There are numerous changes to 2017 FEHB plans. To see if your plan is changing (or going away), check out the tables in this article. If your plan is changing, you may need to decide if you need to make changes for the coming year.
These changes vary widely. In some cases, a plan is expanding its area of coverage or dropping areas of coverage. Other plans are reducing options within their plan.
In some of these cases, you will automatically be enrolled in a plan that is different than your current plan. It will be worth your while to check and see if you will be impacted. If you are impacted, you will want to make sure the health insurance coverage you will have in 2017 is what you really want.
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has released information for federal employees to start preparing for the upcoming Federal Benefits Open Season, which runs from Monday, November 14, 2016 through Monday, December 12, 2016. The information summarized below is from OPM.
Health Insurance Plans Leaving the FEHB Program
In the table below is a list of plans leaving the 2017 FEHB program. Readers who are currently enrolled in one of these plans will have to select another plan. If no other selection is made, you will be enrolled in the Standard Option of the GEHA Benefit Plan (the lowest-cost nationwide plan option for 2017 as determined by OPM).
State | Plan Name | 2016 Enrollment Code | Location |
---|---|---|---|
Iowa | Sanford Health Plan | AU1, AU3, AU2, AU4, AU6, AU5 | Northwestern Iowa |
Michigan | Grand Valley Health Plan | RL1, RL3, RL2, RL4, RL6, RL5 | Grand Rapids Michigan Area |
North Dakota | Sanford Health Plan | C91, C93, C92, C94, C96, C95 | North Dakota |
South Dakota | Sanford Health Plan | AU1, AU3, AU2, AU4, AU6, AU5 | South Dakota’s Central and Eastern regions and Rapid City Area |
Texas | FirstCare Health Plan | CK1, CK3, CK2 | West and Central Texas |
Plan Reducing Service Areas And Terminating Enrollment Codes
Additionally, there is a plan that is reducing its service area. If you are enrolled in these terminating enrollment codes, you must choose another 2017 FEHB plan during Open Season. If you do not do so, you will be enrolled in the Standard Option of the GEHA Benefit Plan (the lowest-cost nationwide plan option for 2017 as determined by OPM).
State | Plan Name | Enrollment Code | Areas to be Dropped |
---|---|---|---|
Virginia | Aetna Whole Health | D91, D93,D92 |
Roanoke area: Cities of Bedford, Lexington, Martinsville, Radford, Roanoke and Salem Counties of Bedford, Bland, Botetourt, Carroll, Craig, Floyd, Franklin, Giles, Henry, Montgomery, Pulaski, Roanoke, Tazewell, and Wythe |
Plans Reducing Service Areas Without Terminating Enrollment Codes
If you are enrolled in one of the areas being dropped and do not change health plans during Open Season, you will only have emergency services where you live. You will have to travel to your plan’s remaining service area for medical care to receive full benefits from the plan in 2017.
State | Plan Name | 2016 Enrollment Code | Area Dropped | |
---|---|---|---|---|
California | Kaiser Northern California, Fresno Region |
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County of Tulare, zip codes 93238, 93261 | |
Ohio | HealthSpan Integrated Care |
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Counties of Adams, Allen, Ashland, Ashtabula, Auglaize, Brown, Butler, Carroll, Champaign, Clark, Clermont, Clinton, Columbiana, Darke, Defiance, Erie, Fayette, Fulton, Greene, Hamilton, Hancock, Hardin, Henry, Highland, Holmes, Huron, Logan, Lucas, Madison, Mercer, Miami, Montgomery, Ottawa, Paulding, Pike, Preble, Putnam, Ross, Sandusky, Scioto, Seneca, Shelby, Tuscarawas, Union, VanWert, Warren, Williams, Wood |
Plans Terminating Option and Enrollment Codes
If you are enrolled in a plan that is terminating an enrollment option, you will be automatically enrolled into the remaining option for this plan unless you enroll in another plan during Open Season.
State | Plan Name | Terminating Options (end of 2016) | Terminating Codes (end of 2016) | Remaining Options and Codes for 2017 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Arizona | Health Net of Arizona | High | A71, A73 and A72 | A74, A76, A75 Standard |
Illinois | Health Alliance HMO | High | FX1, FX3, FX2 | K84, K85, K86 Standard |
Indiana | Health Alliance HMO | High | FX1, FX3, FX2 | K84, K85, K86 Standard |
Iowa | Health Alliance HMO | High | FX1, FX3, FX2 | K84, K85, K86 Standard |
Plan Contract and Enrollment Code Merger with Terminating Enrollment Codes
Unless you select another plan during Open Season, your payroll office must automatically move you into your plan’s surviving 2017 codes unless you have selected another health plan during Open Season.
State | Plan | Terminating Plan Codes (2016) | 2017 Surviving Plan | 2017 Surviving Codes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Michigan | Health Plus | X51, X53, X52 | Health Alliance Plan (HAP) | 521, 523, 522 |
Plans Adding New Options And Enrollment Codes
State | Plan Name | New Option | 2017 Enrollment Codes | Locations |
---|---|---|---|---|
Illinois | Blue Preferred Plus POS | Standard | 9G4, 9G5, 9G6 | St. Clair and Madison, IL |
Missouri | Blue Preferred Plus POS | Standard | 9G4, 9G5, 9G6 | St. Louis, Central and Southwest Missouri |
New Mexico | New Mexico Blue HMO Preferred | Standard | Q14, Q15, Q16 | All of New Mexico |
Oklahoma | Global Health, Inc. | Standard | IM4, IM5, IM6 | All of Oklahoma |
Additional changes for the 2017 FEHB will be outlined in a second article on this topic.