For changes
in benefits see page 7. Sponsored and administered by:
American Foreign Service Protective Association
Who may enroll in this Plan: You must be, or become, a member of the
American Foreign Service Protective Association.
To become a member: When you enroll in the Foreign Service Benefit
Plan, you automatically become a member of the Protective Association. New
membership in the Protective Association is
limited to American Foreign
Service personnel and direct hire employees (i. e., eligible for FEHB insurance)
working for (1) the Department of State (2) the Department of Defense (3) the
Agency
for International Development (4) the Foreign Commercial Service (5)
the Foreign Agricultural Service; and to Executive Branch civilian employees
assigned overseas or to U. S. possessions and
territories; and the direct
hire domestic employees assigned to support those activities.
Direct hire
employees and Executive Branch civilian employees must enroll in the Health Plan
when actively employed in order to retain or choose the Plan in retirement. Only
annuitants who are
eligible under the Foreign Service Retirement System may
enroll under this Plan as annuitants.
Membership dues: There are no
membership dues. Membership is for life.
Enrollment codes for this Plan:
401 High Option -Self Only 402 High Option -Self and Family
Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company, the underwriter for the FOREIGN SERVICE
BENEFIT PLAN has received accreditation from URAC (also known as the
American Accreditation
Healthcare Commission), for Health Utilization
Manage-ment Standards. See the 2002 Guide for more informa-tion
on
accreditation. 1
1 Page
2 3
Table of Contents
2002 Foreign Service Benefit Plan 2
Table of Contents
Introduction
................................................................................................................................................................................................
4
Plain Language
...........................................................................................................................................................................................
4
Inspector General Advisory
.......................................................................................................................................................................
4
Section 1. Facts about this fee-for-service plan
...................................................................................................................................
5-6
Section 2. How we change for 2002
........................................................................................................................................................
7
Section 3. How you get care
...............................................................................................................................................................
8-12
Identification cards
..................................................................................................................................................................
8
Where you get covered care
................................................................................................................................................
8-9
Covered providers
.........................................................................................................................................................
8
Covered facilities
...........................................................................................................................................................
9
What you must do to get covered care
................................................................................................................................
10
How to get approval for
..................................................................................................................................................
10-12
Your hospital stay (precertification)
......................................................................................................................
10-12
Other services
..............................................................................................................................................................
12
Section 4. Your costs for covered services
......................................................................................................................................
13-17
Copayments
.................................................................................................................................................................
13
Deductible
....................................................................................................................................................................
13
Coinsurance
.................................................................................................................................................................
13
Differences between our allowance and the bill
...................................................................................................
13-15
Your out-of-pocket maximum
..............................................................................................................................................
15
When government facilities bill us
......................................................................................................................................
15
If we overpay you
.................................................................................................................................................................
15
When you are age 65 or over and you do not have
Medicare
...........................................................................................
16
When you have Medicare
.....................................................................................................................................................
17
Section 5. Benefits
.............................................................................................................................................................................
18-51
Overview
...............................................................................................................................................................................
18
(a) Medical services and supplies provided by
physicians and other health care professionals
................................. 19-27
(b) Surgical
and anesthesia services provided by physicians and other health care
professionals ............................. 28-31
(c)
Services provided by a hospital or other facility, and ambulance services
............................................................ 32-36
(d) Emergency services/ accidents
..................................................................................................................................
37-38
(e) Mental health and substance abuse benefits
............................................................................................................
39-44
(f) Prescription drug benefits
.........................................................................................................................................
45-47
(g) Special features
..............................................................................................................................................................
48
Flexible benefits option
............................................................................................................................................
48
24 hour nurse line
.....................................................................................................................................................
48
Centers of excellence for tissue and organ
transplants
...........................................................................................
48
(h) Dental benefits
..........................................................................................................................................................
49-50
(i) Non-FEHB benefits available to Plan members
...........................................................................................................
51 2
2 Page 3 4
Section 6. General exclusions things we don't cover
......................................................................................................................
52
Section 7. Filing a claim for covered services
.................................................................................................................................
53-54
Section 8. The disputed claims process
............................................................................................................................................
55-56
Section 9. Coordinating benefits with other coverage
.....................................................................................................................
57-61
When you have other health coverage
............................................................................................................................
57
Original Medicare
.......................................................................................................................................................
57-59
Medicare managed care plan
...........................................................................................................................................
60
TRICARE/ Workers Compensation/ Medicaid
............................................................................................................
60-61
When other Government agencies are responsible for
your care
..................................................................................
61
When others are responsible for
injuries.........................................................................................................................
61
Section 10. Definitions of terms we use in this
brochure
................................................................................................................
62-64
Section 11. FEHB facts
.....................................................................................................................................................................
65-66
Coverage information
......................................................................................................................................................
65-66
No pre-existing condition limitation
...........................................................................................................................
65
Where you get information about enrolling in the FEHB
Program
..........................................................................
65
Types of coverage available for you and your family
...............................................................................................
65
When benefits and premiums start
.............................................................................................................................
65
Your medical and claims records are confidential
.....................................................................................................
65
When you
retire............................................................................................................................................................
66
When you lose benefits
........................................................................................................................................................
66
When FEHB coverage ends
..........................................................................................................................................
66
Spouse equity
coverage................................................................................................................................................
66
Temporary Continuation of Coverage (TCC)
.............................................................................................................
66
Converting to individual coverage
..............................................................................................................................
66
Getting a Certificate of Group Health Plan Coverage
................................................................................................
66
Long term care insurance is coming later in 2002
.................................................................................................................................
67
INDEX......................................................................................................................................................................................................
68
Summary of benefits
...........................................................................................................................................................................
70-71
Rates
...........................................................................................................................................................................................
Back cover
2002 Foreign Service Benefit Plan 3 Table of Contents 3
3 Page 4 5
2002 Foreign Service Benefit Plan 4
Introduction/ Plain Language/ Advisory
Introduction
Foreign
Service Benefit Plan Phone: 202/ 833-4910 1716 N Street, NW Fax: 202/ 833-4918
Washington, DC 20036-2902 E-mail: afspa@ afspa. org
This brochure
describes the benefits of the Foreign Service Benefit Plan under our
contract (CS 1062) with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), as authorized
by the Federal Employees Health Benefits law. This brochure is the official
statement of benefits. No oral statement can modify or otherwise affect the
benefits, limitations, and exclusions of this brochure.
If you are enrolled
in this Plan, you are entitled to the benefits described in this brochure. If
you are enrolled for Self and Family coverage, each eligible family member is
also entitled to these benefits. You do not have a right to benefits that were
available
before January 1, 2002, unless those benefits are also shown in
this brochure.
OPM negotiates benefits and rates with each plan annually.
Benefit changes are effective January 1, 2002, and changes are summarized on
page 7. Rates are shown at the end of this brochure.
Plain Language
Teams of Government and health plans' staff worked
on all FEHB brochures to make them responsive, accessible, and understand-able
to the public. For instance,
Except for necessary technical terms, we use common words. For instance,
"you" means the enrollee or family member; "we" means the Foreign Service
Benefit Plan.
We limit acronyms to ones you know. FEHB is the Federal Employees Health
Benefits Program. OPM is the Office of Personnel Management. If we use others,
we tell you what they mean first.
Our brochure and other FEHB plans'
brochures have the same format and similar descriptions to help you compare
plans.
If you have comments or suggestions about how to improve the
structure of this brochure, let us know. Visit OPM's "Rate Us" feedback area at
www. opm. gov/ insure or e-mail OPM at fehbwebcomments@ opm. gov. You may also
write to OPM at the Office of
Personnel Management, Office of Insurance
Planning and Evaluation Division, 1900 E Street, NW, Washington, DC 20415-3650.
Inspector General Advisory
Stop health care fraud! Fraud increases
the cost of health care for everyone. If you suspect that a physician, pharmacy,
or hospital has charged you for services you did not receive, billed you
twice for the same service, or misrepresented any information, do the
following:
Call the provider and ask for an explanation. There may be an
error.
If the provider does not resolve the matter, call us at 202/
833-4910 and explain the situation.
If we do not resolve the issue, call or write
THE HEALTH CARE FRAUD
HOTLINE 202/ 418-3300
The United States Office of Personnel Management
Office of the Inspector General Fraud Hotline
1900 E Street, NW, Room 6400
Washington, DC 20415
Penalties for Fraud Anyone who falsifies a claim to obtain FEHB
Program benefits can be prosecuted for fraud. Also, the Inspector General may
investigate anyone who uses an ID card if the
person tries to obtain
services for someone who is not an eligible family member, or is no longer
enrolled in the Plan and tries to obtain benefits. Your agency may also take
administrative action against you. 4
4 Page 5 6
Section 1. Facts
about this fee-for-service plan
This Plan is a fee-for-service (FFS)
plan. You can choose your own physicians, hospitals, and other health care
providers.
We reimburse you or your provider for your covered services, usually based on
a percentage of the amount we allow. The type and extent of covered services,
and the amount we allow, may be different from other plans. Read brochures
carefully.
We also have Preferred Provider Organizations (PPO):
Our
fee-for-service Plan offers services through a PPO. When you use our PPO
providers, you will receive covered services at reduced cost. Contact us for the
names of PPO providers and to verify their continued participation. Access our
PPO directory
either through Mutual of Omaha's web site, www. mutualofomaha.
com, or as a link through our web site www. afspa. org or call 202/ 833-4910 for
information concerning the PPO. You can also go to our web page, which you can
reach through the FEHB
web site, www. opm. gov/ insure. Do not call OPM or
your agency for our provider directory.
The non-PPO benefits are the
standard benefits of this Plan. PPO benefits apply only when you use a PPO
provider and reside in a PPO Network Area. Provider networks may be more
extensive in some areas than others. We cannot guarantee the availability
of
every specialty in all areas. The selection of PPO providers is solely the
Plan's responsibility. We cannot guarantee the continued participation of any
specific provider. In the PPO Network Areas, if no PPO provider is available, or
you do not use a
PPO provider, the standard non-PPO benefits apply.
Follow these procedures when you use a PPO provider in order to receive PPO
benefits:
Verify with us that your address of record is in a PPO area. Our records
must reflect that you reside in a PPO area;
Verify that the
provider is in the PPO network when you make your appointment;
Present your PPO Identification Card at the time you visit your healthcare
provider, confirming your PPO participation to be eligible for PPO benefits. If
you do not present your PPO ID Card, the provider may not accept our
PPO
discount;
Do not pay a PPO provider at the time of service. PPO
providers must bill us directly. We must reimburse the provider directly. PPO
providers will bill you for any balance after our payment to them.
This Plan offers its members in certain areas the opportunity to reduce
out-of-pocket expenses by choosing facilities and providers that participate in
the Plan's Preferred Provider Organization (PPO). The following are considered
PPO Network Areas:
the Washington, D. C. metropolitan and Greater
Baltimore areas, and certain areas of the following States
Alabama
Indiana New Hampshire South Carolina Arizona Iowa New Jersey
Tennessee
Arkansas Louisiana New Mexico Texas California Maine
New York Utah
Colorado Maryland North Carolina Virginia
Connecticut Massachusetts Ohio Washington
Delaware Michigan
Oklahoma West Virginia Florida Minnesota Oregon Wisconsin
Georgia Missouri Pennsylvania Illinois Nevada Rhode Island
Consider the PPO cost savings when you review Plan benefits, and if you live
in these areas, check with the Plan to find out which local facilities and
providers are PPO providers. Check with your doctor to see if he or she has
admitting privileges at a
PPO hospital.
2002 Foreign Service Benefit Plan 5 Section 1 5
5 Page 6 7
2002 Foreign Service Benefit Plan 6 Section 1
How we pay providers
We generally reimburse our PPO providers
based on an agreed-upon fee schedule. We do not offer them additional financial
incentives based on care provided or not provided to you. Our standard provider
agreements do not contain any contractual
provisions that include incentives
to restrict the providers' ability to communicate with and advise you of any
appropriate treatment options. Also, we have no compensation, ownership or other
influential interests that are likely to affect provider advice
or treatment
decisions.
Your Rights
OPM requires that all FEHB plans provide certain
information to their FEHB members. You may get information about us, our
networks, providers, and facilities. OPM's FEHB website (www. opm. gov/ insure)
lists the specific types of information that we
must make available to you.
Some of the required information is listed below.
Years in existence
and profit status -The American Foreign Service Protective Association was
established in 1929 and was incorporated in 1941 as a 501( c)( 9) not-for-profit
organization. The Foreign Service Benefit Plan is provided in conjunction
with the Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company. The Mutual of Omaha Insurance
Company was organized in 1909 as a mutual legal reserve system (private).
Licensing and certification -The Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company
meets all State and Federal licensing and certification requirements.
Fiscal solvency, confidentiality and transfer of medical records -The
Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company meets all requirements for fiscal solvency,
confidentiality and transfer of medical records.
If you want more
information about us, call 202/ 833-4910, or write to the Foreign Service
Benefit Plan, 1716 N Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036-2902. You may also contact
us by fax at 202/ 833-4918, by e-mail at afspa@ afspa. org or visit our website
at www. afspa. org. 6
6 Page
7 8
2002 Foreign Service Benefit Plan
7 Section 2
Section 2. How we change for 2002
Do not
rely on these change descriptions; this page is not an official statement of
benefits. For that, go to Section 5 Benefits. Also, we edited and clarified
language throughout the brochure; any language change not shown here is a
clarification that does
not change benefits.
Program-wide changes
We changed the
address for sending disputed claims to OPM. (Section 8)
The following four
states have been added to the list of medically underserved states for 2002:
Georgia, Montana, North Dakota and Texas. Louisiana has been removed from the
list of medically underserved states for 2002.
Changes to this Plan
Your share of the premium will increase by
7.7% for Self Only and 6.4% for Self and Family.
We clarified the brochure
to better explain that the non-PPO benefits are the standard benefits of this
Plan, that PPO benefits apply only when you use a PPO provider and that when no
PPO provider is available, non-PPO benefits apply.
We have added to your PPO service area. In addition to the states
that had PPO providers last year, portions of the following states are now also
considered within the PPO service area: Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Maine,
Michigan, Minnesota,
Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon,
Utah, West Virginia and Wisconsin. We have also increased areas in Indiana and
Tennessee. (Section 1)
We have increased your routine physical exam benefit from a maximum
of $500 per person per calendar year to a maximum of $750 per person per
calendar year, subject to the calendar year deductible and appropriate
coinsurance. (Section 5( a))
We have changed the current mammogram
schedule to allow one mammogram per calendar year, starting at age 35 subject to
the calendar year deductible and appropriate coinsurance. (Section 5( a))
We no longer limit total blood cholesterol tests to certain age groups. (Section
5( a))
We now cover routine screening for chlamydial infection. (Section
5( a))
We have added Chiropractor benefits, subject to the calendar
year deductible and appropriate coinsurance. The Plan limits benefits to a
maximum payable of $20 per visit with a 30-visit maximum per person per calendar
year. (Section 5( a))
We have expanded covered providers of acupuncture to include
Oriental Medical Doctors (O. M. D. 's) and Licensed Acupuncturists (L. Ac. 's).
We have limited the benefit to a maximum payable of $20 per visit with a
30-visit maximum per
person per calendar year subject to the calendar year
deductible and appropriate coinsurance. (Section 5( a))
We changed
speech therapy benefits by removing the requirement that services must be
required to restore functional speech and have added a 90-visit combined maximum
per person per calendar year for physical, speech and occupational therapies
subject to the calendar year deductible and appropriate coinsurance. (Section
5( a))
We have increased your Smoking cessation benefit from a
maximum payable of $100 for one smoking cessation program per member per
lifetime to a maximum payable of $100 for one program per person per 12 months
subject to the calendar year
deductible and appropriate coinsurance. Over the counter smoking cessation
drugs and supplies are included in the $100 maximum payable per person per 12
months. (Section 5( a)) Prescription drugs for smoking cessation are now covered
under
your Prescription drug benefit. (Section 5( f))
We now cover
certain intestinal transplants. (Section 5( b)) 7
7
Page 8 9
2002
Foreign Service Benefit Plan 8 Section 3
Section 3. How you
get care
Identification cards We will send you a combined Foreign
Service Benefit Plan/ PAID Prescription Drug Identification Card (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. Until you receive your ID card, use your copy
of
the Health Benefits Election Form, SF-2809, your health benefits
enrollment confirmation (for annuitants), or your Employee Express confirmation
letter. Call us if
you need to purchase prescriptions and have not received
your card.
If you do not receive your ID card within 60 days after the
effective date of your enrollment, or if you need replacement cards, call us at
202/ 833-4910.
Where you get covered care You can get care from any "covered
provider" or "covered facility." How much we pay and you pay depends on the
type of covered provider or facility you use. If you use
our preferred
providers, you will pay less.
Covered providers We consider the
following to be covered providers when they perform covered services within the
scope of their license or certification:
Physician Doctors of medicine (M. D.), osteopathy (D. O.),
podiatric medicine (D. P. M.) and for certain specified services covered by this
Plan, doctors of dental
surgery (D. D. S.), medical dentistry (D. M. D.),
optometry (O. D.), chiropractic (D. C.), and Oriental Medicine (O. M. D.)
Other covered providers include:
Qualified Clinical Psychologist
An individual who has earned either a Doctoral or Masters degree in
psychology or an allied discipline and who is licensed or certified
in the state where services are performed (such as Licensed Professional
Counselors).
Nurse Midwife A person who is certified by the
American College of Nurse Midwives or is licensed or certified as a nurse
midwife in states requiring licensure
or certification.
Nurse Practitioner / Clinical Specialist A
person who 1) has an active R. N. license in the United States, 2) has a
baccalaureate or higher degree in nursing, and
3) is licensed or certified as a nurse practitioner or clinical nurse
specialist in states requiring licensure or certification.
Clinical Social Worker A social worker who 1) has a Masters or
Doctoral degree in social work, 2) has at least two years of clinical social
work practice, and
3) in states requiring licensure, certification, or
registration, is licensed, certified, or registered as a social worker where the
services are rendered.
Licensed Acupuncturist (L. Ac.) An individual who has completed
the required schooling and licensure to perform acupuncture in the state where
services are
performed (see definition of acupuncture, Section 5( a)).
Nursing School Administered Clinic A clinic that is 1) licensed or
certified in the state where the services are performed, and 2) provides
ambulatory care in an
outpatient setting primarily in rural or inner city areas where there is a
shortage of physicians. Services billed by these clinics are considered
outpatient "office"
services rather than facility charges.
Physician Assistant A person who is licensed, registered or certified
in the state where services are performed.
Audiologist A person who is licensed, registered or certified in
the state where services are performed.
Medically underserved areas. Note: We cover any licensed medical
practitioner for any covered service performed within the scope of that license
in states OPM
determines are "medically underserved." For 2002, the states
are: Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New
Mexico, North Dakota, South
Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and
Wyoming. 8
8 Page 9
10
2002 Foreign Service Benefit Plan 9
Section 3
Covered facilities Covered facilities include:
Birthing Center A licensed facility that is equipped and operated
solely to provide prenatal care, to perform uncomplicated spontaneous deliveries
and to
provide immediate postpartum care.
Day Care Center A facility
licensed as a day care center and that provides a planned program of psychiatric
services for patients with mental conditions who
must spend their days, but not nights, under psychiatric supervision, and
that are not for schooling, custodial, recreational, or training services.
Hospice A public or private agency or organization that:
1)
primarily provides inpatient hospice care to terminally ill persons;
2) is
certified by Medicare as such, or is licensed or accredited as such by the
jurisdiction it is in;
3) is supervised by a staff of M. D. 's or D. O. 's at least one of whom must
be on call at all times;
4) provides 24-hour-a-day nursing services under
the direction of an R. N. and has a full-time administrator; and
5) provides
an ongoing quality assurance program.
Hospital
1) An
institution that is accredited as a hospital under the hospital accreditation
program of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations
(JCAHO); or
2) Any other institution that is operated pursuant to law,
under the supervision of a staff of doctors and with 24-hour-a-day nursing
services, and that is primarily
engaged in providing:
a) General inpatient care and treatment of sick and
injured persons through medical, diagnostic and major surgical facilities, all
of which facilities must be
provided on its premises or under its control; or
b) Specialized
inpatient medical care and treatment of sick or injured persons through medical
and diagnostic facilities (including X-ray and laboratory) on
its premises, under its control, or through a written agreement with a
hospital (as defined above) or with a specialized provider of those facilities.
3) For inpatient and outpatient treatment of alcohol and drug abuse, the term
hospital also includes a free-standing alcohol and drug abuse treatment facility
approved by the JCAHO.
In no event shall the term hospital include a
convalescent nursing home or institution or part thereof that:
1) is used principally as a convalescent facility, rest facility, nursing
facility or facility for the aged;
2) furnishes primarily domiciliary or
custodial care, including training in the routines of daily living; or
3) is
operated as a school.
Skilled Nursing Facility An institution or
that part of an institution, which provides convalescent skilled nursing care
24-hours-a-day and is classified as a
skilled nursing facility under
Medicare. 9
9 Page
10 11
2002 Foreign Service Benefit
Plan 10 Section 3
What you must do to It depends on the
kind of care you want to receive. You can go to any covered get covered care
provider you want, but we must approve some care in advance.
Transitional care: Specialty care: If you have a chronic or disabling
condition and
lose access to your specialist because we drop out of the
Federal Employees Health (FEHB) Program and you enroll in another FEHB Plan, or
lose access to your PPO specialist because we terminate our contract with
your specialist for other than cause,
you may be able to continue seeing your specialist and receiving any PPO
benefits 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
and any PPO benefits continue until the end of your postpartum care, even if
it is beyond the 90 days.
Hospital care: 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 customer
service department immediately at 202/
833-4910.
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; or
The day your benefits from your former plan run out; or
The 92nd day
after you become a member of this Plan, whichever happens first.
These provisions apply only to the benefits of the hospitalized person.
How to Get Approval for Your hospital, skilled nursing
Precertification is the process by which prior to your inpatient
hospital, skilled facility or hospice stay, or nursing facility or
hospice admission, or receiving home health care we evaluate the
home health care medical necessity of your proposed stay or treatment
and the number of days required (See Other services (page 12) for to
treat your condition. Unless we are misled by the information given to us, we
obtaining approval for Mental won't change our decision on medical
necessity. Health/ Substance Abuse Treatment)
In most cases, your
physician, hospital, skilled nursing facility, hospice or home health agency
will take care of precertification. Because you are still responsible for
ensuring
that we are asked to precertify your care, you should always ask
them if they have contacted us.
Warning: We will reduce our benefits for the inpatient hospital stay
by $500 if no one contacts us for precertification. Also, we will reduce our
benefits for skilled nursing facility,
hospice or home health care if no one
contacts us for precertification. See below and pages 11-12 for more information
on skilled nursing facility, hospice and home health
care. In addition, if
the stay or care is not medically necessary, we will not pay any benefits.
How to precertify a hospital, You, your representative, your doctor,
hospital, skilled nursing facility, hospice or skilled nursing facility or
home health agency must call Mutual of Omaha's Care Review Unit before the
hospice admission, or home admission or care. The toll-free number is
1-800/ 228-0286. health care
Provide the following information:
Enrollee's name and Plan identification number; Patient's name, birth
date, and phone number;
Reason for hospitalization or proposed treatment; Name of hospital,
facility or home health agency;
Name and phone number of admitting doctor;
and Number of planned days of confinement or care. 10
10 Page 11 12
2002 Foreign Service Benefit Plan 11 Section
3
If you have an emergency admission due to a condition that you
reasonably believe puts your life in danger or could cause serious damage to
bodily function, you, your
representative, your doctor or your hospital must
telephone us within two business days following the day of the emergency
admission, even if you have been
discharged from the hospital.
For
hospital confinements, when the preceding requirements are met, the Care Review
Unit will tell the doctor and hospital the number of approved days of
confinement for the care of the patient's condition.
For home health
care, hospice care or skilled nursing facility care, when the preceding
requirements are met, the Care Review Unit will notify the patient, the
doctor, and the facility or agency that the care is, or is not, certified as
medically necessary.
The Plan will send you, your doctor, and the hospital written confirmation
of our certification decision. If the length of stay or care needs to be
extended, follow the
procedure below.
Maternity care You do not
need to precertify a maternity admission for a routine delivery. However, if
your medical condition requires you to stay more than 48 hours after a vaginal
delivery
or 96 hours after a cesarean section, then your physician or the hospital
must contact us for precertification of additional days. Further, if your baby
stays after you are
discharged, then your physician or the hospital must
contact us within 2 business days for precertification of additional days for
your baby.
If your hospital stay If your hospital stay including for maternity
care needs to be extended, you, your needs to be extended:
representative, your doctor or the hospital must ask us to approve the
additional days.
What happens when you When we precertified the
hospital admission but you remained in the hospital do not follow the
beyond the number of days we approved and did not get the additional days
precertification rules precertified, then:
for the part of the
admission that was medically necessary, we will pay inpatient benefits, but
for the part of the admission that was not medically necessary, we will pay
only covered medical services and supplies otherwise payable on an outpatient
basis
and will not pay inpatient benefits.
When we precertified the
care in a skilled nursing facility, hospice or for home health care, you
received treatment beyond the approved care and did not get the
additional
care precertified, then:
for the part of the admission or care that was
medically necessary, we will provide full benefits as stated on pages 26 and 35,
but
for the part of the admission to the skilled nursing facility that was not
medically necessary, we will pay only covered medical services and supplies
otherwise
payable on an outpatient basis; and
for the part of the home
health care that was not medically necessary, we will not pay benefits.
If no one contacted us, we will decide if the hospital, skilled nursing
facility or hospice stay, or home health care was medically necessary.
If
we determine that the hospital stay was medically necessary, we will pay the
inpatient hospital charges, less the $500 penalty.
If we determine that it
was not medically necessary for you to be an inpatient, we will not pay
inpatient hospital benefits. We will pay only covered medical
supplies and
services that are otherwise payable on an outpatient basis.
If we
determine that the care you received in a skilled nursing facility or hospice
was not medically necessary, we will pay only covered medical supplies and
services that are otherwise payable on an outpatient basis.
If we
determine that the home health care you received was not medically necessary, we
will not pay benefits. 11
11 Page 12 13
2002 Foreign
Service Benefit Plan 12 Section 3
If we denied the
precertification request
for hospitalization, we will not pay inpatient
hospital benefits, we will pay only covered medical supplies and services that
are otherwise payable on an outpatient
basis;
for skilled nursing facility or hospice admission, we will pay
only covered medical supplies and services that are otherwise payable on an
outpatient basis; and
for home health care, we will not pay benefits.
Exceptions: You
do not need precertification in these cases:
You are admitted to a
hospital outside the 50 United States.
You have another group health
insurance policy that is the primary payer for the hospital stay.
Your Medicare Part A is the primary payer for the hospital stay. Note: If
you exhaust your Medicare hospital benefits and do not want to use your Medicare
lifetime reserve days or you have no Medicare lifetime reserve days left,
then we will become the primary payer and you must precertify.
Other services Some services require prior authorization.
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Benefits
You must precertify
all inpatient admissions for mental health and substance abuse treatment. See
sections on preceding pages for details and the penalty.
You must preauthorize outpatient mental health and substance abuse
treatment for all levels of care whether in or out-of-network. You or your
health care
provider must call our preauthorization number at 1-800/
228-0286 to preauthorize.
You must obtain concurrent review (which means review of continuing
treatment) and follow your treatment plan for all levels of care whether in or
out-of-
network. You or your health care provider must call our
preauthorization number at 1-800/ 228-0286 to obtain concurrent review.
Note: We conduct concurrent review (which means review of continuing
treatment) to determine the medical necessity and/ or appropriateness of ongoing
services. Review frequency is based on the severity and complexity of your
condition. We may perform an on-site review of your medical records to ensure
continuity of care.
Note: A treatment plan is a detailed statement of
the objectives and goals to be achieved within a clinical setting developed by
your treating professional. The
plan may also include the therapeutic
modality to be used as well as the frequency of services and estimated length of
treatment.
If you do not preauthorize your care, obtain concurrent review, or
do not follow your treatment plan, we will reduce any available benefits by 50%
of what we
would have paid had you preauthorized, obtained concurrent review
or followed your treatment plan. See pages 39-44 for details.
Note: We do not require precertification, preauthorization or concurrent
review if you receive treatment outside of the United States or when Medicare
Part A and/
or Part B, or another group health insurance policy is the
primary payer. Precertification, preauthorization and concurrent review is
required, however,
when Medicare or the other group health insurance policy
stops paying benefits for any reason. 12
12 Page 13 14
2002 Foreign
Service Benefit Plan 13 Section 4
Section 4. Your costs for
covered services
This is what you will pay out-of-pocket for your
covered care:
Copayments A copayment is a fixed amount of money you
pay to the provider, facility, pharmacy, etc., when you receive services.
Example:
When you purchase prescriptions from a network pharmacy with
the use of your combination Foreign Service Benefit Plan/ PAID Prescription Drug
Identification
Card, you pay a copayment of $10 for generic or $20 for brand name
prescriptions. When you purchase prescriptions from the Merck-Medco Home
Delivery Pharmacy
service by mail, you pay a copayment of $15 for generic or
$25 for brand name prescriptions.
When you are confined in a non-PPO hospital or an Out-of-Network hospital,
you pay $200 per person per confinement.
We do not reimburse you for copayments.
Deductible A deductible
is a fixed amount of covered expenses you must incur for certain covered
services and supplies before we start paying benefits for them. We do not
reimburse
you for the deductible. Benefits paid by us do not count towards
the deductible. Copayments and the amount you pay after coinsurance does not
count toward any
deductible.
The calendar year deductible is $300 per
person. Under a family enrollment, the deductible is satisfied for all family
members when the combined covered expenses
applied to the calendar year deductible for family members reach $600.
Expenses are "incurred" on the date on which the service or supply is received.
Note: If you change plans during open season, you do not have to start a new
deductible under your old 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.
Coinsurance Coinsurance is the percentage of our allowance that you
must pay for your care. We will base this percentage on either the billed charge
or the Plan allowance, whichever
is less.
Example: You pay 10% of the
Plan allowance for surgery performed by a PPO provider.
Note: If your provider routinely waives (does not require you to pay) your
copayments, deductibles, or coinsurance, the provider is misstating the fee and
may be violating the
law. In this case, when we calculate our share, we will
reduce the provider's fee by the amount waived.
For example, if your non-PPO physician ordinarily charges $100 for a service
but routinely waives your 30% coinsurance, the actual charge is $70. We will pay
$49
(70% of the actual charge of $70).
Differences between Our
"Plan allowance" is the amount we use to calculate our payment for covered
our allowance and services. Fee-for-service plans arrive at their
allowances in different ways, so their
the bill allowances vary. For
more information about how we determine our Plan allowance, see the definition
of Plan allowance in Section 10.
Often, the provider's bill is more than a fee-for-service plan's allowance.
Whether or not you have to pay the difference between our allowance and the bill
will depend on
the provider you use.
When you live in the Plan's PPO
area, you should use a PPO provider. The following two examples explain how we
will handle your bill when you go to a PPO provider
and when you go to a non-PPO provider. When you use a PPO provider, the
amount you pay is much less. 13
13 Page 14 15
2002 Foreign
Service Benefit Plan 14 Section 4
PPO providers agree to
limit what they will bill you. Because of that, when you use a preferred
provider, your share of covered charges consists only of your
deductible and
coinsurance. Here is an example about coinsurance: You live in one of our PPO
areas and you see a PPO physician who charges $150, but our
allowance is
$100. If you have met your deductible, you are only responsible for your
coinsurance. That is, you pay just 10% of our $100 allowance ($ 10). Because
of the agreement, your PPO physician will not bill you for the $50
difference between our allowance and his bill. Follow these procedures when
you use a PPO
provider in order to receive PPO benefits:
Verify
with us that your address of record is in a PPO area;
When you
phone for an appointment, verify that the physician or facility is still a PPO
provider;
Present your PPO ID card confirming your PPO participation in order to
receive PPO benefits; and
Do not pay a PPO provider at the time of
service. PPO providers must bill us directly. We must reimburse the provider
directly. PPO providers will
bill you for any balance after our payment to
them.
Non-PPO providers, on the other hand, have no agreement
to limit what they will bill you. If you live in one of our PPO areas and you
use a non-PPO provider, you
will pay your deductible and coinsurance plus any difference between
our allowance and charges on the bill. Here is an example: You see a non-PPO
physician who
charges $150 and our allowance is again $100. If you have met
your deductible, you are responsible for your coinsurance, so you pay 30% of our
$100 allowance
($ 30). Plus, because there is no agreement between the
non-PPO physician and us, he can bill you for the $50 difference between our
allowance and his bill.
When you live outside of the PPO Network Area in the United States or outside
of the United States, and use Out-of-Network providers the following example
explains how
we will handle your bill:
Providers outside the PPO
Network Area also have no agreement to limit what they bill you. When you
live overseas, for example, you will pay your deductible
and coinsurance plus any difference between our allowance and charges on the
bill. However, because you do not have a choice of PPO providers, the Plan does
not
penalize you and your coinsurance in this next example is less: You live
overseas and see an Out-of-Network physician who charges $150. Our allowance in
this case
is $150. If you have met your deductible, you are responsible for
your coinsurance, so you pay 20% of our $150 allowance ($ 30). You do not have
any additional
amount to pay. If you live in an area in the United States
where we do not have PPO providers, your coinsurance is still only 20%, but the
Plan allowance for the
doctor's charge might be less. You might have an
additional amount to pay, if his charge exceeds our allowance.
The following table illustrates the examples of how much you have to pay
out-of-pocket for medical services from a PPO physician vs. a non-PPO physician
vs. a
domestic Out-of-Network physician and vs. an overseas physician. The
table uses our example of a service for which the physician charges $150 and our
allowance is $100.
The table shows the amount you pay if you have met your
calendar year deductible.
EXAMPLE PPO physician Non-PPO physician Domestic Out-of-Network Overseas
Physician Physician
Physician's charge $150 $150 $150 $150
Our
allowance We set it at: 100 We set it at: 100 We set it at: 100 We set it at:
150
We pay 90% of our allowance: 90 70% of our allowance: 70 80% of our
allowance: 80 80% of our allowance: 120
You pay:
Coinsurance 10% of our
allowance: 10 30% of our allowance: 30 20% of our allowance: 20 20% of our
allowance: 30
+Difference up to charge? No: 0 Yes: 50 Yes: 50 No: 0
TOTAL YOU PAY 10 80 70 30 14
14 Page 15 16
2002 Foreign
Service Benefit Plan 15 Section 4
Regardless of the provider you
choose, we subject benefits to all provisions of the Plan. Also, we do not
supervise, control or guarantee the health care services of a
preferred
provider or any other provider.
Your catastrophic protection For
those services with coinsurance, we pay 100% of the Plan allowance for the
out-of-pocket maximum remainder of the calendar year when out-of-pocket
expenses for coinsurance,
for deductibles, coinsurance, deductibles and inpatient hospital
copayment in that calendar year exceed and copayments $3,000 for Self
Only and $3,500 for Self and Family enrollment (PPO providers)
$4,000 for
Self Only and $4,500 for Self and Family (non-PPO providers and out-of-network
area).
This out-of-pocket maximum is combined for medical/ surgical and mental
health/ substance abuse.
The out-of-pocket expenses that apply to your
out-of-pocket maximums described above include:
The $200 per confinement
copayment you pay for non-PPO and out-of-network area hospitals;
The 20%
you pay for room and board and other hospital charges in a non-PPO hospital for
medical/ surgical admissions;
The 30% you pay for room and board and other
hospital charges in a non-PPO hospital for mental conditions;
The 10% you
pay for PPO and out-of-network area surgery, the 30% you pay for non-PPO
surgery, and the 20% you pay for assistant surgeons;
The $300 (Self Only)
or $600 (Self and Family) calendar year deductible you pay before the Plan
begins paying benefits on certain services;
The 10% you pay for PPO
providers, the 30% you pay for non-PPO providers, and the 20% you pay for
providers outside the network area;
The 30% you pay for non-PPO doctors
in-hospital and outpatient visits for mental conditions, subject to dollar and
visit limitations;
The 30% you pay for day care in a non-PPO facility
subject to visit limitations; The 50% you pay for non-PPO outpatient group
therapy subject to the dollar
limitations; and The 20% you pay for
purchasing prescriptions from pharmacies outside of the 50
United States or
directly from doctors or other covered facilities.
The following cannot be
counted toward out-of-pocket expense:
Expenses in excess of Plan
allowances or maximum benefit or visit limitations; Expenses for dental care;
Any amounts you pay because benefits have been reduced for non-compliance
with cost containment, precertification or authorization requirements (see pages
10-12);
Copayments you pay for prescription drugs; and Expenses for
prescriptions purchased at pharmacies in the 50 United States without
using
the Plan's combined Foreign Service Benefit Plan/ PAID Prescription Drug
Identification Card or purchased from a source other than the Plan's Merck-Medco
Home Delivery Pharmacy service.
Lifetime maximums We have the
following lifetime maximums: We limit the Hospice benefit to $7,500 per
person when you precertify hospice care
and to $4,500 when you do not
precertify. We limit the Orthodontic benefit to $1,000 per person.
We limit diagnosis and treatment of infertility to a maximum
benefit of $5,000.
When government facilities Facilities of the
Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense, and the bill us
Indian Health Service are entitled to seek reimbursement from us for certain
services
and supplies they provide to you or a family member. They may not
seek more than their governing laws allow.
If we overpay you We will make diligent efforts to recover benefit
payments we made in error but in good faith. We may reduce subsequent benefit
payments to offset overpayments. 15
15 Page 16 17
2002 Foreign
Service Benefit Plan 16 Section 4
When you are age 65 or over
and you do not have Medicare
Under the FEHB law, we must limit our
payments for those benefits you would be entitled to if you had Medicare. And,
your physician and hospital must follow Medicare rules and cannot bill you for
more than they could bill you if you had Medicare.
The following chart has more information about the limits.
If you
are age 65 or over, and
do not have Medicare Part
A, Part B, or both; and
have this Plan as an annuitant or as a former
spouse, or as a family member of an annuitant or former spouse; and
are not employed in a position that gives FEHB coverage. (Your employing office
can tell you if this applies.)
Then, for your inpatient hospital care,
the law requires us to
base our payment on an amount the "equivalent Medicare amount" set by
Medicare's rules for what Medicare would pay, not on the actual charge;
you are responsible for your applicable deductibles, coinsurance, or
copayments you owe under this Plan;
you are not responsible for any
charges greater than the equivalent Medicare amount; we will show that amount on
the explanation of benefits (EOB) form that we send you; and
the law prohibits a hospital from collecting more than the Medicare
equivalent amount.
Our explanation of benefits (EOB) form will tell you how
much your hospital can collect from you. If your hospital tries to collect more
than allowed by law, ask your hospital to reduce the charges. If you have paid
more than allowed, ask for a refund.
If you need further assistance, call
us.
And, for your physician care, the law requires us to base our payment
and your coinsurance on an amount set by Medicare and called the "Medicare
approved amount," or
the actual charge if it is lower than the Medicare
approved amount.
If your physician Then you are responsible for
Participates with Medicare or accepts your deductibles and coinsurance;
Medicare assignment for the claim and is a
PPO provider,
Participates with Medicare and is a non-PPO your
deductibles, coinsurance, and any balance or Out-of-Network provider, up
to the Medicare approved amount;
Does not participate with Medicare (PPO, your deductibles, coinsurance, and
any balance non-PPO or Out-of-Network providers), up to 115% of the Medicare
approved amount
It is generally to your financial advantage to use a
physician who participates with Medicare. Such physicians are permitted to
collect only up to the Medicare approved amount.
Our explanation of benefits
(EOB) form will tell you how much your physician can collect from you. If your
physician tries to collect more than allowed by law, ask your physician to
reduce the charges. If you have paid more than allowed, ask for a
refund. If
you need further assistance, call us. 16
16 Page 17 18
2002 Foreign
Service Benefit Plan 17 Section 4
When you have the We
limit our payment to an amount that supplements the benefits that Medicare would
Original Medicare Plan pay, under Medicare Part A (Hospital insurance)
and Medicare Part B (Medical
(Part A, or Part B, or both) insurance),
regardless of whether Medicare pays. Note: We pay our regular benefits for
emergency services to an institutional provider, such as a hospital, that does
not
participate with Medicare and is not reimbursed by Medicare.
If you are covered by Medicare Part B and it is primary, your out-of-pocket
costs for services that both Medicare Part B and we cover depend on whether your
physician
accepts Medicare assignment for the claim.
If your physician
accepts Medicare assignment, then you pay nothing for covered charges.
If your physician does not accept Medicare assignment, then you pay the
difference between our payment combined with Medicare's payment and the charge.
Note: The physician who does not accept Medicare assignment may not bill you
for more than 115% of the amount Medicare bases its payment on, called the
"limiting
charge." The Medicare Summary Notice (MSN) that Medicare will send
you will have more information about the limiting charge. If your physician
tries to collect more than
allowed by law, ask the physician to reduce the
charges. If the physician does not, report the physician to your Medicare
carrier who sent you the MSN form. Call us if
you need further assistance.
When you have a Medicare A physician may ask you to sign a private
contract agreeing that you can be billed Private Contract with a directly
for services Medicare ordinarily covers. Should you sign an agreement,
physician Medicare will not pay any portion of the charges, and we
will not increase our payment. We will still limit our payment to the amount we
would have paid after
Medicare's payment.
Please see Section 9, Coordinating benefits with other coverage, for
more information about how we coordinate benefits with Medicare. 17
17 Page 18 19
2002 Foreign Service Benefit Plan 18 Section
5
Section 5. Benefits OVERVIEW
(See page 7 for how
our benefits changed this year and pages 70 -71 for a benefits summary.)
NOTE: This benefits section is divided into subsections. Please read
the important things you should keep in mind at the beginning of each
subsection. Also read the General Exclusions in Section 6; they apply to the
benefits in the following
subsections. To obtain claims forms, claims filing advice, or more
information about our benefits, contact us by phone at 202/ 833-4910 or e-mail
at afspa@ afspa. org or at our website at www. afspa. org.
(a) Medical services and supplies provided by physicians and other health
care professionals ................................................ 19-27
Diagnostic and treatment services Hearing services (testing, treatment, and
supplies) Lab, X-ray, and other diagnostic tests Vision services (testing,
treatment, and supplies)
Preventive care, adult Foot care Preventive care, children Orthopedic
and prosthetic devices
Maternity care Durable medical equipment (DME)
Family planning Home health services
Infertility services Chiropractic
Allergy care Alternative treatments
Treatment therapies Educational
classes and programs Physical, occupational and speech therapies
(b) Surgical and anesthesia services provided by physicians and other health
care professionals ............................................ 28-31
Surgical procedures Organ/ tissue transplants Reconstructive surgery
Anesthesia
Oral and maxillofacial surgery
(c) Services provided by a hospital or
other facility, and ambulance services
...........................................................................
32-36
Inpatient hospital Hospice care Outpatient hospital or
ambulatory surgical center Ambulance
Extended care benefits/ Skilled nursing care facility benefits
(d)
Emergency services/ Accidents
................................................................................................................................................
37-38 Medical emergency Ambulance
Accidental injury
(e) Mental
health and substance abuse benefits
...........................................................................................................................
39-44
(f) Prescription drug benefits
........................................................................................................................................................
45-47
(g) Special features
..............................................................................................................................................................................
48
Flexible benefits option Centers of excellence for tissue and organ
transplants 24 hour nurse line Disease management programs
(h) Dental benefits
.........................................................................................................................................................................
49-50
(i) Non-FEHB benefits available to Plan members
...........................................................................................................................
51
SUMMARY OF BENEFITS
...........................................................................................................................................................
70-71 18
18 Page
19 20
2002 Foreign Service Benefit
Plan 19 Section 5 (a)
Here are some important things you
should keep in mind about these benefits:
Please remember that all
benefits are subject to the definitions, limitations, and exclusions in this
brochure and are payable only when we determine they are medically necessary.
The calendar year deductible is: $300 per person ($ 600 per family). The
calendar year deductible applies to almost all benefits in this Section. We
added "( No deductible)" to
show when the calendar year deductible does not
apply.
The non-PPO benefits are the standard benefits of this Plan. PPO
benefits apply only when you use a PPO provider and reside in a Network area.
When no PPO provider is available
in a Network area, non-PPO benefits apply. When you reside Out-of-Network,
Out-of-Network benefits apply.
Be sure to read Section 4, Your costs for covered services, for
valuable information about how cost sharing works, with special sections for
members who are age 65 or over. Also
read Section 9 about coordinating
benefits with other coverage, including with Medicare.
PPO: 10% of the Plan allowance
Non-PPO: 30% of the Plan allowance and any
difference between our allowance and the
billed amount
Out-of-Network Area: 20% of the Plan allowance and any
difference between our
allowance and the billed amount
PPO: 10% of the Plan allowance
Non-PPO: 30% of the Plan allowance and any
difference between our allowance and the
billed amount
Out-of-Network Area: 20% of the Plan allowance and any
difference between
our allowance and the billed amount
Lab, X-ray and other diagnostic tests
continued on next page
Section 5 (a). Medical services and supplies provided by physicians and
other health care professionals
I M
P O
R T
A N
T
I M
P O
R T
A N
T
Benefit Description You pay After the calendar year deductible
NOTE:
The calendar year deductible applies to almost all benefits in this Section. We
say "( No deductible)" when it does not apply.
Diagnostic and treatment
services
Professional services of physicians during a hospital stay,
in the physician's office, at home, or consultations
Second opinion
Psychological tests and pharmacological visits
Medication provided in a physician's office
Drugs and medical supplies
billed by a doctor or other covered facility (not including pharmacies) for use
at home
Not covered: All charges.
Telephone consultations
Procedures, services, drugs, and supplies related to impotency, sex
transformations, sexual dysfunction, or sexual inadequacy
Office visits by a dentist in relation to the removal of impacted teeth
and other dental services. Office visits by a dentist in relation to covered
oral
and maxillofacial surgical procedures are covered.
Lab, X-ray and other diagnostic tests
X-ray, laboratory and
pathology services and machine diagnostic tests
not related to surgery
or preadmission testing 19
19 Page 20 21
Lab, X-ray and
other diagnostic tests (continued) You pay
X-ray,
laboratory and pathology services and machine diagnostic tests
performed within 72 hours before admission to a hospital (preadmission
testing)
X-ray, laboratory and pathology services and machine diagnostic tests
performed within 72 hours of an outpatient surgical procedure
Preventive care, adult
Routine physical examination limited to a
maximum charge of $750 per person, per calendar year
In addition Routine Cancer Screenings limited to: Colorectal Cancer
Screening, limited to
Fecal occult blood test one annually for
members age 40 and older
Sigmoidoscopy, screening one every five
years for members age 50 and older
Breast Cancer Screening (Mammogram) one annually for women age 35 and
older
Cervical Cancer Screening Pap smear one annually for
women age 18 and older
Prostate Cancer Screening Prostate
Specific Antigen (PSA) one annually for men age 40 and older
Other Routine Services limited to:
Non-fasting total blood cholesterol
test once every three consecutive calendar years
Chlamydial screening
Routine immunizations limited to
Tetanus-diphtheria (Td) booster one every 10 consecutive calendar years from
age 19 and over
Influenza vaccine and pneumococcal vaccine one every calendar year, age
65 and over
2002 Foreign Service Benefit Plan 20 Section 5 (a)
PPO: Nothing (No deductible)
Non-PPO: Only the difference between our
allowance and the billed amount (No
deductible)
Out-of-Network Area:
Only the difference between our allowance and the billed
amount (No
deductible)
PPO: 10% of the Plan allowance (No deductible)
Non-PPO: 30% of the Plan allowance and any difference between our allowance
and
the billed amount (No deductible)
Out-of-Network Area: 10% of the
Plan allowance and any difference between our
allowance and the billed
amount (No deductible)
PPO: 10% of the Plan allowance
Non-PPO: 30% of the Plan allowance and any
difference between our allowance and the
billed amount
Out-of-Network
Area: 20% of the Plan allowance and any difference between our
allowance and
the billed amount
PPO: 10% of the Plan allowance
Non-PPO: 30% of the Plan allowance and any
difference between our allowance and the
billed amount
Out-of-Network
Area: 20% of the Plan allowance and any difference between our
allowance and
the billed amount 20
20 Page
21 22
2002 Foreign Service Benefit
Plan 21 Section 5 (a)
Maternity care continued on next page
PPO: 10% of the Plan allowance
Non-PPO: 30% of the Plan allowance and any
difference between our allowance and
the billed amount
Out-of-Network Area: 20% of the Plan allowance and any
difference between our
allowance and the billed amount
PPO: Nothing (No deductible)
Non-PPO:
Only the difference between our allowance and the billed amount (No
deductible)
Out-of-Network Area: Only the difference between our
allowance and the billed amount
(No deductible)
PPO: 10% of the Plan allowance (No Deductible)
Non-PPO: 30% of the Plan
allowance and any difference between our allowance and
the billed amount (No
Deductible)
Out-of-Network Area: 10% of the Plan allowance and any
difference between our
allowance and the billed amount (No Deductible)
See Hospital benefits (Section 5c) and Surgery benefits
(Section 5b).
Note: If your child stays after your discharge and is
covered under a Self and Family
enrollment, you must pay a separate hospital
copayment of $200 for non-PPO and
Out-of-Network facilities. If your
child is not covered under a Self and Family
enrollment you pay all of your
child's
charges after your discharge.
Preventive care, children You pay
Preventive care for children is
limited to:
Well-child visits through 18 months of age.
Note: Well child visits after 18 months of age are covered the same as
routine physical examinations. (See page 20, Preventive care, adult.)
Immunizations for children are limited to:
Childhood
immunizations recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics are covered for
members under age 22.
Maternity care
Complete maternity (obstetrical) care, such as:
Prenatal care
Delivery
Postnatal care
Note: Here are some things to keep in mind:
You do not need to
precertify your normal delivery; see page 11 for other circumstances when you
must precertify, such as extended stays for you or
your baby.
You may remain in the hospital up to 48 hours after a
regular delivery and 96 hours after a cesarean delivery. We will cover an
extended stay, if
medically necessary, but you, your representative, your doctor or your
hospital must precertify.
We consider bassinet or nursery charges during the covered portion of the
mother's maternity stay to be the expenses of the mother and not expenses
of
the newborn child. We consider expenses of the child after the mother's
discharge to be the expenses of the child. We cover these expenses only if
the child is covered by a Self and Family enrollment.
We pay
hospitalization and surgeon services (delivery) the same as for illness and
injury. 21
21 Page
22 23
Maternity care
(continued) You pay
Special Outpatient Care Benefit. When
you receive services:
on an outpatient basis;
at a licensed birthing
center; or
as an inpatient resulting in a hospital confinement of one day
(overnight) or less and no more than one day's room and board charge
the Plan pays 100% of our allowance for covered facility services at the time
of delivery, not subject to the calendar year deductible or inpatient hospital
copayment.
Note: If you or your newborn child is transferred from a
birthing center to a hospital due to medical complications, we will pay the
birthing center expenses
as shown above. If you or your child leave the
hospital against medical advice before a one-day confinement (overnight) is
completed, we will pay our
regular benefits and not our special Outpatient
Care Benefit.
Not covered: All charges.
Reversal of voluntary
surgical sterilization
Procedures, services, drugs, and supplies related
to impotency, sex transformations, sexual dysfunction or sexual inadequacy
Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) procedures, such as artificial
insemination, in vitro fertilization, embryo transfer, and gamete
intrafallopian transfer (GIFT), and services and supplies related to ART
procedures
Procedures, services, drugs, and supplies related to
abortions except when the life of the mother would be endangered if the fetus
were carried
to term or when the pregnancy is the result of an act of rape or incest
Family planning
A broad range of voluntary family planning
services limited to surgery, medicine and IUD's
Surgery limited to:
Voluntary sterilization
Surgery to implant
contraceptives (such as Norplant)
Medicine and IUDs limited to:
Injectable contraceptive drugs (such as
Depo provera)
Intrauterine devices (IUDs)
Diaphragms
Note: We cover FDA-approved drugs, prescriptions, and devices for birth
control covered under the Prescription benefit in Section 5( f).
Not covered: reversal of voluntary surgical sterilization, genetic
counseling All charges.
2002 Foreign Service Benefit Plan 22 Section 5 (a)
PPO: Nothing (No deductible or hospital copayment)
Non-PPO: Only the
difference between our allowance and the billed amount (No
deductible or
hospital copayment)
Out-of-Network Area: Only the difference between our
allowance and the billed amount
(No deductible or hospital copayment)
PPO: 10% of the Plan allowance (No deductible)
Non-PPO: 30% of the Plan
allowance and any difference between our allowance and the
billed amount (No
deductible)
Out-of-Network Area: 10% of the Plan allowance and any
difference between our
allowance and the billed amount (No deductible)
PPO: 10% of the Plan allowance (No deductible on surgery)
Non-PPO: 30% of
the Plan allowance and any difference between our allowance and the
billed
amount (No deductible on surgery)
Out-of-Network: 20% of the Plan allowance
and any difference between our allowance and
the billed amount (No deductible on surgery) 22
22
Page 23 24
Infertility services You pay
Diagnosis and treatment of
infertility, except as shown in Not covered. The maximum payment the Plan
can make is $5,000 per person per lifetime for
the diagnosis and treatment of infertility as defined below.
Diagnosis of
infertility includes:
The initial diagnostic tests and procedures done
solely to identify the cause or causes of the inability to conceive.
The treatment of infertility includes:
Hormone therapy and related
services; and
Medical or surgical services performed solely to create or
enhance the ability to conceive.
Hormone therapy to diagnose or treat infertility is not available under any
other Plan provisions.
Not covered: All charges.
Infertility services after
voluntary sterilization
Assisted reproductive technology (ART)
procedures, such as:
artificial insemination
in vitro fertilization
embryo transfer and gamete
intrafallopian transfer (GIFT)
intravaginal insemination
(IVI)
intracervical insemination (ICI)
intrauterine insemination (IUI)
Services and supplies related to ART procedures
Cost of
donor sperm
Cost of donor egg
Allergy care
Testing, treatment, and injections including
materials (such as allergy serum)
Not covered: provocative food testing, end point titration techniques and
All charges.
sublingual allergy desensitization
2002 Foreign Service Benefit Plan 23 Section 5 (a)
PPO: 10% of the Plan allowance until benefits stop at $5,000; All charges
after the Plan's
maximum payment of $5,000
Non-PPO: 30% of the Plan
allowance and any difference between our allowance and the
billed amount until benefits stop at $5,000; All charges after the Plan's
maximum
payment of $5,000
Out-of-Network Area: 20% of the Plan allowance
and any difference between our
allowance and the billed amount until benefits stop at $5,000; All charges
after the Plan's
maximum payment of $5,000
PPO: 10% of the Plan allowance
Non-PPO: 30% of the Plan allowance and any
difference between our allowance and the billed
amount
Out-of-Network
Area: 20% of the Plan allowance and any difference between our
allowance and
the billed amount 23
23 Page
24 25
Treatment therapies You pay
Chemotherapy and radiation therapy (includes radium and radioactive
isotopes)
Note: High dose chemotherapy in association with autologous bone marrow
transplants is limited to those transplants listed on page 31.
Intravenous (IV)/ Infusion Therapy (supplies) Home IV and antibiotic
therapy (supplies)
Note: See page 26 for home health services
Growth
hormone therapy
Respiratory and inhalation therapies (includes oxygen and
equipment for its administration)
Renal dialysis
Note: This benefit includes only the actual charge for the
dialysis treatment. Other covered charges associated with the dialysis treatment
are payable
under section 5( a) Lab, X-ray and other diagnostic tests not related to
surgery or preadmission testing.
Not covered: All charges.
Chelation therapy, except for acute
arsenic, gold, mercury, or lead poisoning
Physical, occupational and speech therapies
Physical therapy,
occupational therapy, and speech therapy when rendered by a registered physical
or occupational therapist or licensed speech therapist for
up to a total combined visit maximum of 90 visits per person per calendar
year for the three listed therapies
Note: We only cover therapy when a physician:
1) orders the care;
2)
identifies the specific professional skills the patient requires and the medical
necessity for skilled services; and
3) indicates the frequency and length of time the services are needed.
Note: We only cover physical and occupational therapy to restore bodily
function when there has been a total or partial loss of bodily function due to
illness or injury.
You must submit the above information from your
doctor, along with the therapist's initial evaluation and treatment plan and
therapist's progress
(therapy) notes for each date of service.
Not
covered: All charges.
Custodial care (see definition page 62)
Exercise programs
2002 Foreign Service Benefit Plan 24 Section 5 (a)
PPO: 10% of the Plan allowance
Non-PPO: 30% of the Plan allowance and any
difference between our allowance and
the billed amount
Out-of-Network Area: 20% of the Plan allowance and any
difference between our
allowance and the billed amount
PPO: Nothing (No deductible)
Non-PPO: Only the difference between our
allowance and the billed amount (No
deductible)
Out-of-Network Area: Only the difference between our
allowance and the billed
amount (No deductible)
PPO: 10% of the Plan allowance
Non-PPO: 30% of the Plan allowance and any
difference between our allowance and
the billed amount
Out-of-Network
Area: 20% of the Plan allowance and any difference between our
allowance and
the billed amount 24
24 Page
25 26
Hearing services (testing,
treatment, and supplies) You pay
Limited to:
Initial hearing exam
Not covered: All charges.
Hearing aids and examinations for
them, except for the initial exam
Vision services (testing, treatment, and supplies)
One pair of
eyeglasses or contact lenses per incident if required to correct an impairment
directly caused by
accidental ocular injury or
specifically ordered by the doctor in
connection with a diagnosis of
cataract
keratoconus or
glaucoma
Not covered All charges.
Routine eye examinations
Eyeglasses
and contact lenses, except as shown above
Eye exercises and visual
training (orthoptics)
Refractions
All refractive surgeries
Foot care
We do not provide benefits for routine foot care.
Routine foot care would All charges. include such items as
treatment or removal of corns and calluses, or trimming of toenails
orthopedic shoes, orthotics and other supportive devices for the
feet.
Orthopedic and prosthetic devices
Artificial eyes or limbs
required to replace natural eyes and limbs
External breast prostheses,
including surgical bras and replacements, following a mastectomy
Internal prosthetic devices such as pacemakers, artificial hips,
intraocular lenses and surgically implanted breast implant following mastectomy.
Note: See 5( b) for coverage of the surgery to insert the device.
Note:
A prosthetic device is surgically inserted or physically attached to the body to
restore a bodily function or replace a physical portion of the body.
Not covered: All charges.
Orthopedic shoes, orthotics and
other supportive devices for the feet
2002 Foreign Service Benefit Plan 25 Section 5 (a)
PPO: 10% of the Plan allowance
Non-PPO: 30% of the Plan allowance and any
difference between our allowance and
the billed amount
Out-of-Network Area: 20% of the Plan allowance and any
difference between our
allowance and the billed amount
PPO: 10% of the Plan allowance
Non-PPO: 30% of the Plan allowance and any
difference between our allowance and
the billed amount
Out-of-Network Area: 20% of the Plan allowance and any
difference between our
allowance and the billed amount
PPO: 10% of the Plan allowance
Non-PPO: 30% of the Plan allowance and any
difference between our allowance and
the billed amount
Out-of-Network
Area: 20% of the Plan allowance and any difference between our
allowance and
the billed amount 25
25 Page
26 27
Durable medical equipment (DME)
You pay
Rental, up to the purchase price, or purchase (at our option),
including necessary repair and adjustment, of durable medical equipment such as:
Wheelchairs
Hospital-type beds
Oxygen and equipment for its
administration
Crutches
Braces
Casts, splints, and trusses
Durable medical equipment (DME) is equipment and supplies that:
Are
prescribed by your attending physician (i. e., the physician who is treating
your illness or injury);
Are medically necessary;
Are primarily and customarily used only for
a medical purpose;
Are generally useful only to a person with an illness
or injury;
Are designed for prolonged use; and
Serve a specific
therapeutic purpose in the treatment of an illness or injury.
Not covered: All charges.
Other items that do not meet
the definition of durable medical equipment such as sun or heat lamps, whirlpool
baths, heating pads, air purifiers,
humidifiers, air conditioners, and exercise devices
Home health
services
You must precertify home health care (see Section 3 "How to get
approval for" on pages 10 -12) in order to get maximum benefits.
If you precertify your home health care, we pay 100% of our
allowance up to $80 per visit for a maximum of 90 visits per calendar year,
limited to
one visit per day, if such care is an alternative to
hospitalization.
If you do not precertify your home health care, we pay
100% of our allowance up to $40 per visit for a maximum of 40 visits per
calendar year,
limited to one visit per day, if such care is an alternative to
hospitalization.
Note: A home health care visit consists of one of the
following:
Less than an 8 hour shift of nursing care provided on a
part-time basis by a registered nurse (R. N.) or a licensed practical nurse (L.
P. N.);
One session of physical, occupational or speech therapy provided by a
licensed therapist;
One visit from a licensed social worker (limited to
two visits per calendar year); or
Less than an 8 hour shift of a home
health aide's services that are performed under the supervision of a registered
nurse (R. N.) and that
consists mainly of medical care and therapy provided
solely for the care of the insured person.
A home health agency (or visiting nurses where services of a home health
agency are not available) must furnish the care in accord with a home health
care plan (see definition below). The home health care plan must be
certified by your doctor and furnished in your home.
Note: We define a home health care plan as a plan of continued medical care
and treatment ordered by a doctor who certifies that without home health care,
you would need to be confined in a hospital or skilled nursing care
facility. A public agency or private organization that is licensed as a home
health agency
by the State and is certified as such under Medicare must
provide the care.
2002 Foreign Service Benefit Plan 26 Section 5 (a)
PPO: 10% of the Plan allowance
Non-PPO: 30% of the Plan allowance and any
difference between our allowance and
the billed amount
Out-of-Network
Area: 20% of the Plan allowance and any difference between our
allowance and
the billed amount
For precertified home health care, nothing (No deductible) up to $80 per
visit up to
90 visits per calendar year; All charges above $80 per visit
and/ or 90 visits per
calendar year and all charges above one visit per day.
For non-precertified home health care, nothing (No deductible) up to $40 per
visit
up to 40 visits per calendar year; All charges above $40 per visit
and/ or 40 visits per
calendar year and all charges above one visit per day
Home health services continued on next page 26
26 Page 27 28
2002 Foreign Service Benefit Plan 27 Section
5 (a)
Nothing (No deductible) up to $12 per unit; All charges after $12
per unit and all
charges after 500 units per calendar year
PPO: 10% of Plan allowance and all charges above $20 per visit and/ or 30
visits per
person per calendar year
Non-PPO: 30% of Plan allowance and
all charges above $20 per visit and/ or 30 visits
per person per calendar year
Out-of-network: 20% of Plan allowance and
all charges above $20 per visit and/ or 30
visits per person per calendar year
PPO: 10% of Plan allowance and all charges above $20 per visit and/ or 30
visits per
person per calendar year
Non-PPO: 30% of Plan allowance and
all charges above $20 per visit and/ or 30 visits
per person per calendar year
Out-of-network: 20% of Plan allowance and
all charges above $20 per visit and/ or 30
visits per person per calendar year
PPO: 10% of the Plan allowance
Non-PPO: 30% of the Plan allowance and any
difference between our allowance and the
billed amount
Out-of-Network Area: 20% of the Plan allowance and any
difference between our
allowance and the billed amount
Home health services (continued) You pay
Private
Duty Nursing at home:
When you receive care by a registered nurse (R. N.) or
licensed practical nurse (L. P. N.) in your home, we will cover up to 500 units
of nursing care
per calendar year. One unit equals up to one hour of private duty nursing
care. We pay $12 per unit.
Not covered: All charges.
Nursing care requested by, or for the
convenience of, the patient or the
patient's family
Custodial care (see definition page 62)
Home care primarily for
personal assistance that does not include a
medical component and is not
diagnostic, therapeutic, or rehabilitative
Chiropractic
Covered services are limited to:
Manipulation
of the spine and extremities
Adjunctive procedures such as ultrasound,
electrical muscle stimulation, vibratory therapy and cold pack application
Benefits are limited to a maximum payable of $20 per visit up to 30 visits
per person per calendar year.
Note: The Plan defines Chiropractic as a
system of therapeutics that attributes disease to dysfunction of the nervous
system and attempts to restore normal
function by manipulation and treatment
of the body structures, especially those of the vertebral column.
Alternative treatments
Acupuncture only when performed by an M. D,
D. O., O. M. D., or L. Ac.
The benefit is limited to a maximum payable of $20 per visit and a maximum of
30 visits per person per calendar year.
Note: The Plan defines acupuncture as the practice of insertion of needles
into specific exterior body locations to relieve pain, to induce surgical
anesthesia, or for therapeutic purposes.
Not covered: All charges.
Naturopathic services and medicines
Homeopathic services and medicines
(Note: Benefits of certain alternative treatment providers may be covered
in
medically underserved areas; see page 8)
Educational classes and programs
Coverage is limited to:
Smoking Cessation Office visits, individual and group counseling and purchase
of over-the-counter smoking cessation drugs and supplies up to
a maximum payable of $100 for one program per person per 12 months.
Note:
Prescription drugs are covered only under the Prescription benefit not subject
to the $100 limitation (see Section 5( f)).
Note: Over-the-counter smoking cessation drugs and supplies you receive in
conjunction with a smoking cessation program cannot be purchased with
your drug card. You must file a claim for them. 27
27 Page 28 29
2002 Foreign Service Benefit Plan 28 Section
5 (b)
Here are some important things you should keep in mind about
these benefits:
Please remember that all benefits are subject to the
definitions, limitations, and exclusions in this brochure and are payable only
when we determine they are medically necessary.
The calendar year deductible is: $300 per person ($ 600 per family). The
calendar year deductible does not apply to any benefits in this Section. We
added "( No deductible)" to
show that the calendar year deductible does not
apply.
The non-PPO benefits are the standard benefits of this Plan. PPO
benefits apply only when you use a PPO provider and reside in a Network area.
When no PPO provider is available in
a Network area, non-PPO benefits apply. When you reside Out-of-Network,
Out-of-Network benefits apply.
Be sure to read Section 4, Your costs for covered services, for
valuable information about how cost sharing works, with special sections for
members who are age 65 or over. Also
read Section 9 about coordinating
benefits with other coverage, including with Medicare.
The amounts listed
below are for the charges billed by a physician or other health care
professional for your surgical care. Look in Section 5( c) for charges
associated with the facility
(i. e. hospital, surgical center, etc.).
PPO: 10% of the Plan allowance (No deductible)
Non-PPO: 30% of the Plan
allowance and any difference between our allowance and the
billed amount (No
deductible)
Out-of-Network Area: 10% of the Plan allowance and any
difference between our
allowance and the billed amount (No deductible)
Surgical procedures continued on next page
Benefit Description You pay After the calendar year deductible
NOTE:
The calendar year deductible does not apply to benefits in this Section. We say
"( No deductible)" when it does not apply.
Surgical procedures
A
comprehensive range of services, such as: Operative procedures
Treatment of fractures, including casting Normal post-operative care by
the surgeon
Correction of amblyopia and strabismus Endoscopy procedures
Biopsy procedures Removal of tumors and cysts
Surgical treatment
of morbid obesity a condition in which an individual: 1) weighs 100 pounds or
100% over the standard weight as determined by
us and has complicating
medical condition( s); and 2) has been so for at least five years, despite
documented unsuccessful attempts to reduce under
a doctor-monitored diet and
exercise program. Eligible members must be age 18 or over.
Insertion of
internal prosthetic devices. See Section 5( a) Orthopedic and prosthetic
devices for device coverage information.
Voluntary sterilization
Surgical implantation of Norplant (a contraceptive) and intrauterine
devices
(IUDs) Treatment of burns
Amniocentesis Routine circumcision of a
newborn child (only when the child is covered
under a Self and Family
enrollment)
Note: Drugs, medical supplies, medical equipment, prosthetic and
orthopedic devices and any covered items billed by a provider for use at home
are
covered only under Section 5( a) and the calendar year deductible and
coinsurance apply.
Note: Second opinion is covered under Section 5( a) Diagnostic and
treatment services
I M
P O
R T
A N
T
I M
P O
R T
A N
T
Section 5 (b). Surgical and anesthesia services provided by physicians and
other health care professionals 28
28 Page 29 30
Surgical
procedures (continued) You pay
Assistant Surgeon
(inpatient/ outpatient)
When multiple or bilateral surgical procedures performed during the same
operative session add time or complexity to patient care, we pay:
For the
primary procedure:
PPO: 90% of the Plan allowance
Non-PPO: 70% of
the Plan allowance
Out-of-Network: 90% of the Plan allowance
For the secondary procedure( s):
PPO: 90% of 50% of the Plan
allowance
Non-PPO: 70% of 50% of the Plan allowance
Out-of-Network:
90% of 50% of the Plan allowance.
Note: For certain surgical procedures, we may apply a value of less than 50%
for subsequent procedures.
Note: Multiple or bilateral surgical procedures performed through the same
incision are "incidental" to the primary surgery. That is, the procedure would
not add time or complexity to patient care. We do not pay extra for
incidental procedures.
Not covered: All charges.
Cosmetic surgery except for the repair of
accidental injuries sustained while covered under the FEHB Program; to correct a
congenital
anomaly; or for the reconstruction of a breast following a mastectomy
Note: We define cosmetic surgery as any operative procedure or any
portion of a procedure performed primarily to improve physical appearance
and/ or treat a mental condition through change in bodily form.
All refractive surgeries
Routine surgical treatment of conditions
of the foot (see Section 5( a)
Foot care)
Services of a standby surgeon
Reversal of voluntary sterilization
Surgeries related to impotency, sex transformation, sexual dysfunction or
sexual inadequacy
2002 Foreign Service Benefit Plan 29 Section 5 (b)
PPO: 20% of the Plan allowance (based on 20% of the Plan allowance allocated
to the
surgery charge) (No deductible)
Non-PPO and Out-of-Network Area:
20% of the Plan allowance (based on 20% of the
Plan allowance allocated to the surgery charge) and any difference between
our
allowance and the billed amount (No deductible)
PPO: 10% of the Plan allowance for the primary procedure and 10% of 50% of
the
Plan allowance for the secondary procedure( s) (No deductible)
Non-PPO: 30% of the Plan allowance for the primary procedure and 30% of 50%
of the
Plan allowance for the secondary procedure( s); and any difference
between our
payment and the billed amount (No deductible)
Out-of-Network Area: 10% of the Plan allowance for the primary procedure and
10%
of 50% of the Plan allowance for the secondary procedure( s); and any
difference
between our allowance and the billed amount (No deductible) 29
29 Page 30 31
2002 Foreign Service Benefit Plan 30 Section
5 (b)
PPO: 10% of the Plan allowance (No deductible)
Non-PPO: 30% of
the Plan allowance and any difference between our allowance and the
billed
amount (No deductible)
Out-of-Network Area: 10% of the Plan allowance and
any difference between our
allowance and the billed amount (No deductible)
PPO: 10% of the Plan allowance (No deductible)
Non-PPO: 30% of the Plan
allowance and any difference between our allowance and
the billed amount (No
deductible)
Out-of-Network Area: 10% of the Plan allowance and any
difference between our
allowance and the billed amount (No deductible)
Reconstructive surgery You pay
Surgery to correct a functional
defect
Surgery to correct a condition caused by injury or illness if:
the condition produced a major effect on the member's appearance and
the condition can reasonably be expected to be corrected by such
surgery
Surgery to correct a condition that existed at or from birth and
is a significant deviation from the common form or norm (Congenital
anomaly). Examples of congenital anomalies are: protruding ear deformities;
cleft lip; cleft palate; birth marks; and webbed fingers and
toes and other
conditions that we may determine to be congenital anomalies. We will not
consider the term congenital anomaly to include
conditions relating to teeth
or intra-oral structures supporting the teeth.
All stages of breast
reconstruction surgery following a mastectomy, such as:
surgery to
produce a symmetrical appearance on the other breast;
surgical
treatment of any physical complications, such as lymphedemas;
breast prostheses; and surgical bras and replacements (see Prosthetic
devices for coverage)
Note: If you need a mastectomy, you may choose to have the procedure
performed on an inpatient basis and remain in the hospital up to 48 hours
after the procedure.
Not covered: All charges.
Cosmetic surgery
except for the repair of accidental injuries sustained
while covered under
the FEHB Program; to correct a congenital anomaly; or for the reconstruction of
a breast following a mastectomy
Note: We define cosmetic surgery as any operative procedure or any
portion of a procedure performed primarily to improve physical appearance
and/ or treat a mental condition through change in bodily form.
Surgeries related to impotency, sex transformation, sexual dysfunction
or sexual inadequacy
Oral and maxillofacial surgery
Oral surgical procedures, limited
to: Reduction of fractures of the jaws or facial bones
Surgical correction of cleft lip, cleft palate or severe functional
malocclusion (when we determine the correction of the malocclusion to
be
medically necessary) Removal of stones from salivary ducts
Excision of
leukoplakia or malignancies Excision of non-dentigerous cysts and incision of
non-dentigerous abscesses
Excision of impacted teeth only Other surgical
procedures that do not involve the teeth or their supporting
structures
Not covered: All charges. Oral implants and transplants
Procedures that involve any tooth or tooth structure, alveolar process,
abscess, periodontal disease or disease of gingival tissue except as
provided under Dental Benefits (see page 50)
Non-surgical treatment of Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders
including dental appliances, study models, splints and other devices
Excision of non-impacted teeth 30
30 Page 31 32
2002 Foreign
Service Benefit Plan 31 Section 5 (b)
PPO: 10% of the Plan
allowance (No deductible)
Non-PPO: 30% of the Plan allowance and any
difference between our allowance and the
billed amount (No deductible)
Out-of-Network Area: 10% of the Plan allowance and any difference between
our
allowance and the billed amount (No deductible)
Note: Mutual of Omaha has special arrangements with facilities to provide
services for tissue and organ transplants its Medical Specialty Network.
The network was
designed to give you an opportunity to access providers that
demonstrate high quality
medical care for transplant patients. Your
physician can coordinate arrangements by
calling a case manager in Mutual of
Omaha's Medical Management Department at 1-800/
228-0286. For additional
information regarding the transplant network, please call
this number.
PPO: 10% of the Plan allowance (No deductible)
Non-PPO: 30% of the Plan
allowance and any difference between our allowance and
the billed amount (No
deductible)
Out-of-Network Area: 10% of the Plan allowance and any
difference between our
allowance and the billed amount (No deductible)
Organ/ tissue transplants You pay
Limited to the following
transplants:
Cornea Heart
Kidney Liver
Pancreas Heart/
lung
Single and double lung
Intestinal transplants (small intestine)
and the small intestine with the liver or small intestine with multiple organs
such as the liver, stomach,
and pancreas for irreversible intestinal failure
Bone marrow and stem
cell support as follows:
Allogeneic bone marrow transplants
Autologous bone marrow transplants (autologous stem cell support) and autologous
peripheral stem cell support for
1) Acute lymphocytic or non-lymphocytic leukemia;
2) Advanced Hodgkin's
and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma;
3) Advanced neuroblastoma;
4) Testicular,
mediastinal, retroperitoneal and ovarian germ cell tumors;
5) Breast cancer;
6) Multiple myeloma; and
7) Epithelial ovarian cancer
Note: We cover related medical and hospital expenses of the donor when we
cover the recipient. You are a recipient when you surgically receive a body
organ( s) transplant. You are a donor when you surgically donate a body
organ( s) for transplant surgery. Transplant surgery means transfer of a body
organ( s) from the donor to the recipient.
Not covered: All charges.
Donor screening tests and donor search expenses, except those
performed for the actual donor
Services or supplies for, or related to, surgical transplant procedures
for artificial or human organ transplants not listed as covered
Transplants not listed as covered
Anesthesia
Professional
services provided in:
Hospital (inpatient)
Hospital outpatient
department
Skilled nursing facility
Ambulatory surgical center
Office
Note: Anesthesia rendered by a dentist only in relation to covered oral and
maxillofacial surgery is also covered (see page 30) 31
31 Page 32 33
Here are some important things you should keep in
mind about these benefits:
Please remember that all benefits are
subject to the definitions, limitations, and exclusions in this brochure and are
payable only when we determine they are medically necessary.
Unlike the other subsections in Section 5, in this section, the calendar
year deductible applies to only a few benefits. In that case, we added "(
calendar year deductible
applies)". The calendar year deductible is:
$300 per person ($ 600 per family).
The non-PPO benefits are the standard
benefits of this Plan. PPO benefits apply only when you use a PPO provider and
reside in a Network area. When no PPO provider is available in
a Network area, non-PPO benefits apply. When you reside Out-of-Network,
Out-of-Network benefits apply.
Be sure to read Section 4, Your costs for covered services, for
valuable information about how cost sharing works, with special sections for
members who are age 65 or over. Also
read Section 9 about coordinating
benefits with other coverage, including with Medicare.
The amounts listed
below are for the charges billed by the facility (i. e. hospital or surgical
center) or ambulance service for your surgery or care. Any costs associated with
the
professional charge (i. e. physicians, etc.) are in Sections 5( a), (b), (d)
or (e).
YOU MUST GET PRECERTIFICATION OF HOSPITAL STAYS; FAILURE TO DO
SO WILL RESULT IN A $500 PENALTY. Please refer to the precertification
information
shown in Section 3 for additional details on precertification.
YOU
MUST ALSO GET PRECERTIFICATION OF CARE YOU RECEIVE IN SKILLED NURSING FACILITIES
and HOSPICE and also HOME HEALTH CARE.
Please refer to this section (Skilled Nursing Facilities and Hospice) and
section 5( a) (Home Health Care) for details on how your benefits are affected
if you do not precertify. Also,
please refer to the precertification
information shown in Section 3 for additional details on precertification.
2002 Foreign Service Benefit Plan 32 Section 5 (c)
PPO:
Nothing
Non-PPO: $200 copayment per confinement and 20% of charges.
Out-of-Network Area: $200 copayment per confinement
Inpatient hospital continued on next page
I M
P O
R T
A N
T
I M
P O
R T
A N
T
Benefit Description You pay
NOTE: The calendar year deductible applies
ONLY when we say below: "( calendar year deductible applies)".
Inpatient
hospital
Room and board, such as
ward, semiprivate, or intensive
care accommodations;
general nursing care; and
meals and special
diets.
Note: We only cover a private room when you must be isolated to prevent
contagion. Otherwise, we will pay the hospital's average charge for
semiprivate accommodations. If the hospital only has private rooms, we base
our payment on the average semiprivate rate of the most comparable
hospital
in the area.
Section 5 (c). Services provided by a hospital or other facility, and
ambulance services 32
32 Page 33 34
Inpatient
hospital (continued) You pay
Other services and supplies
received while in a hospital, such as: See previous page.
Use of
operating, recovery, maternity and other treatment rooms
Surgical
dressings
Prescribed drugs and medicines for use in the hospital
X-ray, laboratory and pathology services and machine diagnostic tests
Blood or blood plasma, if not donated or replaced, and its administration
Dressings, splints, casts and sterile tray services
Medical supplies and
equipment, including oxygen
Anesthetics, including nurse anesthetist
services
Drugs, medical supplies, medical equipment, prosthetic and
orthopedic devices and any covered items billed by a hospital for use at home
(Note:
We cover these items only under Section 5( a) and the calendar year
deductible and coinsurance apply.)
Special Overseas Benefit Inpatient private duty nursing services by an R.
N. or L. P. N. when the services are rendered outside of North America.
Note: We provide specified benefits for professional services of a doctor,
even when billed by the hospital. For example, when the hospital bills for such
professional services as surgery, anesthesiology, medical or therapy
services, etc., we pay the specific surgery, anesthesia, medical or therapy
benefit.
Note: See Section 5( a) for special preadmission testing benefit.
Note:
We cover hospital services and supplies related to dental procedures when
necessitated by a non-dental physical impairment to
safeguard the health of the patient, even though we may not cover the
services of dentists or doctors in connection with the dental treatment.
Not covered: All charges.
Confinement in nursing homes, rest homes,
places for the aged,
convalescent homes, or any place that is not a
hospital, skilled nursing care facility, or hospice (see Section 3, Covered
providers and Covered
facilities, pages 8-9)
Cosmetic surgery except for the repair of
accidental injuries sustained while covered under the FEHB Program; to correct a
congenital anomaly; or for
the reconstruction of a breast following a mastectomy
Note: We define
cosmetic surgery as any operative procedure or any portion of a procedure
performed primarily to improve physical appearance and/ or
treat a mental condition through change in bodily form.
Custodial
care (see definition page 62)
Any part of a hospital admission that is not
medically necessary (see
definition page 63), such as when you do not need
acute hospital inpatient
(overnight) care, but could receive care in some
other setting without adversely affecting your condition or the quality of your
medical care
Note: In this event, we pay benefits for services and supplies other than
room and board and in-hospital physician care at the level we would have
covered if provided in an alternative setting.
Inpatient private duty nursing except as provided above
Personal
comfort items such as radio, television, beauty and barber services,
identification tags, baby beads, footprints, guest cots and meals,
newspapers and similar items
2002 Foreign Service Benefit Plan 33 Section 5 (c) 33
33 Page 34 35
Outpatient hospital or ambulatory surgical center
You pay
Services and supplies rendered within 72 hours of outpatient
surgery such as:
Operating, recovery and other treatment rooms
Prescribed drugs and medicines for use in the facility
X-ray, laboratory
and pathology services and machine diagnostic tests
Blood and blood
plasma, if not donated or replaced, and its administration
Dressings,
casts and sterile tray services
Medical supplies and equipment, including
oxygen
Anesthetics and anesthesia service
Drugs, medical supplies,
medical equipment, prosthetic and orthopedic devices and any covered items
billed by a hospital for use at home
(Note: We cover these items only under Section 5( a) and the calendar year
deductible and coinsurance apply.)
Note: We cover hospital services and supplies related to dental procedures
when necessitated by a non-dental physical impairment to safeguard the
health of the patient, even though we may not cover the services of dentists
or doctors in connection with the dental treatment.
Note: See also Section 5( a) Lab, X-ray and other diagnostic tests for
benefits for services received within 72 hours of outpatient surgery.
Services and supplies not rendered within 72 hours of outpatient surgery or
not related to surgery, such as:
Prescribed drugs and medicines for
use in the facility
X-ray, laboratory and pathology services and machine
diagnostic tests
Medical supplies and equipment, including oxygen
Drugs, medical supplies, medical equipment, prosthetic and orthopedic devices
and any covered items billed by a hospital for use at home (Note:
We cover these items only under Section 5( a) and the calendar year
deductible applies.)
Not covered: All charges.
Cosmetic surgery except for the repair of
accidental injuries sustained while covered under the FEHB Program; to correct a
congenital anomaly; or for
the reconstruction of a breast following a mastectomy
Note: We define
cosmetic surgery as any operative procedure or any portion of a procedure
performed primarily to improve physical appearance and/ or
treat a mental condition through change in bodily form.
All
refractive surgeries
Cutting, trimming, treatment or removal of corns,
calluses or the free edge
of toenails
Surgeries related to impotency, sex transformation, sexual dysfunction
or sexual inadequacy
2002 Foreign Service Benefit Plan 34 Section 5 (c)
PPO: 10% of the Plan allowance
Non-PPO: 30% of the Plan allowance and any
difference between our allowance and the
billed amount
Out-of-Network
Area: 10% of the Plan allowance and any difference between our
allowance and
the billed amount
PPO: 10% of the Plan allowance (calendar year deductible applies).
Non-PPO: 30% of the Plan allowance and any difference between our allowance
and the
billed amount (calendar year deductible applies)
Out-of-Network Area: 20% of the Plan allowance and any difference between our
allowance and the billed amount (calendar year deductible applies) 34
34 Page 35 36
Extended care benefits/ Skilled nursing care
facility benefits You pay
You must precertify your stay in a skilled
nursing facility (see Section 3 "How to get approval for" on pages 10-12) in
order to receive maximum benefits.
If you precertify your stay in a skilled nursing facility, we will pay
100% of the Plan allowance for a maximum of 60 days per confinement, when
your
confinement:
is for the purpose of receiving medical care;
is under the supervision of a doctor; and
is an alternative to
hospitalization.
If you do not precertify your stay in a skilled nursing facility, we will
pay 80% of the Plan allowance for a maximum of 30 days per confinement,
when the above conditions are met.
Note: We will restore skilled nursing
facility benefits shown above for each new period of confinement. We define a
new period of confinement when:
the requirements listed above are met; and
at least 60 days have
elapsed since you were last confined in a skilled nursing facility.
Not covered: Custodial care (see definition page 62) All charges.
Hospice care
You must precertify your care in a hospice (see
Section 3 "How to get approval for" on pages 10-12 in order to receive maximum
benefits.
If you precertify your care in a hospice, we will pay 100% of our allowance
up to a lifetime maximum of $7,500 for hospice care provided by a hospice
agency or organization. Your doctor must recommend the care and you must be
terminally ill in the final stages of illness.
If you do not precertify your care in a hospice, we will pay 100% of our
allowance up to a lifetime maximum of $4,500 for hospice care when you
meet
the above requirements.
Note: We will pay for any services covered under our
other benefits under those benefits as applicable before we use the Hospice
benefit.
Hospice is a coordinated program of home and inpatient pain control and
supportive care for the terminally ill patient and the patient's family,
provided
by a medically supervised team under the direction of a
Plan-approved independent hospice administration.
Not covered: Services shown as covered under any other provisions of All
charges. this Plan
2002 Foreign Service Benefit Plan 35 Section 5 (c)
For precertified care: Nothing up to the Plan allowance for up to 60 days per
confinement;
All charges after 60 days
For non-precertified care: 20% of
the Plan allowance for up to 30 days per confinement;
All charges after 30
days
For precertified care: Nothing up to the Plan allowance until benefits stop
at $7,500; All
charges after $7,500
For non-precertified care: Nothing
up to the Plan allowance until benefits stop at $4,500;
All charges after $4,500 35
35 Page 36 37
Ambulance You
pay
Professional ambulance service to or from the hospital.
Note: See Section 5( d) for Ambulance within 72 hours of an accident.
Note: This benefit includes air ambulance service when medically necessary
to transport you to the nearest facility equipped to handle your medical
condition.
Not covered: Ambulance transport for you or your family's convenience All
charges.
2002 Foreign Service Benefit Plan 36 Section 5 (c)
PPO: 10% of the Plan allowance (calendar year deductible applies)
Non-PPO: 30% of the Plan allowance and any difference between our allowance
and the
billed amount (calendar year deductible applies)
Out-of-Network Area: 20% of the Plan allowance and any difference between our
allowance and the billed amount (calendar year deductible applies) 36
36 Page 37 38
Here are some important things to keep in mind
about these benefits:
Please remember that all benefits are subject to
the definitions, limitations, and exclusions in this brochure and are payable
only when we determine they are medically necessary.
The calendar year deductible is: $300 per person ($ 600 per family). The
calendar year deductible applies to some benefits in this Section. We added "(
No deductible)" to show
when the calendar year deductible does not apply.
The non-PPO benefits are the standard benefits of this Plan. PPO benefits
apply only when you use a PPO provider and reside in a Network area. When no PPO
provider is available in
a Network area, non-PPO benefits apply. When you reside Out-of-Network,
Out-of-Network benefits apply.
Be sure to read Section 4, Your costs for covered services, for
valuable information about how cost sharing works, with special sections for
members who are age 65 or over. Also
read Section 9 about coordinating
benefits with other coverage, including with Medicare.
I M
P O
R T
A N
T
I M
P O
R T
A N
T
What is an accidental injury?
An accidental injury is a bodily
injury caused by an external force such as a blow or a fall and which requires
immediate medical attention. We also consider animal bites and poisonings to be
accidental injuries. We cover dental care required as a
result of an accidental injury to sound natural teeth. We do not consider an
injury to the teeth while eating to be an accidental injury.
PPO: Nothing (No deductible)
Non-PPO: Only the difference between our
allowance and the billed amount (No
deductible)
Out-of-Network Area: Only the difference between our
allowance and the billed amount
(No deductible)
PPO: 10% of the Plan allowance
Non-PPO: 30% of the Plan allowance and any
difference between our allowance and
the billed amount
Out-of-Network Area: 20% of the Plan allowance and any
difference between our <