A Mountain of Competing Plans Make Open Enrollment Dizzying

The best doctors program permits enrollees to obtain a second opinion on serious medical conditions from top specialists, who recommend a change in treatment about 60 percent of the time and challenge the initial diagnosis about 20 percent of the time, according to plan officials.

¿ The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association points to its national federation of 39 independent companies and its huge share of the federal market -- about 4.7 million employees, retirees and family members of the nearly 8 million Americans covered by FEHBP.

For 2008, the Blue Cross standard option and the basic option will add coverage for hearing aids for children and will improve ambulance benefits.

¿ The Government Employees Health Association emphasizes that premiums are not changing for its standard option and high-deductible health plans, and that it offers a vision benefit with GEHA health and dental plans.

¿ Kaiser Permanente has announced there will be no co-payment for preventive services, and it will provide generic drugs at lower cost in 2008.

Preventive services include routine physicals, well-child exams, mammograms and Pap smears, routine immunizations, and prostate and colorectal cancer screenings. Co-pays for preventive services cost $30 for adults this year at Kaiser.

The health plan also continues to improve electronic services, which permit Kaiser enrollees to schedule and cancel doctor appointments, send e-mail to their doctors and print out their health histories. An electronic medical record, launched in 2003, is being improved in phases, according to the company.

¿ The Mail Handlers Benefit Plan will offer a new "value option" next year that the company calls the lowest-priced plan in the FEHBP.

The value option offers 100 percent coverage for preventive care, including screenings, immunizations, and maternity and well-child care. It operates as a national fee-for-service preferred provider plan.

There are many other choices in FEHBP for next year. Some plans will be reducing premiums, some will be increasing co-pays and deductibles, and a number are repackaging benefits to make them more attractive.

Comparing plans is difficult, and experts recommend studying plan brochures and using the OPM benefits guide, which permits online comparisons of up to four plans at a time. The annual guide to health plans published by Washington Consumers' Checkbook magazine provides detailed information about how FEHBP works, compares the total costs of plans and makes recommendations on how to shop wisely for health care.

This weekend will be the last chance for such homework. The open season ends on Monday.

Stephen Barr's e-mail address isbarrs@washpost.com.