U.S. Office of Personnel Management - Ensuring the Federal Government has an effective civilian workforce

OPM Makes Two Interactive Internet Tools Available to Retirees Shopping for FEHB Health Plan

 
 
Washington , D.C.   --  Federal retirees have two, new web-based educational tools at their fingertips to help them select a health plan for 2003.  The interactive comparison tools are available during the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program’s annual open season, which runs from November 11 – December 9, 2002 .

Kay Coles James, Director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, has approved contracts with the Center for the Study of Services and JB Cubed to provide educational tools that support retirees as they weigh a variety of personal and medical factors in making their health-care choices.  

“Fundamentally, well-informed health-care consumers are wise enough to select the health plan that best serves their needs and the needs of their families,” said James. “But by the very nature of being retired, our former colleagues no longer benefit from the informal, yet often informative, office chatter with their colleagues about which plans offer which services and at what cost. Therefore, it is important that we give them the tools they can use to educate themselves about plans in the FEHB Program and to select a plan that will get them the most bang for their health-care dollars.”  

The Center for the Study of Services offers the Guide to Health Plans; JB Cubed, offers PlanSmartChoice.  

Retirees can access either online tool beginning November 11, 2002 , by logging on to OPM’s Open Season Online web page at www.opm.gov/retire/fehb and entering a PIN number. A link to each tool will be found on this page.

The Guide to Health Plans asks retirees to submit personal and medical information into the system for evaluation and comparison against plan offerings. A list of national plans and local Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) matching the retiree’s profile is returned. Retirees can get additional detailed information about each plan through the site.  

Each plan presented to the retiree through the Guide to Health Plans is based on evaluations of summary ratings, cost comparisons, coverages and co-pays, special features, (routine dental care, acupuncture, diabetic supplies, etc) plan flexibility (special visits covered without referral, open formulary, etc) and quality ratings.  

PlanSmartChoice asks retirees a series of questions to elicit personal and medical preferences to determine plan suitability. For example, one question asks retirees for the relative importance between a plan with an annual deductible of $-0- versus an annual deductible of $300; another asks for the relative importance of a plan that requires no advanced referral to a specialist versus a plan that requires advanced referral. Each retiree’s preferences to more than a dozen questions are compared against available plan offerings, and PlanSmartChoice rates available plans according to those preferences.  

The Federal Employees Health Benefits Program provides benefits to nearly nine million federal employees, retirees and their dependents. Approximately 2 million federal retirees are insured under the FEHB Program.

OPM oversees the federal work force and provides the American public with up-to-date employment information. OPM also supports U.S. agencies with personnel services and policy leadership including staffing tools, guidance on labor-management relations and programs to improve work force performance.