Search is Powered by Google
Health Insurance / Medical Insurance News

Washington Post Columnist Examines Office Of Personnel Management Letter Outlining 2009 Agenda For Federal Employee Health Benefits Program

Main Category: Health Insurance / Medical Insurance
Also Included In: Public Health
Article Date: 21 Mar 2008 - 12:00 PDT

email icon email to a friend   printer icon printer friendly   write icon view / write opinions   rate icon rate article
Current Article Ratings:

Patient / Public:not yet rated

Health Professional:not yet rated

Article Opinions: 0 posts

Washington Post "Federal Diary" columnist Stephen Barr on Thursday examined a March 11 "call letter" from the Office of Personnel Management to health insurers that outlines the agency's goals for 2009. The letter, which was released publicly on Wednesday, asks insurers to submit proposals for a pilot project to determine whether there are better ways to coordinate coverage between the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program and Medicare. Medicare serves as the first payer for most insurance claims submitted for federal retirees ages 65 and older. FEHBP plans usually waive hospital and medical deductibles, and coinsurance for retirees who pay Medicare Part B premiums.

According to Barr, OPM hopes the pilot project will provide better ideas for combining or coordinating coverage between the two programs "other than just waiving copayments." The letter recommends that insurers consider establishing accounts so that a portion of each retiree's FEHBP premium is used to pay Medicare premiums. Barr writes that the proposal "might lower overall premium costs for retirees but also might require insurance companies to accept more financial risk." The letter also states that OPM wants to complete contract negotiations with insurers over next year's health benefits package by mid-August.

At a two-day meeting of health insurers that participate in FEHBP, which began Wednesday, OPM Director Linda Springer called on insurers to increase coverage for adults who need hearing aids or have hearing problems. Springer at the meeting also said that while presidential candidates have talked about "opening up" FEHBP to all U.S. residents, OPM is not taking a position on the issue (Barr, Washington Post, 3/20).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation© 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.




Weekly Newsletters Daily News Alerts
Home About Us News Licensing Free Website Feeds Free Tools & Content Links Tell a Friend Accessibility Help / FAQ Article Submission Contact Us
Breast Cancer Cardiovascular GI Prostate Cancer Psychiatry Respiratory Learning Resources Migraine Urology
Asthma Bipolar Blood Pressure Breast Cancer (Patient) Heartburn

Sign up to receive newsletters / news alerts
MedReader RSS Reader


Treating Allergic Asthma
Treating Allergic Asthma

Cheryl has suffered from asthma and allergies her whole life. Since her asthma didn't respond well to most treatments, she lived in fear of the next attack. But a new treatment specifically targeting the allergic response that causes her asthma has changed her life.

more videos are available in our health videos section.

Add Your Advertisement Here