Excerpt: OPM sends 'carrier' or 'call letters' to FEHBP insurance plans each year. The letters tell the companies what OPM would like to see in the offerings made to employees during the fall open season, when they can shop among a broad variety of plans. This year's call letter provided no big changes or surprises. But it did place even greater emphasis on illness prevention. 'We expect you to provide benefits for preventive care, immunizations, and screenings with no enrollee cost sharing,' the letter said. 'We expect you to offer comprehensive smoking cessation benefits that include coverage for counseling, medications, multiple quit attempts, no annual or lifetime limitations and no enrollee cost sharing.'

MORE >>