-2590 (locally) or 888-865-5813 (long distance) (TTY: 711). The list is also on our website at www.kp.org/feds.

Plan facilities are hospitals, medical offices, and other facilities in our service area that we own or contract with to provide covered services to our members. Kaiser Permanente offers comprehensive healthcare at Plan facilities conveniently located throughout our service areas.

We list Plan facilities in the provider directory, with their locations and phone numbers. Directories are updated on a regular basis and are available at the time of enrollment or upon request by calling our Member Services Department at (404) 261-2590 (locally) or 888-865-5813 (long distance) (TTY: 711). The list is also on our website at www.kp.org/feds.

You must receive your health services at Plan facilities, except if you have an emergency, authorized referral, or out-of-area urgent care. If you are visiting another Kaiser Permanente or allied plan service area, you may receive healthcare services at those Kaiser Permanente facilities. See Section 5(h), Special features, for more details. Under the circumstances specified in this brochure, you may receive follow-up or continuing care while you travel anywhere. 

It depends on the type of care you need. First, you and each covered family member should choose a primary care physician. This decision is important since your primary care physician provides or arranges for most of your healthcare.

To choose or change your primary care physician, you can either select one from our Provider Directory, from our website, www.kp.org/feds, or you can call our Member Services Department at 404-261-2590 (locally in the metropolitan Atlanta area) or 888-865-5813 (long distance) (TTY: 711).

We encourage you to choose a Medical Group physician as your primary care physician when you enroll. You may select a primary care physician from any of our available Plan providers who practice in these specialties: internal medicine, pediatrics or family practice. If you do not select a primary care physician, one will be selected for you. You may choose any primary care Plan physician who is available to accept you. Parents may choose a pediatrician as the Plan physician for their child. Your primary care physician will provide most of your healthcare, or give you a referral to see a specialist.

Please notify us of the primary care physician you choose. If you need help choosing a primary care physician, call us or visit our website at www.kp.org/feds. You may change your primary care physician at any time. You are free to see other Plan physicians if your primary care physician is not available, and to receive care at other Kaiser Permanente facilities.

Specialty care is care you receive from providers other than a primary care physician. When your primary care physician believes you may need specialty care, they will request authorization from the Plan to refer you to a specialist for an initial consultation and/or for a certain number of visits. If the Plan approves the referral, you may seek the initial consultation from the specialist to whom you were referred. You must then return to your primary care physician after the consultation, unless your referral authorizes a certain number of additional visits without the need to obtain another referral. The primary care physician must provide or obtain authorization for a specialist to provide all follow-up care. Do not go to the specialist for return visits unless your primary care physician gives you a referral that has been approved by us. However, you may see Plan gynecologists, obstetricians, dermatologists, optometrists, ophthalmologists, mental health and substance use providers and any specialist in the Medical Group without a referral. You may make appointments directly with these providers.

Here are some other things you should know about specialty care:

• Keep in mind that your primary care physician choice determines which specialists are available to you. Your primary care physician has an established relationship with a specific group of specialty care doctors. By referring only to a certain group of specialists, your primary care physician is better able to ensure that you receive quality care.
• If you change primary care physicians, you must check with your new primary care physician to determine if you can continue seeing your current specialist or if you need a new referral.
• If you receive specialty care services outside the Medical Group for which a referral was not obtained, is no longer valid or is beyond the level of care authorized by us, you will be responsible for all charges associated with those services.
• If you need to see a specialist frequently because of a chronic, complex, or serious medical condition, your primary care physician in consultation with you and your attending specialist may develop a treatment plan that allows you to see your specialist for a certain number of visits without additional referrals. Your primary care physician will use our criteria when creating your treatment plan (the physician may have to get an authorization or approval beforehand). 
• If you are seeing a specialist when you enroll in our Plan, talk to your primary care physician. Your primary care physician will decide what treatment you need. If they decide to refer you to a specialist, ask if you can see your current specialist. If your current specialist does not participate with us, you must receive treatment from a specialist who does. Generally, we will not pay for you to see a specialist who does not participate with our Plan.
• If you are seeing a specialist and your specialist leaves the Plan, call your primary care physician, who will arrange for you to see another specialist. You may receive approved services from your current specialist until we can make arrangements for you to see a Plan specialist. 
• If you have a chronic and disabling condition and lose access to your specialist because we:
  • terminate our contract with your specialist for a reason other than cause;
  • drop out of the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program and you enroll in another FEHB program plan; or
  • reduce our service area and you enroll in another FEHB plan

you may be able to continue seeing your specialist for up to 90 days after you receive notice of the change. Contact us, or if we drop out of the Program, contact your new plan.

If you are in the second or third trimester of pregnancy and you lose access to your specialist based on the above circumstances, you can continue to see your specialist until the end of your postpartum care, even if it is beyond the 90 days.

Your Plan primary care physician or specialist will make necessary hospital arrangements and supervise your care. This includes admission to a skilled nursing or other type of facility.

We pay for covered services from the effective date of your enrollment. However, if you are in the hospital when your enrollment in our Plan begins, call our Member Services Department immediately at 404-261-2590 (TTY: 711). If you are new to the FEHB Program, we will arrange for you to receive care and provide benefits for your covered services while you are in the hospital beginning on the effective date of your coverage.

If you changed from another FEHB plan to us, your former plan will pay for the hospital stay until:

• you are discharged, not merely moved to an alternative care center;
• the day your benefits from your former plan run out; or
• the 92^nd day after you become a member of this Plan, whichever happens first.

These provisions apply only to the benefits of the hospitalized person. If your plan terminates participation in the FEHB Program in whole or in part, or if OPM orders an enrollment change, this continuation of coverage provision does not apply. In such cases, the hospitalized family member’s benefits under the new plan begin on the effective date of enrollment.

Copayments, deductibles and coinsurance for services are due at the time of your visit. We reserve the right to reschedule non-urgent care if you do not pay at the time of your visit.

Your primary care physician arranges most referrals to specialists.  For certain services your Plan provider must obtain approval from us. Before we approve a referral, we may consider if the service or item is medically necessary and meets other coverage requirements. We call this review and approval process “prior authorization".  Once the referral is approved, we will notify you that we have authorized your referral.

When you receive medical services for which you do not have prior authorization from us, we will not pay for them except in an emergency. Charges for these medical services will be your financial responsibility.

Your Plan provider must obtain prior authorization from us for:

• Inpatient hospital care services, surgery and procedures
• Outpatient surgery, related services and procedures
• Ambulance transport (non-emergency)
• Bariatric surgery and related services
• Gender reassignment surgery
• Clinical trials
• Dental services covered under the medical plan and temporomandibular joint treatment
• Certain prescription medications as identified on our formulary
• The following diagnostic services:
  • Sleep studies
  • Neuropsychological testing
  • Video capsule endoscopy
• Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
• Durable medical equipment (DME) and orthopedic and prosthetic devices
• Feeding disorder treatment 
• Growth hormone therapy (GHT)
• Home health services and hospice care
• Infertility diagnosis and treatment
• Injections/infusions 
• Organ/tissue transplants and related services
• Outpatient multidisciplinary rehabilitation
• Post-stabilization care
• Speech therapy
• The following radiology services:
  • CT scans
  • CT angiography 
  • MRI
  • MRA
  • PET
  • SPECT
  • Specialty imaging
• Skilled nursing care
• The following treatment therapies:
  • Biofeedback
  • Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) treatment
  • Pain management services
  • Sclerotherapy or other varicose vein treatment
  • Uterine artery embolization
• Wound care services
• Services or items from a non-Plan provider or at non-Plan facilities

To confirm if your referral has been approved for a service or item that requires prior authorization, please call our Member Services Department at 404-261-2590 (TTY: 711).

Your Plan provider submits the request for the services above with supporting documentation. You should call your Plan provider’s office if you have not been notified of the outcome of the review within 5 working days. If your request is not approved, you have the right to ask us in writing to reconsider our initial decision (see Section 8, The disputed claims process).

Prior authorization determinations are made based on the information available at the time the service or item is requested. We will not cover the service or item unless you are a Plan member on the date you receive the service or item.

For non-urgent care claims, we will tell the physician and/or hospital the number of approved inpatient days, or the care that we approve for other services that must have prior authorization. We will make our decision within 15 days of receipt of the pre-service claim. If matters beyond our control require an extension of time, we may take up to an additional 15 days for review and we will notify you of the need for an extension of time before the end of the original 15-day period. Our notice will include the circumstances underlying the request for the extension and the date when a decision is expected.

If we need an extension because we have not received necessary information from you, our notice will describe the specific information required and we will allow you up to 60 days from the receipt of the notice to provide the information.

If you have an urgent care claim (i.e., when waiting for the regular time limit for your medical care or treatment could seriously jeopardize your life, health, or ability to regain maximum function, or in the opinion of a physician with knowledge of your medical condition, would subject you to severe pain that cannot be adequately managed without this care or treatment), we will expedite our review and notify you of our decision within 72 hours. If you request that we review your claim as an urgent care claim, we will review the documentation you provide and decide whether or not it is an urgent care claim by applying the judgment of a prudent layperson that possesses an average knowledge of health and medicine.

If you fail to provide sufficient information, we will contact you within 24 hours after we receive the claim to let you know what information we need to complete our review of the claim. You will then have up to 48 hours to provide the required information. We will make our decision on the claim within 48 hours of (1) the time we received the additional information or (2) the end of the time frame, whichever is earlier.

We may provide our decision orally within these time frames, but we will follow up with written or electronic notification within three days of oral notification.

You may request that your urgent care claim on appeal be reviewed simultaneously by us and OPM.  Please let us know that you would like a simultaneous review of your urgent care claim by OPM either in writing at the time you appeal our initial decision, or by calling us at 404-261-2590 (locally) or 888-865-5813 (long distance) (TTY: 711).  You may also call OPM’s FEHB 3 at (202) 606-0755 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern Time to ask for the simultaneous review.  We will cooperate with OPM so they can quickly review your claim on appeal.  In addition, if you did not indicate that your claim was a claim for urgent care, call us at 404-261-2590 (locally) or 888-865-5813 (long distance) (TTY: 711). If it is determined that your claim is an urgent care claim, we will expedite our review (if we have not yet responded to your claim).

A concurrent care claim involves care provided over a period of time or over a number of treatments. We will treat any reduction or termination of our pre-approved course of treatment before the end of the approved period of time or number of treatments as an appealable decision. This does not include reduction or termination due to benefit changes or if your enrollment ends. If we believe a reduction or termination is warranted, we will allow you sufficient time to appeal and obtain a decision from us before the reduction or termination takes effect.

If you request an extension of an ongoing course of treatment at least 24 hours prior to the expiration of the approved time period and this is also an urgent care claim, we will make a decision within 24 hours after we receive the claim.

Emergency services do not require preauthorization. However, if you are admitted to a facility, you or your family member must notify the Plan within 48 hours, or as soon as reasonably possible, or your claims may be denied.

You must obtain preauthorization from us for post-stabilization care you receive from non-Plan providers.

See Section 5(d), Emergency services/accidents for more information.

Emergency services do not require preauthorization. However, if you are admitted to a facility, you or your family member must notify the Plan within 48 hours, or as soon as reasonably possible, or your claims may be denied.

You must obtain preauthorization from us for post-stabilization care you receive from non-Plan providers.

See Section 5(d), Emergency services/accidents for more information.

If you or your Plan physician do not obtain prior authorization from us for services or items that require prior authorization, we will not pay any amount for those services or items and you may be liable for the full price of those services or items. This also includes any residual amounts, such as deductibles, copayments or coinsurance, that are not covered or not paid by any other insurance plan you use to pay for those services or items.

Under extraordinary circumstances, such as natural disasters, we may have to delay your services or we may be unable to provide them. In that case, we will make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the necessary care.

If you have a pre-service claim and you do not agree with our prior approval decision, you may request a review in accord with the procedures detailed below.

If you have already received the service, supply, or treatment, then you have a post-service claim and must follow the entire disputed claims process detailed in Section 8.

Within 6 months of our initial decision, you may ask us in writing to reconsider our initial decision. Follow Step 1 of the disputed claims process detailed in Section 8 of this brochure.

In the case of a pre-service claim and subject to a request for additional information, we have 30 days from the date we receive your written request for reconsideration to do one of the following:

1. Precertify your hospital stay or, if applicable, arrange for the healthcare provider to give you the care or grant your request for prior approval for a service, drug, or supply.

2. Ask you or your provider for more information.

You or your provider must send the information so that we receive it within 60 days of our request. We will then decide within 30 more days.

If we do not receive the information within 60 days, we will decide within 30 days of the date the information was due. We will base our decision on the information we already have. We will write to you with our decision.

3. Write to you and maintain our denial.

In the case of an appeal of a pre-service urgent care claim, within 6 months of our initial decision, you may ask us in writing to reconsider our initial decision. Follow Step 1 of the disputed claims process detailed in Section 8 of this brochure.

Unless we request additional information, we will notify you of our decision within 72 hours after receipt of your reconsideration request. We will expedite the review process, which allows oral or written request for appeals and the exchange of information by phone, electronic mail, facsimile, or other expeditious methods.

HealthCare FSA (HCFSA) - Reimburses you for eligible out-of-pocket healthcare expenses (such as copayments, deductibles, physician prescribed over-the-counter drugs and medications, vision and dental expenses, and much more) for you and your tax dependents, including adult children (through the end of the calendar year at which they turn 26).

FSAFEDS offers paperless reimbursement for your HCFSA through a member FEHB and FEDVIP plans.  This means that when you or your provider files claims with your FEHB or FEDVIP plan, FSAFEDS will automatically reimburse you eligible out-of-pocket expense based on the claim information it receives from your plan.

A copayment is a fixed amount of money you pay to the provider, facility, pharmacy, etc., when you receive certain services. The amount of copayment will depend upon whether you are enrolled in the High Option, Standard Option or Prosper, the type of provider, and the service or supply that you receive.

You pay a primary care provider copayment when you visit any primary care provider as described in Section 3, How you get care. You pay a specialist copayment when you receive care from a specialist as described in Section 3.

For example, for diagnostic and treatment services as described in Section 5(a): 

• Under the High Option, you pay a $15 copayment when you receive diagnostic and treatment services from a primary care provider and a $30 copayment when you receive these services from a specialty care provider.
• Under the Standard Option, you pay a $20 copayment when you receive diagnostic and treatment services from a primary care provider and a $40 copayment when you receive these services from a specialty care provider.
• Under Prosper, you pay a $20 copayment when you receive diagnostic and treatment services from a primary care provider and a $40 copayment when you receive these services from a specialty care provider.

A deductible is a fixed expense you must incur for certain covered services and supplies before we start paying benefits for them. Cost-sharing does not accrue toward the deductible. Certain other benefits, such as infertility, also do not accrue to the deductible.

• The High and Standard Option do not have a deductible.
• The calendar year deductible for Prosper is $250 per person. Under a Self Plus One or Self and family enrollment, the deductible is considered satisfied and benefits are payable for all family members when the combined covered expenses applied to the calendar year deductible for family members reach $500 under Prosper.

Any payment you make toward the deductible for services you receive during the last three months of a calendar year will apply toward the deductible for the next calendar year.

Note: If you change plans during Open Season, you do not have to start a new deductible under your prior plan between January 1 and the effective date of your new plan.  If you change plans at another time during the year, you must begin a new deductible under your new plan.

If you change options in this Plan during the year, we will credit the amount of covered expenses already applied toward the deductible of your old option to the deductible of your new option.

Coinsurance is the percentage of our allowance that you must pay for your care.

Example: In our High Option, Standard Option and Prosper, you pay 50% of our allowance for infertility services and 20% of our allowance for durable medical equipment.

After your cost-sharing total is $4,000 per person up to $8,000 per family enrollment (High Option), $5,000 per person up to $10,000 per family enrollment (Standard Option) or $6,500 per person up to $13,000 per family enrollment (Prosper) in any calendar year, you do not have to pay any more for certain covered services. This includes any services required by group health plans to count toward the catastrophic protection out-of-pocket maximum by federal healthcare reform legislation (the Affordable Care Act and implementing regulations).

Example: Your plan has a $4,000 per person up to $8,000 per family maximum out-of-pocket limit. If you or one of your covered family members has out-of-pocket qualified medical expenses of $4,000 in a calendar year, any cost-sharing for qualified medical expenses for that individual will be covered fully by your health plan for the remainder of the calendar year. With a family enrollment, the out-of-pocket maximum will be satisfied once two or more family members have out-of-pocket qualified medical expenses of $8,000 in a calendar year, and any cost–sharing for qualified medical expenses for all enrolled family members will be covered fully by your health plan for the reminder of the calendar year.

However, cost-sharing for the following services do not count toward your catastrophic protection out-of-pocket maximum, and you must continue to pay cost-sharing for these services:

• Chiropractic services
• Dental services 
• Health education services
• Hearing aids
• Infertility services
• Travel benefit
• Payments for services under the Student Out-of-Area Coverage

Be sure to keep accurate records and receipts of your cost-sharing, since you are responsible for informing us when you reach the maximum.

If you changed to this Plan during Open Season from a plan with a catastrophic protection benefit and the effective date of the change was after January 1, any expenses that would have applied to that plan’s catastrophic protection benefit during the prior year will be covered by your prior plan if they are for care you received in January before your effective date of coverage in this Plan. If you have already met your prior plan’s catastrophic protection benefit level in full, it will continue to apply until the effective date of your coverage in this Plan. If you have not met this expense level in full, your prior plan will first apply your covered out-of-pocket expenses until the prior year’s catastrophic level is reached and then apply the catastrophic protection benefit to covered out-of-pocket expenses incurred from that point until the effective date of your coverage in this Plan. Your prior plan will pay these covered expenses according to this year’s benefits; benefit changes are effective January 1.

Note: If you change options in this Plan during the year, we will credit the amount of covered expenses already accumulated toward the catastrophic out-of-pocket limit of your prior option to the catastrophic protection limit of your new option.

The No Surprises Act (NSA) is a federal law that provides you with protections against “surprise billing” and “balance billing” under certain circumstances. A surprise bill is an unexpected bill you receive from a non-plan healthcare provider, facility, or air ambulance service for healthcare. Surprise bills can happen when you receive emergency care – when you have little or no say in the facility or provider from whom you receive care. They can also happen when you receive non-emergency services at Plan facilities, but you receive some care from non-plan providers.

Balance billing happens when you receive a bill from the non-plan provider, facility, or air ambulance service for the difference between the non-plan provider's charge and the amount payable by your health plan.

Your health plan must comply with the NSA protections that hold you harmless from unexpected bills.

In addition, your health plan adopts and complies with the surprise billing laws of Georgia and NSA.

For specific information on surprise billing, the rights and protections you have, and your responsibilities go to www.kp.org/feds or contact the health plan at 404-261-2590 (locally in the metropolitan Atlanta area) or 888-865-5813 (long distance) (TTY: 711).

Under the flexible benefits option, we determine the most effective way to provide services.

• We may identify medically appropriate alternatives to regular contract benefits as a less costly alternative. If we identify a less costly alternative, we will ask you to sign an alternative benefits agreement that will include all of the following terms in addition to other terms as necessary. Until you sign and return the agreement, regular contract benefits will continue.
• Alternative benefits will be made available for a limited time period and are subject to our ongoing review. You must cooperate with the review process.
• By approving an alternative benefit, we do not guarantee you will get it in the future.
• The decision to offer an alternative benefit is solely ours, and except as expressly provided in the agreement, we may withdraw it at any time and resume regular contract benefits.
• If you sign the agreement, we will provide the agreed-upon alternative benefits for the stated time period (unless circumstances change). You may request an extension of the time period, but regular contract benefits will resume if we do not approve your request.
• Our decision to offer or withdraw alternative benefits is not subject to OPM review under the disputed claims process. However, if at the time we make a decision regarding alternative benefits, we also decide that regular contract benefits are not payable, then you may dispute our regular contract benefits decision under the OPM disputed claims process (see Section 8).

The Centers of Excellence program began in 1987. As new technologies proliferate and become the standard of care, Kaiser Permanente refers members to contracted "Centers of Excellence" for certain specialized medical procedures.

We have developed a nationally contracted network of Centers of Excellence for organ transplantation, which consists of medical facilities that have met stringent criteria for quality care in specific procedures. A national clinical and administrative team has developed guidelines for site selection, site visit protocol, volume and survival criteria for evaluation and selection of facilities. The institutions have a record of positive outcomes and exceptional standards of quality.

We provide a TTY/text phone number at: 711. Sign language services are also available.

When you visit a different Kaiser Foundation Health Plan service area, you can receive visiting member services from designated providers in that area. Visiting member services are subject to the terms, conditions and cost-sharing described in this FEHB brochure. Certain services are not covered as a visiting member.

For more information about receiving visiting member services, including provider and facility locations in other Kaiser Permanente service areas, please call our Away from Home Travel Line at 951-268-3900 or visit kp.org/travel.

Kaiser Permanente offers smoking cessation classes as described under Educational classes and programs in Section 5(a). In addition to the classes we also offer the following:

• Kaiser Permanente’s "Great Start" Quit Line is free and available for pregnant women 24 hours a day.
• Free smoking cessation resources are available, including a self-help booklet for pregnant women, as well as brochures for adults and teens.
• Bookmark listing of smoking cessation resources
• Bi-Annual smoking cessation resource outreach mailings to all identified smokers

For more information or to order any of the above materials please call our Member Services Department at 404-261-2590 (TTY: 711).

We provide a limited benefit to eligible members who are full-time registered college students (at least 12 credit hours per semester) attending a recognized accredited institution outside Kaiser Permanente’s service areas and within the United States. These benefits are in addition to your emergency benefits and will be applied before your travel benefit.

• We cover routine, continuing and follow-up medical care.
• You pay 20% of the usual and customary charges.
• Your benefit is limited to $1,200 each calendar year.
• There is no deductible.
• You must certify the member’s student status annually.
• For more information about this benefit call our Member Services Department at 404-261-2590 (TTY: 711).
• File claims as shown in Section 7.

The following services are not included in your out-of-area student coverage benefit:

• Dental services
• Transplants and transplant follow-up care
• Services provided outside the United States

Kaiser Permanente’s travel benefit for Federal employees provides you with outpatient follow-up and/or continuing medical and mental health and substance use care when you are temporarily (for example, on a temporary work assignment or attending school) outside your home service area by more than 100 miles and outside of any other Kaiser Permanente service area. These benefits are in addition to your emergency services/accident benefit and include:

• Outpatient follow-up care necessary to complete a course of treatment after a covered emergency. Services include removal of stitches, a catheter, or a cast.
• Outpatient continuing care for covered services for conditions diagnosed and treated within the previous 12 months by a Kaiser Permanente healthcare provider or affiliated Plan provider. Services include dialysis and prescription drug monitoring.

You pay $25 for each follow-up or continuing care office visit. This amount will be deducted from the reimbursement we make to you or to the provider. We limit our payment for this travel benefit to no more than $1,200 each calendar year. For more information about this benefit call our Member Services Department at 404-261-2590 (TTY: 711). File claims as shown in Section 7.

The following are a few examples of services not included in your travel benefits coverage:

• Non-emergency hospitalization
• Infertility treatments
• Medical and hospital costs resulting from a normal full-term delivery of a baby outside the service area
• Transplants 
• Durable medical equipment (DME )
• Prescription drugs 
• Home health services

Take steps to improve your well-being by completing the Kaiser Permanente Total Health Assessment and a biometric screening. FEHB subscribers and their enrolled spouses (age 18 and over) are eligible to receive $250 for completing a confidential, online, Total Health Assessment (available in English or Spanish) and being up to date on the following biometric screenings: blood glucose, blood pressure, Body Mass Index (BMI) and total cholesterol. To view and determine the status of your screenings, go to www.kp.org/feds. If you have not had these screenings recently, you may be required to contact your Kaiser Permanente doctor.  You’ll get a picture of your overall health and a customized action plan with tips and resources to improve your well-being.

You must accept the Wellness Program Agreement to be eligible to earn rewards. Please go to www.kp.org/feds to learn how to earn your reward and to view and track the status of your reward activities.

You must complete the Total Health Assessment and biometric screening during the plan year. We will issue you a Kaiser Permanente Health Payment Card 4-6 weeks after you complete both activities. We will send each eligible member their own debit card.

You may use your Health Payment Card to pay for certain qualified medical expenses, such as:

• Copayments for office visits, prescription drugs and other services at Kaiser Permanente or other providers
• Prescription eyeglasses or contacts
• Dental services
• Over-the-counter medication for certain diseases
• Other medical expenses, as permitted by the IRS

Please keep your card for use in the future. As you complete activities, we will add rewards to your card. We will not send you a new card until the card expires. Rewards you earn during this calendar year may be used until March 31 of the next calendar year. Funds are forfeited if you leave this plan.

For more information, please go to www.kp.org/feds. If you have questions about completing a Total Health Assessment or class, you may call us at 866-300-9867. If you have questions about your account balance or what expenses the Health Payment Card can be used for, you may call the phone number on the back of your Health Payment Card.

In most cases, providers and facilities file claims for you. Providers must file on the form CMS-1500, Health Insurance Claim Form. Your facility will file on the UB-04 form. For claims questions and assistance, call our Member Service Call Center at 404-261-2825 (TTY: 711).

When you must file a claim - such as for services you received outside the Plan’s service area - submit it on the CMS-1500 or a claim form that includes the information shown below. Bills and receipts should be itemized and show:

• Covered member’s name, date of birth, address, phone number and ID number
• Name and address of the provider or facility that provided the service or supply
• Dates you received the services or supplies
• Diagnosis
• Type of each service or supply
• The charge for each service or supply
• Follow up services rendered out-of-area
• A copy of the explanation of benefits, payments, or denial from any primary payor – such as the Medicare Summary Notice (MSN)
• Receipts, if you paid for your services

Note: Canceled checks, cash register receipts, or balance due statements are not acceptable substitutes for itemized bills.

Submit your claims to:

Kaiser Permanente
Claims Administration
P.O. Box 190849
Atlanta, GA 31119-0849

We will notify you of our decision within 30 days after we receive your post-service claim. If matters beyond our control require an extension of time, we may take up to an additional 15 days for review and we will notify you before the expiration of the original 30-day period. Our notice will include the circumstances underlying the request for the extension and the date when a decision is expected.

If we need an extension because we have not received necessary information from you, our notice will describe the specific information required and we will allow you up to 60 days from the receipt of the notice to provide the information.

You may designate an authorized representative to act on your behalf for filing a claim or to appeal claims decisions to us. For urgent care claims, we will permit a healthcare professional with knowledge of your medical condition to act as your authorized representative without your express consent. For the purposes of this section, we are also referring to your authorized representative when we refer to you.

If you live in a county where at least 10 percent of the population is literate only in a non-English language (as determined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services), we will provide language assistance in that non-English language. You can request a copy of your Explanation of Benefits (EOB) statement, related correspondence, oral language services (such as phone customer assistance), and help with filing claims and appeals (including external reviews) in the applicable non-English language. The English versions of your EOBs and related correspondence will include information in the non-English language about how to access language services in that non-English language.

Any notice of an adverse benefit determination or correspondence from us confirming an adverse benefit determination will include information sufficient to identify the claim involved (including the date of service, the healthcare provider, and the claim amount, if applicable), and a statement describing the availability, upon request, of the diagnosis and procedure codes.

Ask us in writing to reconsider our initial decision. You must:

a) Write to us within 6 months from the date of our decision; and

b) Send your request to us at: Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Georgia, Inc., Attention: Appeals Department, Nine Piedmont Center, 3495 Piedmont Road, NE, Atlanta, GA 30305-1736; and

c) Include a statement about why you believe our initial decision was wrong, based on specific benefit provisions in this brochure; and

d) Include copies of documents that support your claim, such as physicians' letters, operative reports, bills, medical records, and explanation of benefits (EOB) forms.

We will provide you, free of charge and in a timely manner, with any new or additional evidence considered, relied upon, or generated by us or at our direction in connection with your claim and any new rationale for our claim decision. We will provide you with this information sufficiently in advance of the date that we are required to provide you with our reconsideration decision to allow you a reasonable opportunity to respond to us before that date. However, our failure to provide you with new evidence or rationale in sufficient time to allow you to timely respond shall not invalidate our decision on reconsideration. You may respond to that new evidence or rationale at the OPM review stage described in step 4.

In the case of a post-service claim, we have 30 days from the date we receive your request to:

a) Pay the claim or

b) Write to you and maintain our denial or

c) Ask you or your provider for more information.

You or your provider must send the information so that we receive it within 60 days of our request. We will then decide within 30 more days.

If we do not receive the information within 60 days we will decide within 30 days of the date the information was due. We will base our decision on the information we already have. We will write to you with our decision.

If you do not agree with our decision, you may ask OPM to review it.

You must write to OPM within:

• 90 days after the date of our letter upholding our initial decision; or
• 120 days after you first wrote to us - if we did not answer that request in some way within 30 days; or
• 120 days after we asked for additional information.

Write to OPM at: United States Office of Personnel Management, Healthcare and Insurance, Federal Employee Insurance Operations, FEHB 3, 1900 E Street NW, Washington, DC 20415-3630.

Send OPM the following information:

• A statement about why you believe our decision was wrong, based on specific benefit provisions in this brochure;
• Copies of documents that support your claim, such as physicians' letters, operative reports, bills, medical records, and explanation of benefits (EOB) forms;
• Copies of all letters you sent to us about the claim;
• Copies of all letters we sent to you about the claim;
• Your daytime phone number and the best time to call; and
• Your email address, if you would like to receive OPM's decision via email. Please note that by providing your email address, you may receive OPM's decision more quickly.

Note: If you want OPM to review more than one claim, you must clearly identify which documents apply to which claim.

Note: You are the only person who has a right to file a disputed claim with OPM. Parties acting as your representative, such as medical providers, must include a copy of your specific written consent with the review request. However, for urgent care claims, a healthcare professional with knowledge of your medical condition may act as your authorized representative without your express consent.

Note: The above deadlines may be extended if you show that you were unable to meet the deadline because of reasons beyond your control.

OPM will review your disputed claim request and will use the information it collects from you and us to decide whether our decision is correct. OPM will send you a final decision within 60 days. There are no other administrative appeals.

If you do not agree with OPM’s decision, your only recourse is to sue. If you decide to file a lawsuit, you must file the suit against OPM in Federal court by December 31 of the third year after the year in which you received the disputed services, drugs, or supplies or from the year in which you were denied precertification or prior approval. This is the only deadline that may not be extended.

OPM may disclose the information it collects during the review process to support their disputed claim decision. This information will become part of the court record.

You may not file a lawsuit until you have completed the disputed claims process. Further, Federal law governs your lawsuit, benefits, and payment of benefits. The Federal court will base its review on the record that was before OPM when OPM decided to uphold or overturn our decision. You may recover only the amount of benefits in dispute.

You must tell us if you or a covered family member has coverage under any other health plan or has automobile insurance that pays healthcare expenses without regard to fault. This is called “double coverage.”

When you have double coverage, one plan normally pays its benefits in full as the primary payor and the other plan pays a reduced benefit as the secondary payor. We, like other insurers, determine which coverage is primary according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ (NAIC) guidelines. For more information on NAIC rules regarding the coordinating of benefits, visit the NAIC website at www.kp.org/feds.

When we are the primary payor, we will pay the benefits described in this brochure.

When we are the secondary payor, we will determine our allowance. After the primary plan pays, we will pay what is left of our allowance, up to our regular benefit, except Medicare-eligible members with Original Medicare as primary payor must pay cost-sharing described in this FEHB brochure (see Sections 4 and 5, members with Medicare should also see the Original Medicare Plan portion of this Section 9).  We will not pay more than our allowance. If we are the secondary payor, and you received your services from Plan providers, we may bill the primary carrier.

TRICARE is the healthcare program for eligible dependents of military persons, and retirees of the military. TRICARE includes the CHAMPUS program. CHAMPVA provides health coverage to disabled Veterans and their eligible dependents. IF TRICARE or CHAMPVA and this Plan cover you, we pay first. See your TRICARE or CHAMPVA Health Benefits Advisor if you have questions about these programs.

Suspended FEHB coverage to enroll in TRICARE or CHAMPVA: If you are an annuitant or former spouse, you can suspend your FEHB coverage to enroll in one of these programs, eliminating your FEHB premium. (OPM does not contribute to any applicable Plan premiums.) For information on suspending your FEHB enrollment, contact your retirement office. If you later want to re-enroll in the FEHB Program, generally you may do so only at the next Open Season unless you involuntarily lose coverage under TRICARE or CHAMPVA.

We do not cover services that:

• You (or a covered family member) need because of a workplace-related illness or injury that the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP) or a similar federal or state agency determines they must provide; or
• OWCP or a similar agency pays for through a third-party injury settlement or other similar proceeding that is based on a claim you filed under OWCP or similar laws.

Once OWCP or similar agency pays its maximum benefits for your treatment, we will cover your care.

When you have this Plan and Medicaid, we pay first.

Suspended FEHB coverage to enroll in Medicaid or a similar state-sponsored program of medical assistance: If you are an annuitant or former spouse, you can suspend your FEHB coverage to enroll in one of these state programs, eliminating your FEHB premium. For information on suspending your FEHB enrollment, contact your retirement office. If you later want to re-enroll in the FEHB Program, generally you may do so only at the next Open Season unless you involuntarily lose coverage under the state program.

We do not cover services and supplies when a local, state, or federal government agency directly or indirectly pays for them.

When you receive money to compensate you for medical or hospital care for injuries or illness caused by another person, you must reimburse us for any expenses we paid. However, we will cover the cost of treatment that exceeds the amount you received in the settlement.

If you do not seek damages you must agree to let us try. This is called subrogation. If you need more information, contact us for our subrogation procedures.

If you obtain a judgment or settlement from or on behalf of a third party who allegedly caused or is responsible for an injury or illness for which you received covered healthcare services or benefits (“Services”), you must pay us Charges for those Services. “Charges” are: 1) for Services that we pay the provider on a fee-for-service basis, the payments that we made for the Services; and 2) for all other Services, the charges in the provider’s schedule of charges for Services provided to Members less any cost share payments that you made to the provider. Our payments for Services in these circumstances are expressly conditioned on your agreement to comply with these provisions. You are still required to pay cost-sharing to the provider, even if a third party has allegedly caused or is responsible for the injury or illness for which you received Services.

You must also pay us Charges for such Services if you receive or are entitled to receive a recovery from any insurance for an injury or illness alleged to be based on a third party’s or your own fault, such as from uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, automobile or premises medical payments coverage, or any other first party coverage. You must also pay us Charges for such Services if you receive or are entitled to receive recovery from any Workers' Compensation benefits.

To secure our rights, we will have a lien on and reimbursement right to the proceeds of any judgment or settlement you or we obtain. The proceeds of any judgment or settlement that you or we obtain shall first be applied to satisfy our lien, regardless of whether the total amount of the proceeds is less than the actual losses and damages you incurred. We are entitled to full recovery regardless of whether any liability for payment is admitted by a person entity or insurer. We are entitled to full recovery regardless of whether settlement or judgment received by you identifies the medical benefits provided or purports to allocate any portion of the settlement or judgment to payment to expenses other than medical expenses. We are entitled to recover from any and all settlements, even those designated as for pain and suffering, non-economic damages and/or general damages only.

In order for us to determine the existence of any rights we may have and to satisfy those rights, you must complete and send us all consents, releases, authorizations, assignments, and other documents, including lien forms directing your attorney and any insurer to pay us directly. You may not agree to waive, release, or reduce our rights under this provision without our prior, written consent. You must cooperate in doing what is reasonably necessary to assist us with our right of recovery. You must notify us within 30 days of the date you or someone acting on your behalf notifies anyone, including an insurer or attorney, of  your intention to pursue or investigate a claim to recover damages or obtain compensation due to your injury or illness.  You must not take any action that may prejudice our right of recovery.

If your estate, parent, guardian, or conservator asserts a claim based on your injury or illness, that person or entity and any settlement or judgment recovered by that person or entity shall be subject to our liens and other rights to the same extent as if you had asserted the claim against the party. We may assign our rights to enforce our liens and other rights.

We have the option of becoming subrogated to all claims, causes of action, and other rights you may have against a third party or an insurer, government program, or other source of coverage for monetary damages, compensation, or indemnification on account of the injury or illness allegedly caused by the third party. We will be so subrogated as of the time we mail or deliver a written notice of our exercise of this option to you or your attorney, but we will be subrogated only to the extent of the total of Charges for the relevant Services.

Contact us if you need more information about recovery or subrogation.

If you enter into a Surrogacy Agreement, you must reimburse us for covered services you receive related to conception, pregnancy, delivery, or postpartum care in connection with the Surrogacy Agreement, except that the amount you must pay will not exceed the payments or other compensation you and any other payee are entitled to receive under the Surrogacy Agreement. A "Surrogacy Agreement" is one in which a woman agrees to become pregnant and to surrender the baby (or babies) to another person or persons who intend to raise the child (or children), in exchange for payment or compensation for being a surrogate. The "Surrogacy Agreement" does not affect your obligation to pay your cost-sharing for services received, but we will credit any such payments toward the amount you must pay us under this paragraph. We will only cover charges incurred for any services when you have legal custody of the baby and when the baby is covered as a family member under your Self Plus One or Self and Family enrollment (the legal parents are financially responsible for any services that the baby receives).

By accepting services, you automatically assign to us your right to receive payments that are payable to you or any other payee under the Surrogacy Agreement, regardless of whether those payments are characterized as being for medical expenses. To secure our rights, we will also have a lien on those payments and on any escrow account, trust, or any other account that holds those payments. Those payments (and amounts in any escrow account, trust, or other account that holds those payments) shall first be applied to satisfy our lien. The assignment and our lien will not exceed the total amount of your obligation to us under the preceding paragraph.

Within 30 days after entering into a Surrogacy Agreement, you must send written notice of the Agreement, a copy of the Agreement, including the names, addresses, and phone numbers of all parties involved in the Agreement. You must send this information to:

Trover Solutions, Inc.
Kaiser Permanente Georgia Surrogacy Mailbox
9390 Bunsen Parkway
Louisville, KY 40220

You must complete and send us consents, releases, authorizations, lien forms, and other documents that are reasonably necessary for us to determine the existence of any rights we may have under this "Surrogacy Agreements" section and to satisfy those rights.

If your estate, parent, guardian, or conservator asserts a claim against a third party based on the Surrogacy Agreement, your estate, parent, guardian, or conservator and any settlement or judgment recovered by the estate, parent, guardian, or conservator shall be subject to our liens and other rights to the same extent as if you had asserted the claim against the third party. We may assign our rights to enforce our liens and other rights.

An approved clinical trial includes a phase I, phase II, phase III, or phase IV clinical trial that is conducted in relation to the prevention, detection, or treatment of cancer or other life-threatening disease or condition and is either Federally funded; conducted under an investigational new drug application reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration; or is a drug trial that is exempt from the requirement of an investigational new drug application. 

We will cover routine care costs and may cover some extra care costs not provided by the clinical trial in accordance with Section 5 when Plan physicians provide or arrange for your care. We encourage you to contact us to discuss specific services if you participate in a clinical trial.

• Routine care costs are costs for routine services such as doctor visits, lab tests, X-rays and scans, and hospitalizations related to treating the patient’s condition whether the patient is in a clinical trial or is receiving standard therapy. We cover routine care costs not provided by the clinical trial.
• Extra care costs are costs related to taking part in a clinical trial such as additional tests that a patient may need as part of the trial, but not as part of the patient’s routine care. We cover some extra care costs not provided by the clinical trial. We encourage you to contact us to discuss coverage for specific services if you participate in a clinical trial.

The Plan does not cover research costs.

• Research costs are costs related to conducting the clinical trial such as research physician and nurse time, analysis of results, and clinical tests performed only for research purposes. These costs are generally covered by the clinical trials. This plan does not cover these costs.

For more detailed information on "What is Medicare?" and "Should I Enroll in Medicare?" please contact Medicare at 800-MEDICARE (800-633-4227), (TTY 877-486-2048) or at www.medicare.gov

The Original Medicare Plan (Original Medicare) is available everywhere in the United States. It is the way everyone used to get Medicare benefits and is the way most people get their Medicare Part A and Part B benefits now. You may go to any doctor, specialist, or hospital that accepts Medicare. The Original Medicare Plan pays its share and you pay your share.

All physicians and other providers are required by law to file claims directly to Medicare for members with Medicare Part B, when Medicare is primary.  This is true whether or not they accept Medicare.

When you are enrolled in Original Medicare along with this Plan, you still need to follow the rules in this brochure for us to cover your care.

Claims process when you have the Original Medicare Plan - You will probably not need to file a claim form when you have both our Plan and the Original Medicare Plan.

When we are the primary payor, we process the claim first.

When Original Medicare is the primary payor, Medicare processes your claim first. In most cases, your claim will be coordinated automatically and we will then provide secondary benefits for covered charges. To find out if you need to do something to file your claim, call us at 404-233-3700 (locally in the metropolitan Atlanta area) or 800-232-4404 (long distance) (TTY: 711), 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., 7 days a week, or visit our website at www.kp.org/feds.

We do not waive any costs if the Original Medicare Plan is your primary payor.

We offer a program designed to help members with their Medicare Part B premium. This program is called “Senior Advantage 2”. For each month you are enrolled in Senior Advantage 2, have Medicare Parts A and B and are enrolled in Senior Advantage for Federal Members, you will be reimbursed up to $200 (up to $2,400 per year) of your Medicare Part B monthly premium and extra charges added to the Part B premium (Part B Late Enrollment Penalty, or LEP, and Part B Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount, or IRMAA). In addition to reimbursing for the Part B premium, we will cover additional benefits, including lower copayments for office visits, outpatient surgery, inpatient hospital care, emergency care, generic and brand-name prescription drugs and the SilverSneakers® fitness program.

You may enroll in this program if:

• You enroll in Kaiser Permanente’s High Option,
• You enroll in Senior Advantage for Federal Members, and
• The FEHB subscriber completes an additional application for enrollment in Senior Advantage 2.

Reimbursement will begin on the first of the month following receipt of your additional application for enrollment in Senior Advantage 2 and verification of your Medicare Part B enrollment. During a calendar year, you may enroll in Senior Advantage 2 only once. If the FEHB subscriber enrolls in Senior Advantage 2, each family member who enrolls in Senior Advantage for Federal Members is required to participate in Senior Advantage 2. If, for any reason, you do not meet the enrollment requirements for Senior Advantage 2, you will no longer be eligible to participate in the program. Your reimbursements will end and your regular FEHB High Option benefits will resume. You may be required to repay any reimbursement paid to you in error.

To learn more about Senior Advantage 2 and how to enroll, call us at 404-233-3700 (locally in the metropolitan Atlanta area) or 800-232-4404 (TTY:711), 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., 7 days a week, or visit our website at kp.org/feds.

If you are eligible for Medicare, you may choose to enroll in and get your Medicare benefits from a Medicare Advantage plan. These are private healthcare choices (like HMOs and regional PPOs) in some areas of the country. To learn more about Medicare Advantage plans, contact Medicare at 800-MEDICARE (800-633-4227) (TTY: 877-486-2048) or at www.medicare.gov.

If you enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan, the following options are available to you:

This Plan and our Medicare Advantage plan: We offer a Medicare Advantage plan known as Kaiser Permanente Senior Advantage for Federal Members. Senior Advantage for Federal Members enhances your FEHB coverage by lowering cost-sharing for some services and/or adding benefits. If you have Medicare Parts A and B, you can enroll in Senior Advantage for Federal Members.  Enrolling in Senior Advantage for Federal Members does not change your FEHB premium. Your enrollment is in addition to your FEHB High Option, Standard Option or Prosper enrollment; however, your benefits will be provided under the Kaiser Permanente Senior Advantage for Federal Members plan and are subject to all Medicare rules. If you have Medicare Parts A and B, you can enroll in Senior Advantage for Federal Members with no increase to your FEHB or Kaiser Permanente premium.

If you are considering enrolling in Senior Advantage for Federal Members, please call us at 404-233-3700 (locally in the metropolitan Atlanta area) or 800-232-4404 (long distance) (TTY: 711), 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., 7 days a week, or visit our website at www.kp.org/feds.

With Kaiser Permanente Senior Advantage for Federal Members, you’ll get more coverage, such as lower cost sharing and additional benefits. This 2022 benefit summary allows you to make a comparison of your choices:

Benefit Description: Deductible
High Option You Pay Without Medicare: None
High Option Senior Advantage 1 You Pay: None
High Option Senior Advantage 2 You Pay: None
Standard Option You Pay Without Medicare: None
Standard Option Senior Advantage You Pay: None
Prosper You Pay Without Medicare: $250
Prosper Senior Advantage You Pay: None

Benefit Description: Primary Care
High Option You Pay Without Medicare: $15 (No charge for children through age 17)
High Option Senior Advantage 1 You Pay: $0 (No charge for children through age 17)
High Option Senior Advantage 2 You Pay: $10 (No charge for children through age 17)
Standard Option You Pay Without Medicare: $20 (No charge for children through age 17)
Standard Option Senior Advantage You Pay: $10 (No charge for children through age 17)
Prosper You Pay Without Medicare: $20
Prosper Senior Advantage You Pay: $20

Benefit Description: Specialty Care
High Option You Pay Without Medicare: $30
High Option Senior Advantage 1 You Pay: $20
High Option Senior Advantage 2 You Pay: $25
Standard Option You Pay Without Medicare: $40
Standard Option Senior Advantage You Pay: $25
Prosper You Pay Without Medicare: $40
Prosper Senior Advantage You Pay: $30

Benefit Description: Outpatient Surgery
High Option You Pay Without Medicare: $150
High Option Senior Advantage 1 You Pay: $20
High Option Senior Advantage 2 You Pay: $50
Standard Option You Pay Without Medicare: $200
Standard Option Senior Advantage You Pay: $100
Prosper You Pay Without Medicare: $250*
Prosper Senior Advantage You Pay: $150

Benefit Description: Inpatient Hospital Care
High Option You Pay Without Medicare: $500 per admission ($250 per admission for maternity)
High Option Senior Advantage 1 You Pay: $100 per admission, (No charge for maternity)
High Option Senior Advantage 2 You Pay: $250 per admission
Standard Option You Pay Without Medicare: $750 per admission (No charge for maternity)
Standard Option Senior Advantage You Pay: $250 per admission
Prosper You Pay Without Medicare: $750* per admission
Prosper Senior Advantage You Pay: $350 per admission

Benefit Description: Part B Reimbursement
High Option Without Medicare: Not Applicable
High Option Senior Advantage 1: None
High Option Senior Advantage 2: Up to $200 monthly
Standard Option Without Medicare: Not Applicable
Standard Option Senior Advantage: None
Prosper Without Medicare: Not Applicable
Prosper Senior Advantage: None

Benefit Description: Additional Benefits Offered
High Option Without Medicare: Not applicable
High Option Senior Advantage 1: Eyeglasses and contact lenses allowance; SilverSneakers; OTC Allowance; Transportation Allowance
High Option Senior Advantage 2: SilverSneakers; OTC Allowance; Transportation Allowance
Standard Option Without Medicare: Not applicable
Standard Option Senior Advantage: SilverSneakers; OTC Allowance; Transportation Allowance
Prosper Without Medicare: Not applicable
Prosper Senior Advantage: SilverSneakers; OTC Allowance; Transportation Allowance

Benefit Description: Out-of-Pocket Maximum (2x per family)
High Option You Pay Without Medicare: $4,000 per person
High Option Senior Advantage 1 You Pay: $2,000 per person
High Option Senior Advantage 2 You Pay: $2,000 per person
Standard Option You Pay Without Medicare: $5,000 per person
Standard Option Senior Advantage You Pay: $2,500 per person
Prosper You Pay Without Medicare: $6,500 per person
Prosper Senior Advantage You Pay: $3,250 per person

* You pay the deductible, then cost-sharing

This is a summary of the features of the Kaiser Permanente Senior Advantage for Federal Members. As a Senior Advantage member, you are still entitled to coverage under the FEHB Program. All benefits are subject to the definitions, limitations, and exclusions set forth in this FEHB brochure and the Kaiser Permanente Senior Advantage for Federal Members Evidence of Coverage.

This Plan and another plan’s Medicare Advantage plan: You may enroll in another plan’s Medicare Advantage plan and also remain enrolled in our FEHB plan. We will still provide benefits when your Medicare Advantage plan is primary, even out of the Medicare Advantage plan’s network and/or service area (if you use our Plan providers). However, we will not waive any of our copayments, coinsurance, or deductibles. If you enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan, tell us. We will need to know whether you are in the Original Medicare Plan or in a Medicare Advantage plan so we can correctly coordinate benefits with Medicare.

Suspended FEHB coverage to enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan: If you are an annuitant or former spouse, you can suspend your FEHB coverage to enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan, eliminating your FEHB premium. (OPM does not contribute to your Medicare Advantage plan premium.) For information on suspending your FEHB enrollment, contact your retirement office. If you later want to re-enroll in the FEHB Program, generally you may do so only at the next Open Season unless you involuntarily lose coverage or move out of the Medicare Advantage plan’s service area.

When we are the primary payor, we process the claim first. If you enroll in another plan's Medicare Part D plan and we are the secondary payor, when you fill your prescription at a Plan pharmacy that is not owned and operated by Kaiser Permanente we will review claims for your prescription drug costs that are not covered by Medicare Part D and consider them for payment under the FEHB plan. Our Kaiser Permanente owned and operated pharmacies will not consider another plan's Medicare Part D benefits. These Kaiser Permanente pharmacies will only provide your FEHB Kaiser Permanente benefits.

You will still need to follow the rules in this brochure for us to cover your care. We will only cover your prescription if it is written by a Plan provider and obtained at a Plan pharmacy or through our Plan mail service delivery program, except in an emergency or urgent care situation.

If you enroll in our Kaiser Permanente Senior Advantage for Federal Members plan, you will get all of the benefits of Medicare Part D plus additional drug benefits covered under your FEHB plan.

An approved clinical trial includes a phase I, phase II, phase III, or phase IV clinical trial that is conducted in relation to the prevention, detection, or treatment of cancer or other life-threatening disease or condition and is either Federally funded; conducted under an investigational new drug application reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration; or is a drug trial that is exempt from the requirement of an investigational new drug application.

• Routine care costs – costs for routine services such as doctor visits, lab tests, X-rays and scans, and hospitalizations related to treating the patient’s condition whether the patient is in a clinical trial or is receiving standard therapy.
• Extra care costs – costs related to taking part in a clinical trial such as additional tests that a patient may need as part of the trial, but not as part of the patient’s routine care.
• Research costs – costs related to conducting the clinical trial such as research physician and nurse time, analysis of results, and clinical tests performed only for research purposes. These costs are generally covered by the clinical trials. This plan does not cover these costs.

See section 4, page 22.

See Section 4, page 22.

See Section 4, page 22.

(1) Assistance with activities of daily living, for example, walking, getting in and out of bed, dressing, feeding, toileting and taking medication. (2) Care that can be performed safely and effectively by people whom, in order to provide the care, do not require medical licenses or certificates or the presence of a supervising licensed nurse. Custodial care that lasts 90 days or more is sometimes known as long term care.

See Section 4, page 22.

We do not cover a service, supply, item or drug that we consider experimental, except for the limited coverage specified in Section 9, Clinical trials. We consider a service, supply, item or drug to be experimental when the service, supply, item or drug:

(1) has not been approved by the FDA; or

(2) is the subject of a new drug or new device application on file with the FDA; or

(3) is part of a Phase I or Phase II clinical trial, as the experimental or research arm of a Phase III clinical trial; or is intended to evaluate the safety, toxicity, or efficacy of the service; or

(4) is available as the result of a written protocol that evaluates the service’s safety, toxicity, or efficacy; or

(5) is subject to the approval or review of an Institutional Review Board; or

(6) requires an informed consent that describes the service as experimental or investigational;

We carefully evaluate whether a particular therapy is safe and effective or offers a reasonable degree of promise with respect to improving health outcomes. The primary source of evidence about health outcomes of any intervention is peer-reviewed medical or dental literature.

Healthcare benefits that are available as a result of your employment, or the employment of your spouse, and that are offered by an employer or through membership in an employee organization. Healthcare coverage may be insured or indemnity coverage, self-insured or self-funded coverage, or coverage through health maintenance organizations or other managed care plans. Healthcare coverage purchased through membership in an organization is also “group health coverage.”

A physician or other healthcare professional licensed, accredited, or certified to perform specified health services consistent with state law.

Hospice is a program for caring for the terminally ill patient that emphasizes supportive services, such as home care and pain and symptom control, rather than curative care.  If you make a hospice election, you are not entitled to receive other healthcare services that are related to the terminal illness. If you have made a hospice election, you may revoke that election at any time, and your standard health benefits will be covered.

Certain Hospital Acquired Conditions, as defined by Medicare, including things like wrong-site surgeries, transfusion with the wrong blood type, pressure ulcers (bedsores), falls or trauma, and nosocomial infections (hospital-acquired infections) associated with surgeries or catheters, that are directly related to the provision of an inpatient covered service at a Plan provider.

Hospital outpatient services you get while your physician decides whether to admit you as an inpatient or discharge you. You can get observation services in the emergency department or another area of the hospital.

Our allowance is the amount we use to determine our payment and your coinsurance for covered services. We determine our allowance as follows:

• For services and items provided by Kaiser Permanente, the applicable charges in the Plan’s schedule of Kaiser Permanente charges for services and items provided to Plan members.
• For services and items for which a provider (other than Kaiser Permanente) is compensated on a capitation basis, the charges in the schedule of charges that Kaiser Permanente negotiates with the capitated provider.
• For items obtained at a pharmacy owned and operated by Kaiser Permanente, the amount the pharmacy would charge a Plan member for the item if a Plan member’s benefit plan did not cover the item. This amount is an estimate of: the cost of acquiring, storing, and dispensing drugs, the direct and indirect costs of providing Kaiser Permanente pharmacy services and items to Plan members, and the pharmacy program’s contribution to the net revenue requirements of the Plan.
• For all other services and items, the payments that Kaiser Permanente makes for the services and items, or if Kaiser Permanente subtracts cost-sharing from its payment, the amount the Kaiser Permanente would have paid if it did not subtract cost-sharing.

You should also see Important Notice About Surprise Billing – Know Your Rights in Section 4 that describes your protections against surprise billing under the No Surprises Act.

Any claims that are not pre-service claims. In other words, post-service claims are those claims where treatment has been performed and the claims have been sent to us in order to apply for benefits.

Those claims (1) that require precertification, prior approval, or a referral and (2) where failure to obtain precertification, prior approval, or a referral results in a reduction of benefits.

A claim for medical care or treatment is an urgent care claim if waiting for the regular time limit for non-urgent care claims could have one of the following impacts:

• Waiting could seriously jeopardize your life or health;
• Waiting could seriously jeopardize your ability to regain maximum function; or
• In the opinion of a physician with knowledge of your medical condition, waiting would subject you to severe pain that cannot be adequately managed without the care or treatment that is the subject of the claim.

Urgent care claims involve Pre-service claims and not Post-service claims. We will determine whether or not a claim is an urgent care claim by applying the judgment of a prudent layperson who possesses an average knowledge of health and medicine.

If you believe your claim qualifies as an urgent care claim, please contact our Member Services at 404-261-2590 (locally in the metropolitan Atlanta area) or 888-865-5813 (long distance). You may also prove that your claim is an urgent care claim by providing evidence that a physician with knowledge of your medical condition has determined that your claim involves urgent care.

$15 per primary care office visit (Nothing for children through age 17)
$30 per specialty care office visit

(Applies to printed brochure only)

$500 per admission
$250 per admission for maternity

(Applies to printed brochure only)

$150 per visit

(Applies to printed brochure only)

$200 per visit

(Applies to printed brochure only)

Regular cost-sharing

(Applies to printed brochure only)

$5 copay preferred generic, $10 copay non-preferred generic, $45 copay preferred and non-preferred brand drugs, $100 copay specialty drugs
Up to a 90-day supply of most drugs for 2 copays through our mail order program

(Applies to printed brochure only)

$15 copay preferred generic, $25 copay non-preferred, $55 copay preferred and non-preferred brand drugs, $100 copay specialty drugs

(Applies to printed brochure only)

Various cost-shares based on procedure

(Applies to printed brochure only)

$30 per office visit

(Applies to printed brochure only)

See Section 5(h) for more information

(Applies to printed brochure only)

Nothing after $4,000 for Self Only enrollment or $8,000 for Self and Family enrollment. Some costs do not count toward this protection. 

(Applies to printed brochure only)

$20 per primary care office visit (Nothing for children through age 17)
$40 per specialty care office visit

(Applies to printed brochure only)

$750 per admission
Nothing per admission for maternity

(Applies to printed brochure only)

$200 per visit

(Applies to printed brochure only)

$200 per visit

(Applies to printed brochure only)

Regular cost-sharing

(Applies to printed brochure only)

$5 copay preferred generic, $10 copay non-preferred generic, $45 copay preferred brand drugs, $55 copay non-preferred brand drugs, $150 copay specialty drugs

Up to a 90-day supply of most drugs for 2 copays through our mail order program

(Applies to printed brochure only)

$20 copay preferred generic, $25 copay non-preferred generic, $55 copay preferred brand drug, $65 copay non-preferred brand drug, $150 copay specialty drugs

(Applies to printed brochure only)

Various cost-shares based on procedure

(Applies to printed brochure only)

$40 per visit

(Applies to printed brochure only)

See Section 5(h) for more information

(Applies to printed brochure only)

Nothing after $5,000 for Self Only enrollment or $10,000 for Self and Family enrollment. Some costs do not count toward this protection.

(Applies to printed brochure only)

$250 per person
$500 per family

(Applies to printed brochure only)

$20 per primary care office visit
$40 per specialty care office visit

(Applies to printed brochure only)

$250* per visit

(Applies to printed brochure only)

$750* per admission

(Applies to printed brochure only)

$250 per visit

(Applies to printed brochure only)

Regular cost-sharing

(Applies to printed brochure only)

$20 copay preferred generic, $25 copay non-preferred generic, $55 copay preferred brand drugs, $75copay non-preferred drugs, $200 copay specialty drugs

(Applies to printed brochure only)

$5 copay preferred generic, $10 copay non-preferred generic, $45 copay preferred brand drugs, $65 copay non-preferred brand drugs, $200 copay specialty drugs
Up to a 90-day supply of most drugs for 2 copays through our mail order program

(Applies to printed brochure only)

Various cost-share based on procedure

(Applies to printed brochure only)

$40 per visit

(Applies to printed brochure only)

See Section 5(h) for more information

(Applies to printed brochure only)

Nothing after $6,500 for Self Only enrollment or $13,000 for Self and Family enrollment.  Some costs do not count toward this protection.

(Applies to printed brochure only)