[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 182 (Tuesday, September 21, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56464-56465]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-21165]


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OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT


Federal Employees Health Benefits Program: Medically Underserved 
Areas for 2005

AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management.

ACTION: Notice of medically underserved areas for 2005.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has completed its 
annual determination of the States that qualify as Medically 
Underserved Areas under the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) 
Program for calendar year 2005. This is necessary to comply with a 
provision of the FEHB law that mandates special consideration for 
enrollees of certain FEHB plans who receive covered health services in 
States with critical shortages of primary care physicians. Accordingly, 
for calendar year 2005, OPM's calculations show that the following 
states are Medically Underserved Areas under the FEHB Program: Alabama, 
Alaska, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New 
Mexico, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming. 
For the 2005 contract year Alaska is being added to the list and Maine, 
West Virginia, and Utah are being removed.

DATES: January 1, 2005.

FOR FUTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ingrid Burford, (202) 606-0004.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: FEHB law (5 U.S.C. 8902(m)(2)) mandates 
special consideration for enrollees of certain FEHB plans who receive 
covered health

[[Page 56465]]

services in States with critical shortages of primary care physicians. 
The FEHB law also requires that a State be designated as a Medically 
Underserved Area if 25 percent or more of the population lives in an 
area designated by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as 
a primary medical care manpower shortage area. Such States are 
designated as Medically Underserved Areas for purposes of the FEHB 
Program, and the law requires non-HMO FEHB plans to reimburse 
beneficiaries, subject to their contract terms, for covered services 
obtained from any licensed provider in these States.
    FEHB regulations (5 CFR 890.701) require OPM to make an annual 
determination of the States that qualify as Medically Underserved Areas 
for the next calendar year by comparing the latest HHS State-by-State 
population counts on primary medical care manpower shortage areas with 
U.S. Census figures on State resident populations.

Kay Coles James,
Director, Office of Personnel Management.
[FR Doc. 04-21165 Filed 9-20-04; 8:45 am]
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