Federal Employee Health Benefits Program

During an emergency, do not worry about your FEHB health benefits. Your benefits will continue regardless of the severity of the crisis. We have many health plans in the FEHB Program on which we can rely to make sure your benefits continue uninterrupted. During an emergency, continue to see your medical providers as you have previously done. Contact your health plan or go directly to the emergency room or other health care provider for services if for some reason you cannot contact your provider for needed services. In certain situations, we will ask our health plans to demonstrate maximum flexibility to assure your benefits coverage, including the following:

• Fee-for-service carriers will be expected to relax certain provisions, such as their pre-certification requirement that the plan must be notified within two business days of an emergency admission.
• Fee-for-service carriers and HMOs will be expected to relax requirements about notification and levels of benefit payment if members are taken to non-plan and/or non-PPO hospitals or other treatment centers.
• Carriers will be expected to make certain FEHB members get additional supplies of medications as backup for emergency situations if necessary.
• Though charges for work-related injuries sustained by Federal workers are payable by the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP), we are encouraging FEHB plans to provide immediate payment and seek subsequent reimbursement from OWCP.

During an emergency, you may continue to use medical providers, and your plan will reimburse you or pay your providers directly for covered services if you are covered by a fee-for-service plan. Present your ID card to your provider when you receive services. If you do not have your ID card, you or your provider should call your plan to verify your coverage.

If you are covered by an HMO, you should continue to use the HMO's medical providers as before and contact your HMO customer service representative for any questions about out-of-area services.

You can find names, telephone numbers, and website links for FEHB plans that serve the affected area are below: