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employees must state how much they want to contribute for the
                                 year.

                               All federal health plans are required to have a no pre-existing
                                 condition clause. This allows federal employees to move from

                                 one plan to another during open season each year without being
                                 concerned about any existing health conditions. Each plan must

                                 take your enrollment no matter what your health condition. This
                                 continues even when you are retired.
                               Each  plan also is required  to have a maximum out-of-pocket

                                 limit for the year. If you reach that limit, you will not be required
                                 to pay any further expenses, co-pays and deductibles due to this

                                 limit. The amount of the out-of-pocket limit varies from plan to
                                 plan, so you will want to be sure you understand the maximum
                                 amount you would have to pay out of your own pocket for the

                                 plans you are considering.
                            Here are some standard definitions you may want to become familiar
                        with:

                            FEHB   Federal Employee Health Benefits
                            FEDVIP   Federal Employee Dental and Vision Insurance Plan
                            PCP   Primary Care Physician

                            FSA   Flexible Savings Account
                            HSA   Health Saving Account

                            HMO  Health Maintenance Organization
                            PPO   Preferred Provider Organization
                            FFS   Fee-For-Service Plan

                            HDHP   High Deductible Health Plan
                            IOU






                            HMO--Health  Maintenance  Organization.  This  is  coverage

                        where  you  choose  a  primary  care  physician  from  a  list  of  member



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