Prohibition of "gag clauses" in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program--OPM. Notice of proposed rule making

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is proposing to amend the regulations to prohibit health benefit carriers participating in the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program from entering into contractual provisions with health care providers or health care workers that would include a provision for incentive payments as an inducement to reduce or limit communication with, or the delivery of health care services to, FEHB enrollees. The rule is intended to ensure providers' and health care workers' ability to communicate with, and advise patients of, any medically necessary treatment options.     

Federal Employees Health Benefits Program--Office of Personnel Management. Final rule

These regulations call for the simultaneous submission of Federal Employees Health Benefit (FEHB) carriers' benefit and rate proposals. The regulations will permit an assessment of the impact of benefit and rate proposals on both the Government and enrollees in a more timely and orderly fashion than is possible with the present FEHB contract negotiation cycle.     

Federal Employees Health Benefits Program improving carrier performance; conforming changes--OPM. Final rule

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing a final regulation that implements OPM's initiative to ensure high quality customer service to its enrollees in the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program by establishing a performance evaluation program that will hold community-rated carriers accountable for their performance. The regulation would enable OPM to better manage carriers' performance in key contract areas, including customer service measures, information and reporting requirements, and significant events that might affect service to enrollees.     

Federal Employees Health Benefits Program; benefits for medically underserved areas--Office of Personnel Management. Final rule

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is amending its regulations pertaining to benefits under the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program for individuals in medically underserved areas. These regulations are necessary to implement the FEHB law, as amended, which mandates special consideration for enrollees of certain FEHB plans who receive covered health service in States with critical shortages of primary care physicians.     

Federal Employees Health Benefits Program; benefits for medically underserved areas--Office of Personnel Management. Final rule

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is amending its regulations pertaining to benefits under the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program for individuals in medically underserved areas, these regulations are necessary to implement the FEHB law, as amended, which mandates special consideration for enrollees of certain FEHB plans who receive covered health service in States with critical shortages of primary care physicians.     

Federal Employees Health Benefits program: direct payment of FEHB premiums for annuitants--OPM. Final rule

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is adopting its previously issued interim regulation that implements section 1 of Public Law 101-303. This section of law allows all annuitants to make direct payment of premiums for their Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) coverage when their annuity is too low to cover the insurance premiums. Previously, only annuitants in the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) were allowed to make direct payment of their FEHB premiums.     

Suspension of enrollment in the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program for Peace Corps volunteers. Final rule

The Office of Personnel Management is issuing a final regulation to allow Peace Corps volunteers who are FEHB Program enrolled annuitants, survivors, and former spouses to suspend their FEHB enrollments and then return to the FEHB Program during the Open Season, or return to FEHB coverage immediately, if they involuntarily lose health benefits coverage under the Peace Corps. The intent of this final rule is to allow these beneficiaries to avoid the expense of continuing to pay FEHB Program premiums while they have other health coverage as Peace Corps volunteers, without endangering their ability to return to the FEHB Program in the future.     

Health plan selection in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program

A survey of over 8,500 employees of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) during the May 1982 open season, supplemented by enrollment data for all DHHS employees enrolled in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP), was used to study insurance plan selection when multiple fee-for-service options as well as HMOs are available. There is evidence of biased selection of health risks in the FEHBP, yet historically the program has exhibited considerable stability. The stability may be attributable partly to control over entry and over changes in benefits and premiums and partly to inertia on the part of enrollees. In spite of large changes in relative premiums and benefits, only 21 percent of all enrollees in the DHHS switched plans during the May 1982 open season. Those employees who did switch plans astutely identified bargains; on average they lowered their annual contribution to premium by almost 40 percent while maintaining the level of benefits. Insurance plans offering relatively generous coverage of a particular service attract a disproportionately high share of enrollees who expect substantial use of that service. The extent of adverse or beneficial selection into HMOs depends on the price and the comprehensiveness of benefits of each available fee-for-service option.     

Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program and Department of Defense (DoD) demonstration project. Office of Personnel Management. Final rule

OPM is issuing a final regulation to implement the portion of the National Defense Authorization Act for 1999 that establishes authority for a demonstration project under which certain Medicare and other eligible DoD beneficiaries can enroll in health benefit plans in certain geographic areas under the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program. The demonstration project will run for a period of three years from January 1, 2000, through December 31, 2002. This regulation specifies only the requirements that differ from existing FEHB Program regulations because of unique aspects of the demonstration project.     

Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) program and Department of Defense (DoD) demonstration project; and other miscellaneous changes. Office of Personnel Management. Final rule

OPM is issuing a final regulation to implement the portion of the Defense Authorization Act for 1999 that establishes authority for a demonstration project under which certain Medicare and other eligible DoD beneficiaries can enroll in health benefit plans in certain geographic areas under the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program. The demonstration project will run for a period of three years from January 1, 2000, through December 31, 2002. This regulation specifies only the requirements that differ from existing FEHB Program regulations because of unique aspects of the demonstration project. This regulation also makes other miscellaneous changes to the Federal Employees Health Benefits Acquisition Regulations.     

Federal Employees Health Benefits Program improving carrier performance; conforming changes--OPM. Proposed rulemaking

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is proposing to issue a regulation that would amend the Federal Employees Health Benefits Acquisition Regulation (FEHBAR) to underscore accountability for customer service and contractual compliance among the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program community-rated carriers. The regulation would enable OPM to better manage carriers' performance over key contract areas, including customer service measures, information and reporting requirements, and significant events that might affect service to enrollees. Accurate and timely performance by carriers will facilitate the Program meeting its customer service standards.     

Federal sector equal employment opportunity. Final rule

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is publishing this final rule to implement the amendment of section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act, under the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1992. This rule continues the movement towards full integration of individuals with disabilities into the Federal workforce.     

Health maintenance organizations--PHS. Final rule; confirmation of interim rule

This document finalizes, without change, the interim rule published on January 12, 1983, that amends the Public Health Service regulations on Federal qualification of health maintence organizations (HMOs) to provide for greater flexibility for already existing prepaid health care delivery systems to become transitionally qualified HMOs.     

Health maintenance organizations--PHS. Final rule

This rule amends the Public Health Service regulations on health maintenance organizations (HMOs) to elaborate on the 1981 amendments to the HMO statute regarding member protection in the event of insolvency, community rating by class, and primary care within the service area of a non-metropolitan HMO. In addition, the rule removes regulatory provisions that are considered unnecessary or burdensome, such as the specification of contractual provisions, and increases one of the regulatory limits on copayments to permit HMOs to become more competitive. These amendments are made after consideration of public comments on the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) published on March 22, 1983.     

Federal policy for the protection of human subjects. Final rule

This document sets forth a common Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects (Model Policy) accepted by the Office of Science and Technology Policy and promulgated in regulation by each of the listed Departments and Agencies. A Proposed Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects published November 10, 1988 (53 FR 45661) has been revised in response to public comments. The Policy as revised is now set forth as a common final rule. For related documents, see other sections of this Federal Register part.     

The Veterans Millennium Health Care and Benefits Act. Department of Veterans Affairs. Final rule

This document amends Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) adjudication regulations to reflect changes made by the Veterans Millennium Health Care and Benefits Act. These changes concern payment of dependency and indemnity compensation to the surviving spouses of certain former prisoners of war; the provision of health care, education and home loan benefits to surviving spouses upon termination of their remarriages; and the addition of bronchiolo-alveolar carcinoma to the list of diseases that VA presumes are the result of exposure to radiation during active military service.     

Federal employees dental and vision insurance program. Final rule

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing final regulations to administer the Federal Employee Dental and Vision Benefits Enhancement Act of 2004, signed into law December 23, 2004. This law establishes dental and vision benefits programs for Federal employees, annuitants, and their eligible family members.     

Federal employees health benefits program: debarment--OPM. Final rule

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing final regulations to incorporate into regulations the statutory requirement that carriers in the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program may not deny claims for services or supplies due to the debarment of the providers who supplied them if the claimants could not have known that the provider was debarred. The purpose of these regulations is to comply with the provision of law that requires OPM to prescribe regulations on this issue.