A number of current participants in the FEHB may be changing plans this year to enter the self plus one option that will be available during the upcoming open season. Other participants may be planning on just staying in their current plan.
Before making your final plans, it would be a good idea to check and see if your current plan is still in the federal employee health insurance program. There are changes to the options that are available and some plans are leaving the program.
There are a number of other changes, such as changes to enrollment codes for existing plans. You can peruse the document at the end of this article for a complete listing of these changes. This article outlines some of the changes likely to be of greatest impact and interest to readers.
Here are plans that are leaving the FEHB for 2016. Note that if you do not enroll in another FEHB plan during the open season you will not have health benefits under the FEHB for 2016.
| State | Plan Name | 2015 Enrollment Code | General Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | Coventry Health Plan of Florida |
5E1, 5E2, 5E4, 5E5, J41, J42 |
South Florida |
| Indiana | Physicians Health Plan of Northern Indiana | DQ1, DQ2, DQ4, DQ5 | Northeast Indiana |
| Louisiana | Coventry Health Care of Louisiana | BJ1, BJ2, BJ4, BJ5 | New Orleans |
| Massachusetts | Fallon Community Health Plan | JG1, JG2 | Central and portions of Eastern Massachusetts |
| Ohio | The Health Plan of the Upper Ohio Valley | U41, U42 | Northeast and Eastern Ohio |
| Virginia | Piedmont Community Health Plan | 2C1, 2C2 | Lynchburg Area |
| West Virginia | The Health Plan of the Upper Ohio Valley | U41, U42 | 55 Counties in West Virginia |
The following plan has reduced its service area and terminated its enrollment code. Participants in these terminating enrollment codes must make a positive election into another FEHB plan during Open Season or they will not have health benefits coverage for 2016.
| State | FEHB Plan | 2015 Enrollment Code | Area Dropped |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada | Aetna Open Access | HF1, HF2 | State of Nevada |
FEHB Plans Reducing Service Areas Without Terminating Enrollment Codes
Participants in the areas being reduced who do not change FEHB plans during Open Season will only have emergency health services where they live and they will have to travel to their FEHB plan’s remaining service area to obtain medical care in order to receive full benefits from the FEHB plan in 2016.
| State | FEHB Plan | 2015 Enrollment Code | Area Dropped |
|---|---|---|---|
| Idaho | Select Health | SF1, SF2, SF4, SF5 | Idaho County |
FEHB Plans Terminating Option And Enrollment Codes
Your payroll office should automatically move participants in the FEHB plan’s terminating option into their plan’s surviving option and enrollment code unless you have selected another FEHB plan during Open Season.
| State | FEHB Plan | Terminating Options at the end of 2015 | Terminating Enrollment Code (end of 2015 | Deemed 2016 Enrollment Codes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas | Coventry Healthcare of Kansas | HDHP* | 9H1, 9H2 | HA4, HA5 |
| Missouri | Coventry Healthcare of Kansas | HDHP* | 9H1, 9H2 | HA4, HA5 |
*Participants who want to continue enrollment in 2016 in an HDHP and receive or make additional contributions to the Health Savings Account (HSA) must change to another HDHP in the FEHB Program during Open Season. They need to contact their current 2015 HDHP HSA Fiduciary and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for any guidance and questions about their HSA, including tax considerations and penalties. If enrollees are interested in consolidating their HSA accounts, they also need to contact their upcoming 2016 HDHP HSA Fiduciary.
