We will not refuse to cover the treatment of a condition you had before you enrolled in this Plan solely because you had the condition before you enrolled.

Coverage under this plan qualifies as minimum essential coverage. Please visit the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) website at:
www.irs.gov/uac/Questions-and-Answers-on-the-Individual-Shared-Responsibility-Provision for more information on the individual requirement for MEC.

Our health coverage meets the minimum value standard of 60% established by the ACA. This means that we provide benefits to cover at least 60% of the total allowed costs of essential health benefits. The 60% standard is an actuarial value; your specific out-of-pocket costs are determined as explained in this brochure.

See https://health-benefits.opm.gov/PSHB/ for enrollment information as well as:

• Information on the PSHB Program and plans available to you
• A health plan comparison tool

Note: Contact the USPS for information on how to enroll in a PSHB Program Plan through the PSHB System.

Also, your employing or retirement office can answer your questions, give you other plans’ brochures and other materials you need to make an informed decision about your PSHB coverage. These materials tell you:

• When you may change your enrollment
• How you can cover your family members
• What happens when you transfer to another Federal agency, go on leave without pay, enter military service, or retire
• What happens when your enrollment ends
• When the next Open Season for enrollment begins

We do not determine who is eligible for coverage. You will be responsible for making changes to your enrollment status through the PSHB System. In some cases, your employing or retirement office may need to submit documentation. For information on your premium deductions, you must also contact your employing or retirement office.

Once enrolled in your PSHB Program Plan, you should contact your carrier directly for address updates and questions about your benefit coverage.

Self Only coverage is only for the enrollee. Self Plus One coverage is for the enrollee and one eligible family member.  Self and Family coverage is for the enrollee, and one or more eligible family members. Family members include your spouse and your dependent children under age 26, including any foster children authorized for coverage by your employing agency or retirement office. Under certain circumstances, you may also continue coverage for a disabled child 26 years of age or older who is incapable of self-support.

If you have a Self Only enrollment, you may change to a Self Plus One or Self and Family enrollment if you marry, give birth, or add a child to your family. You may change your enrollment 31 days before to 60 days after that event. The Self Plus One or Self and Family enrollment begins on the first day of the pay period in which the child is born or becomes an eligible family member. 

You enroll in a PSHB Program Plan and make enrollment changes in the PSHB System located at https://health-benefits.opm.gov/PSHB/. For assistance with the PSHB System, call the PSHBP Helpline at (844) 451-1261. When you change to Self Plus One or Self and Family because you marry, the change is effective on the first day of the pay period that begins after your employing office receives your enrollment request. Benefits will not be available to your spouse until you are married. We may request that an enrollee verify the eligibility of any or all family members listed as covered under the enrollee’s PSHB enrollment.

Use the PSHB System if you want to change from Self Only to Self Plus One or Self and Family, and to add or remove a family member. 

Your employing or retirement office will not notify you when a family member is no longer eligible to receive benefits. Please report changes in family member status, including your marriage, divorce, annulment, or when your child reaches age 26 through the PSHB System. We will send written notice to you 60 days before we proactively disenroll your child on midnight of their 26^th birthday unless your child is eligible for continued coverage because they are incapable of self-support due to a physical or mental disability that began before age 26.

If you or one of your family members is enrolled in one PSHB plan, you or they cannot be enrolled in or covered as a family member by another enrollee in another PSHB or FEHB plan.

If you have a qualifying life event (QLE) - such as marriage, divorce, or the birth of a child - outside of the Federal Benefits Open Season, you may be eligible to enroll in the PSHB Program, change your enrollment, or cancel coverage using the PSHB System. For a complete list of QLEs, visit the PSHB website at www.opm.gov/healthcare-insurance/life-events. If you need assistance, please contact your employing agency, personnel/payroll office, or retirement office.

Family members covered under your Self and Family enrollment are your spouse (including your spouse by a valid common-law marriage from a state that recognizes common-law marriages) and children as described in the chart below. A Self Plus One enrollment covers you and your spouse, or one other eligible family member, as described below.

Natural children, adopted children, and stepchildren
Coverage: Natural children, adopted children, and stepchildren are covered until their 26th birthday.

Foster children
Coverage: Foster children are eligible for coverage until their 26th birthday if you provide documentation of your regular and substantial support of the child and sign a certification stating that your foster child meets all the requirements. Contact your human resources office or retirement system for additional information.

Children incapable of self-support
Coverage: Children who are incapable of self-support because of a mental or physical disability that began before age 26 are eligible to continue coverage. Contact your human resources office or retirement system for additional information.

Married children
Coverage: Married children (but NOT their spouse or their own children) are covered until their 26th birthday.

Children with or eligible for employer-provided health insurance
Coverage: Children who are eligible for or have their own employer-provided health insurance are covered until their 26th birthday.

Newborns of covered children are insured only for routine nursery care during the covered portion of the mother’s maternity stay.

You can find additional information at www.opm.gov/healthcare-insurance.

OPM implements the Federal Employees Health Benefits Children’s Equity Act of 2000.  This law mandates that you be enrolled for Self Plus One or Self and Family coverage in the PSHB Program if you are an employee subject to a court or administrative order requiring you to provide health benefits for your child(ren).  

If this law applies to you, you must enroll in Self Plus One or Self and Family coverage in a health plan that provides full benefits in the area where your children live or provide documentation to your employing office that you have obtained other health benefits coverage for your children.  If you do not do so, your employing office will enroll you involuntarily as follows:

• If you have no PSHB coverage, your employing office will enroll you for Self Plus One or Self and Family coverage, as appropriate, in the lowest-cost nationwide plan option as determined by OPM 
• If you have a Self Only enrollment in a fee-for-service plan or in an HMO that serves the area where your children live, your employing office will change your enrollment to Self Plus One or Self and Family, as appropriate, in the same option of the same plan; or 
• If you are enrolled in an HMO that does not serve the area where the children live, your employing office will change your enrollment to Self Plus One or Self and Family, as appropriate, in the lowest-cost nationwide plan option as determined by OPM 

As long as the court/administrative order is in effect, and you have at least one child identified in the order who is still eligible under the PSHB Program, you cannot cancel your enrollment, change to Self Only, or change to a plan that does not serve the area in which your children live, unless you provide documentation that you have other coverage for the children.   

If the court/administrative order is still in effect when you retire, and you have at least one child still eligible for PSHB coverage, you must continue your PSHB coverage into retirement (if eligible) and cannot cancel your coverage, change to Self Only, or change to a plan that does not serve the area in which your children live as long as the court/administrative order is in effect. Similarly, you cannot change to Self Plus One if the court/administrative order identifies more than one child. Contact your employing office for further information.

For annuitants who are required to be enrolled in Medicare Part B as a condition to continue PSHB coverage in retirement: If you enroll in Medicare Part B and continue PSHB coverage in retirement, the child equity law applies to you and you cannot cancel your coverage, change to Self Only, or change to a plan that does not serve the area in which your child(ren) live as long as the court/administrative order is in effect. You cannot be compelled to enroll or remain enrolled in Medicare Part B to maintain your PSHB enrollment as a condition to satisfy a court/administrative order. However, if you do not enroll (or remain enrolled) in Medicare Part B as required to continue your PSHB coverage in retirement (notwithstanding an existing court/administrative order), you will not be able to continue your PSHB coverage in retirement.

Our PDP EGWP is only available to Postal Service annuitants who are Medicare Part D-eligible and their covered Medicare Part D-eligible family members. Our PDP EGWP is not an open market Medicare Part D Plan.  If you are an active Postal Service employee, or covered family member, and become eligible to enroll in Medicare Part D, you are not eligible to enroll in our PDP EGWP.  Please, contact CMS for assistance at www.Medicare.gov or call (800)-MEDICARE, (800) 633-4227, TTY (877) 486-2048 or call Member Services at 800-813-2000.

The benefits in this brochure are effective January 1. If you joined this Plan during Open Season, your coverage and premiums begin on January 1. If you joined at any other time during the year, your employing or retirement office will tell you the effective date of coverage.

If your enrollment continues after you are no longer eligible for coverage (i.e. you have separated from Postal service) and premiums are not paid, you will be responsible for all benefits paid during the period in which premiums were not paid. You may be billed for services received directly from your provider. You may be prosecuted for fraud for knowingly using health insurance benefits for which you have not paid premiums. It is your responsibility to know when you or a family member are no longer eligible to use your health insurance coverage.

When you retire, you can usually stay in the PSHB Program. Generally, you must have been enrolled in the FEHB and/or PSHB Program for the last five years of your Postal service. If you do not meet this requirement, you may be eligible for other forms of coverage, such as Temporary Continuation of Coverage (TCC).

You will receive an additional 31 days of coverage, for no additional premium, when:

• Your enrollment ends, unless you cancel your enrollment; or
• You are a family member no longer eligible for coverage.

Any person covered under the 31-day extension of coverage who is confined in a hospital or other institution for care or treatment on the 31st day of the temporary extension is entitled to continuation of the benefits of the Plan during the continuance of the confinement but not beyond the 60th day after the end of the 31-day temporary extension.

If you are eligible for coverage under spouse equity, you are only eligible to enroll in the FEHB Program. If you are not eligible for coverage under spouse equity and you are otherwise eligible for Temporary Continuation of Coverage (TCC), then you could enroll in TCC under the PSHB Program.

If you are an enrollee and your divorce or annulment is final, your ex-spouse cannot remain covered as a family member under your Self Plus One or Self and Family enrollment. You must enter the date of the divorce or annulment and remove your ex-spouse in the PSHB system. We may ask for a copy of the divorce decree as proof. If you need to change your enrollment type, you must use the PSHB System. A change will not automatically be made.

If you were married to an enrollee and your divorce or annulment is final, you may not remain covered as a family member under your former spouse’s enrollment. This is the case even when the court has ordered your former spouse to provide health coverage for you. However, you may be eligible for your own coverage under the spouse equity law or Temporary Continuation of Coverage (TCC). Former spouses eligible for coverage under the spouse equity law are not eligible to enroll in the PSHB Program. However, former spouses eligible for coverage under the spouse equity law may enroll in the FEHB Program. (Former Spouses seeking but not yet adjudicated as eligible for Spouse Equity may be entitled to TCC under a PSHB plan in the interim).

Former spouses not meeting the spouse equity requirements may be eligible for TCC under the PSHB Program provided you otherwise meet the eligibility requirements for TCC. If you are recently divorced or are anticipating a divorce, contact your ex-spouse’s employing or retirement office to get information about your coverage choices. You can also visit OPM’s website at https://www.opm.gov/healthcare-insurance/life-events/memy-family/im-separated-or-im-getting-divorced/#url=Health. We may request that you verify the eligibility of any or all family members listed as covered under the enrollee’s PSHB enrollment.

When a Postal Service annuitant who is Medicare Part D-eligible or their covered Medicare-eligible family member opts out of or disenrolls from our PDP EGWP, they will not have our prescription drug coverage under this plan. If you do not maintain creditable coverage, re-enrollment in our PDP EGWP may be subject to a late enrollment penalty. Contact us for additional information at 800-813-2000.

If you leave Federal service, or if you lose coverage because you no longer qualify as a family member, you may be eligible for Temporary Continuation of Coverage (TCC). For example, you can receive TCC if you are not able to continue your PSHB enrollment after you retire, if you lose your Federal job, or if you are a covered child and you turn 26.

You may not elect TCC if you are fired from your Federal job due to gross misconduct.

Enrolling in TCC. Get the RI 79-27, which describes TCC, from your employing or retirement office.

Alternatively, you can buy coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace where, depending on your income, you could be eligible for tax credit that lowers your monthly premiums. Visit www.HealthCare.gov to compare plans and see what your premium, deductible, and out-of-pocket costs would be before you make a decision to enroll. Finally, if you qualify for coverage under another group health plan (such as your spouse’s plan), you may be able to enroll in that plan, as long as you apply within 30 days of losing PSHB Program coverage.

You may convert to a non-PSHB individual policy if:

• Your coverage under TCC or the spouse equity law ends (If you canceled your coverage or did not pay your premium, you cannot convert);
• You decided not to receive coverage under TCC or the spouse equity law; or
• You are not eligible for coverage under TCC or the spouse equity law.

If you leave Federal service, your employing office will notify you of your right to convert. You must contact us in writing within 31 days after you receive this notice. However, if you are a family member who is losing coverage, the employing or retirement office will not notify you. You must contact us in writing within 31 days after you are no longer eligible for coverage.

Your benefits and rates will differ from those under the PSHB Program; however, you will not have to answer questions about your health, a waiting period will not be imposed, and your coverage will not be limited due to pre-existing conditions. When you contact us we will assist you in obtaining information about health benefits coverage inside or outside the Affordable Care Act’s Health Insurance Marketplace in your state. For assistance in finding coverage, please contact us at 800-813-2000 or visit our website at www.kp.org/postal.

If you would like to purchase health insurance through the ACA's Health Insurance Marketplace, please visit www.HealthCare.gov. This is a website provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that provides up-to-date information on the Marketplace.

We will send you an identification (ID) card when you enroll. You should carry your ID card with you at all times. You must show it whenever you receive services from a Plan provider or fill a prescription at a Plan pharmacy.  Providers may request photo identification together with your ID card to verify identity. Until you receive your ID card, use your copy of the PSHB System enrollment confirmation.

If you do not receive your ID card within 30 days after the effective date of your enrollment, or if you need replacement cards, call our Member Services Department at 800-813-2000 (TTY: 711) or write to us at: Membership Administration, Kaiser Permanente, 500 NE Multnomah St., Suite 100, Portland, OR 97232. After registering on our website at www.kp.org/postal, you may also request replacement cards electronically.

You get care from “Plan providers” and “Plan facilities”. You will only pay cost-sharing as described in Section 4. Your Cost for Covered  Services.

PSHB Carriers must have clauses in their plan provider agreements. These clauses provide that, for a service that is a covered benefit in the plan brochure or for services determined not medically necessary, the plan provider agrees to hold the covered individual harmless (and may not bill) for the difference between the billed charge and the in network contracted amount. If a plan provider bills you for covered services over your normal cost share (deductible, copay, co-insurance), contact your Carrier to enforce the terms of its provider contract.

Plan providers are physicians and other healthcare professionals in our service area that we employ or contract with to provide covered services to our members. We contract with Northwest Permanente, P.C. (Medical Group) and community physicians and physician groups to provide or arrange covered services for our members. Medical care is provided through physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and other skilled medical personnel. Specialists in most major specialties are available as part of the medical teams for consultation and treatment. Services by Plan providers are covered when acting within the scope of their license or certification under applicable state law. We credential Plan providers according to national standards.

Benefits are provided under this Plan for the services of covered providers, in accordance with Section 2706(a) of the Public Health Service Act. Coverage of practitioners is not determined by your state’s designation as a medically underserved area.

We list covered providers in our network provider directory, which we update periodically, and available on our website. Directories are available at the time of enrollment or upon request by calling our Member Services Department at 800-813-2000 (TTY: 711).

This plan recognizes that transgender, non-binary, and other gender diverse members require health care delivered by healthcare providers experienced in gender affirming health. Benefits described in this brochure are available to all members meeting medical necessity guidelines regardless of race, color, national origin, age, disability, religion, sex or gender.

This plan provides Care Coordinators for complex conditions and can be reached at 800-813-2000 (TTY: 711) for assistance. 

Plan facilities are hospitals, medical offices, and other facilities in our service area that we own or contract with to provide covered services to our members. Kaiser Permanente offers comprehensive healthcare at Plan facilities conveniently located throughout the Portland and Salem areas in Oregon and the Vancouver and Longview-Kelso areas in Washington.

We list Plan facilities in our Medical Directory, with their locations and phone numbers. Directories are updated on a regular basis and are available at the time of enrollment or upon request by calling our Member Services Department at 800-813-2000 (TTY: 711). The list is also on our website at www.kp.org/postal.

You must receive your health services at Plan facilities, except if you have an emergency, prior authorization, or out-of-area urgent care. If you are visiting another Kaiser Permanente or allied plan service area, you may receive healthcare services at those Kaiser Permanente facilities. See Section 5(h), Wellness and Other Special Features, for more details. Under the circumstances specified in this brochure, you may receive follow-up or continuing care while you travel anywhere.

It depends on the type of care you need. First, you and each covered family member should choose a primary care provider. This decision is important since your primary care provider provides or arranges for most of your healthcare.

To choose or change your primary care provider, you can either select one from our Medical Directory, from our website, www.kp.org/postal, or you can call our Member Services Department at 800-813-2000 (TTY: 711).

We encourage you to choose a primary care provider when you enroll. Your primary care provider can be a physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant and you may select a primary care provider from any of our available Plan providers who practice in these specialties: internal medicine, family medicine, pediatrics, general practice or obstetrics and gynecology. Your primary care provider will provide most of your healthcare, or give you a referral to see a specialist.

Please notify us of the primary care provider you choose. If you need help choosing a primary care provider, call us. You may change your primary care provider at any time. You are free to see other Plan physicians if your primary care provider is not available, and to receive care at other Kaiser Permanente facilities.

Specialty care is care you receive from providers other than a primary care provider. When your primary care provider believes you may need specialty care, they will request authorization from the Plan to refer you to a specialist for an initial consultation and/or for a certain number of visits. If the Plan approves the referral, you may seek the initial consultation from the specialist to whom you were referred. You must then return to your primary care provider after the consultation, unless your referral authorizes a certain number of additional visits without the need to obtain another referral. The primary care provider must provide or obtain authorization for a specialist to provide all follow-up care. Do not go to the specialist for return visits unless your primary care provider gives you a referral. However, you may see Plan obstetrician/gynecologists, optometrists, mental health and substance abuse providers, chiropractors, occupational health providers, social worker services and receive cancer counseling without a referral.

Here are some other things you should know about specialty care:

• If you need to see a specialist frequently because of a chronic, complex, or serious medical condition, your primary care provider, in consultation with you and your attending specialist, may develop a treatment plan that allows you to see your specialist for a certain number of visits without additional referrals. Your primary care provider will use our criteria when creating your treatment plan (the physician may have to get an authorization or approval beforehand).
• If you are seeing a specialist when you enroll in our Plan, talk to your primary care provider. Your primary care provider will decide what treatment you need. If they decide to refer you to a specialist, ask if you can see your current specialist. If your current specialist does not participate with us, you must receive treatment from a specialist who does. Generally, we will not pay for you to see a specialist who does not participate with our Plan.
• If you are seeing a specialist and your specialist leaves the Plan, call your primary care provider, who will arrange for you to see another specialist. You may be able to receive approved services from your current specialist until we can make arrangements for you to see a Plan specialist.
• If you have a chronic and disabling condition and
  • lose access to your specialist because your coverage changed from the FEHB to the PSHB and your health plan does not participate in the PSHB; or
  • lose access to your specialist because we drop out of the Postal Service Employees Health Benefits (PSHB) Program and you enroll in another PSHB program plan; or:
  • lose access to your specialist because we terminate our contract with your specialist for other than cause; or
  • lose access to your specialist because we reduce our service area and you enroll in another PSHB plan;

You may be able to continue seeing your specialist for up to 90 days after you receive notice of the change. Contact us, or if we drop out of the Program, contact your new plan.

If you are in the second or third trimester of pregnancy and you lose access to your specialist based on the above circumstances, you can continue to see your specialist until the end of your postpartum care, even if it is beyond the 90 days.

Your Plan primary care provider or specialist will make necessary hospital arrangements and supervise your care. This includes admission to a skilled nursing or other type of facility.

We pay for covered services from the effective date of your enrollment. However, if you are in the hospital when your enrollment in our Plan begins, call our customer service department immediately at 800-813-2000 (TTY: 711). If you are new to the PSHB Program, we will arrange for you to receive care and provide benefits for your covered services while you are in the hospital beginning on the effective date of your coverage. 

If you changed from another FEHB plan to this PSHB plan, your former plan will pay for the hospital stay until:

• you are discharged, not merely moved to an alternative care center; 
• the day your benefits from your former plan run out; or
• the 92nd day after you become a member of this Plan, whichever happens first.

These provisions apply only to the benefits of the hospitalized person. If your plan terminates participation in the PSHB Program in whole or in part, or if OPM orders an enrollment change, this continuation of coverage provision does not apply. In such cases, the hospitalized family member’s benefits under the new plan begin on the effective date of enrollment.

Your primary care provider arranges most referrals to specialists. For certain services your Plan provider must obtain approval from us. Before we approve a referral, we may consider if the service or item is medically necessary and meets other coverage requirements. We call this review and approval process “prior authorization.” Once the referral is approved, we will notify you that we have authorized your referral.

Your Plan provider must obtain prior authorization for:

• Alternative treatments
• Ambulance transport (non-emergency)
• Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
• Bariatric surgery
• Certain prescription medications as identified on our formulary
• Cosmetic, reconstructive, and plastic surgery
• Drug formulary exceptions
• Durable medical equipment (DME) and orthopedic and prosthetic devices 
• Gender affirming surgery  
• Home health services and hospice care
• Inpatient hospital care services, surgery, and procedures 
• Open MRI
• Organ/tissue transplants
• Outpatient surgery and procedures 
• Physical, occupational, speech, massage, and rehabilitative therapy services
• Routine foot care services
• Services or items from a non-plan Provider or at non-plan facilities
• Skilled nursing care
• Temporomandibular joint (TMJ)/TMD treatment services

To confirm if a referral has been approved for a service or item that requires prior authorization, please call our Member Services Department at 800-813-2000 (TTY: 711).

Your Plan provider submits the request for the services above with supporting documentation. You should call your Plan provider’s office if you have not been notified of the outcome of the review within 5 working days. If your request is not approved, you have the right to ask us in writing to reconsider our initial decision (see Section 8, The Disputed Claims Process).

Prior authorization determinations are made based on the information available at the time the service or item is requested. We will not cover the service or item unless you are a Plan member on the date you receive the service or item.

For non-urgent care claims, we will tell the physician and/or hospital the number of approved inpatient days, or the care that we approve for other services that must have prior authorization. We will make our decision within 15 days of receipt of the pre-service claim. If matters beyond our control require an extension of time, we may take up to an additional 15 days for review and we will notify you of the need for an extension of time before the end of the original 15-day period. Our notice will include the circumstances underlying the request for the extension and the date when a decision is expected.

If we need an extension because we have not received necessary information from you, our notice will describe the specific information required and we will allow you up to 60 days from the receipt of the notice to provide the information.

If you have an urgent care claim (i.e., when waiting for the regular time limit for your medical care or treatment could seriously jeopardize your life, health, or ability to regain maximum function, or in the opinion of a physician with knowledge of your medical condition, would subject you to severe pain that cannot be adequately managed without this care or treatment), we will expedite our review and notify you of our decision within 72 hours. If you request that we review your claim as an urgent care claim, we will review the documentation you provide and decide whether or not it is an urgent care claim by applying the judgment of a prudent layperson that possesses an average knowledge of health and medicine.

If you fail to provide sufficient information, we will contact you within 24 hours after we receive the claim to let you know what information we need to complete our review of the claim. You will then have up to 48 hours to provide information. We will make our decision on the claim within 48 hours of (1) the time we received the additional information or (2) the end of the time frame, whichever is earlier.

We may provide our decision orally within these time frames, but we will follow up with written or electronic notification within three days of oral notification.

You may request that your urgent care claim on appeal be reviewed simultaneously by us and OPM. Please let us know that you would like a simultaneous review of your urgent care claim by OPM either in writing at the time you appeal our initial decision, or by calling us at 503-813-4480. You may also call OPM’s Postal Service Insurance Operations (PSIO) at (202) 936-0002 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern Time to ask for the simultaneous review. We will cooperate with OPM so they can quickly review your claim on appeal. In addition, if you did not indicate that your claim was a claim for urgent care, call us at 503-813-4480. If it is determined that your claim is an urgent care claim, we will expedite our review (if we have not yet responded to your claim).

A concurrent care claim involves care provided over a number of treatments. We will treat any reduction or termination of our pre-approved course of treatment before the end of the approved period of time or number of treatments as an appealable decision. This does not include reduction or termination due to benefit changes or if your enrollment ends. If we believe a reduction or termination is warranted, we will allow you sufficient time to appeal and obtain a decision from us before the reduction or termination takes effect.

If you request an extension of an ongoing course of treatment at least 24 hours prior to the expiration of the approved time period and this is also an urgent care claim, we will make a decision within 24 hours after we receive the claim.

Emergency services do not require prior authorization. However, if you are admitted to a non-plan facility, you or your family member must notify the Plan within 48 hours, or as soon as reasonably possible, or your claims may be denied.

You must obtain prior authorization from us for post-stabilization care you receive from non-plan providers.

See Section 5(d), Emergency Services/Accidents for more information.

If you request an extension of an ongoing course of treatment at least 24 hours prior to the expiration of the approved time period and this is also an urgent care claim, we will make a decision within 24 hours after we receive the claim.

You must receive your health services at Plan facilities, except if you have an emergency, authorized referral, or out-of-area urgent care. Your primary care provider will provide most of your healthcare, or give you a referral to see a specialist. If you do not obtain a referral from us for services or items that require a referral, we will not pay any amount for those services or items and you may be liable for the full price of those services or items. This also includes any residual amounts, such as deductibles, copayments or coinsurance that are not covered or not paid by any other insurance plan you use to pay for those services or items.

Under extraordinary circumstances, such as natural disasters, we may have to delay your services or we may be unable to provide them. In that case, we will make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the necessary care.

If you have a pre-service claim and you do not agree with our prior approval decision, you may request a review in accord with the procedures detailed below. If your claim is in reference to a contraceptive, call our Member Services Department at 800-813-2000 (TTY: 711). 

If you have already received the service, supply, or treatment, then you have a post-service claim and must follow the entire disputed claims process detailed in Section 8.

Within 6 months of our initial decision, you may ask us in writing to reconsider our initial decision. Follow Step 1 of the disputed claims process detailed in Section 8 of this brochure.

In the case of a pre-service claim and subject to a request for additional information, we have 30 days from the date we receive your written request for reconsideration to do one of the following:

1. Precertify your hospital stay or, if applicable, arrange for the healthcare provider to give you the care or grant your request for prior approval for a service, drug, or supply.
2. Ask you or your provider for more information.

You or your provider must send the information so that we receive it within 60 days of our request. We will then decide within 30 more days.

If we do not receive the information within 60 days, we will decide within 30 days of the date the information was due. We will base our decision on the information we already have. We will write to you with our decision.

3. Write to you and maintain our denial.

In the case of an appeal of a pre-service urgent care claim, within 6 months of our initial decision, you may ask us in writing to reconsider our initial decision. Follow Step 1 of the disputed claims process detailed in Section 8 of this brochure.

Unless we request additional information, we will notify you of our decision within 72 hours after receipt of your reconsideration request. We will expedite the review process, which allows oral or written request for appeals and the exchange of information by phone, electronic mail, facsimile, or other expeditious methods.

After we reconsider your pre-service claim. if you do not agree with our decision, you may ask OPM to review it by following Step 3 of the disputed claims process detailed in Section 8 of this brochure.

Note: If you are enrolled in our Medicare PDP EGWP and do not agree with our benefit coverage decision you have the right to appeal.  See Section. 8(a) for information about the PDP EGWP appeal process.

Cost-sharing is the general term used to refer to your out-of-pocket costs (e.g., deductible, coinsurance, and copayments) for the covered care you receive.

A copayment is a fixed amount of money you pay to the provider, facility, pharmacy, etc., when you receive certain services. The amount of copayment will depend upon whether you are enrolled in the High Option, Standard Option, or Prosper the type of provider, and the service or supply that you receive.

You pay a primary care provider copayment when you visit any primary care provider as described in Section 3, How You Get Care, or when you visit an Ob/Gyn for routine care. You pay a specialist copayment when you receive care from a specialist as described in Section 3.

For example, for diagnostic and treatment services as described in Section 5(a):

• Under the High Option, you pay a $20 copayment when you receive diagnostic and treatment services from a primary care provider and a $30 copayment when you receive these services from a specialty care provider.
• Under the Standard Option, you pay a $25 copayment when you receive diagnostic and treatment services from a primary care provider and a $35 copayment when you receive these services from a specialty care provider.
• Under Prosper, you pay a $10 copayment when you receive diagnostic and treatment services from a primary care provider and a $20 copayment when you receive these services from a specialty care provider.

Coinsurance is the percentage of our allowance that you must pay for certain services you receive.  Coinsurance does not begin until you have met your calendar year deductible.

Example: In our Plan, you pay 50% of our allowance for infertility services and 20% of our allowance for most durable medical equipment.

A deductible is a fixed expense you must incur for certain covered services and supplies before we start paying benefits for them.

• The High Option has no deductible.
• The calendar year deductible for the Standard Option is $150 per person. Under a Self Plus One or Self and family enrollment, the deductible is considered satisfied and benefits are payable for all family members when the combined covered expenses applied to the calendar year deductible for family members reach $300 under the Standard Option.
• The calendar year deductible for Prosper is $300 per person. Under a Self Plus One or Self and family enrollment, the deductible is considered satisfied and benefits are payable for all family members when the combined covered expenses applied to the calendar year deductible for family members reach $600 under Prosper.

Note: If you change PSHB plans during Open Season, the effective date of your new PSHB plan is January 1 of the next year, and a new deductible starts on January 1. If you change plans at another time during the year, you must begin a new deductible under your new plan.

If you change options in this Plan during the year, we will credit the amount of covered expenses already applied toward the deductible of your old option to the deductible of your new option.

After your cost-sharing total is $5,000 per person up to $10,000 per family enrollment (High Option), $6,000 per person up to $12,000 per family enrollment (Standard Option) or $7,000 per person up to $14,000 per family enrollment (Prosper) in any calendar year, you do not have to pay any more for certain covered services. This includes any services required by group health plans to count toward the catastrophic protection out-of-pocket maximum by federal healthcare reform legislation (Affordable Care Act and implementing regulations). 

Example: High Option has a $5,000 per person up to $10,000 per family maximum out-of-pocket limit. If you or one of your eligible family members has out-of-pocket qualified medical expenses of $5,000 in a calendar year, any cost-sharing for qualified medical expenses for that individual will be covered fully by your health plan for the remainder of the calendar year. With a family enrollment, the out-of-pocket maximum will be satisfied once two or more family members have out-of-pocket qualified medical expenses or $10,000 in a calendar, any cost–sharing for qualified medical expenses for all enrolled family members will be covered fully by your health plan for the reminder of the calendar year.

However, cost-sharing for the following services do not count toward your catastrophic protection out-of-pocket maximum, and you must continue to pay cost-sharing for these services:

• Eyeglasses and contact lenses  
• Accidental injury benefit
• Travel benefit

For members enrolled in our Plan's associated MA-PD or PDP EGWP, we are required to accumulate all members’ actual out-of-pocket costs for Medicare-covered drugs, services and supplies toward the PSHB catastrophic maximum(s), unless specifically excluded as indicated in Section 5(f)(a).

If you are enrolled in our Medicare Prescription Drug Plan (PDP) Employer Group Waiver Plan (EGWP), the prescription drug out-of-pocket maximum is $2,000.  After this maximum is met, we pay 100% of all eligible covered prescription drug benefits.

If you changed to this PSHB Plan during Open Season from a plan with a catastrophic protection benefit the effective date of the change is January 1 and covered expenses that apply to this plan’s catastrophic protection benefit starts on January 1. 

Note: If you change PSHB plans during Open Season the effective date of your new PSHB plan is January 1 of the next year, and a new catastrophic protection accumulation starts on January 1. If you change plans at another time during the year, you must begin a new catastrophic protection accumulation under your new plan.

Note: If you change options in this Plan during the year, we will credit the amount of covered expenses already accumulated toward the catastrophic out-of-pocket limit of your old option to the catastrophic protection limit of your new option.

Facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense and the Indian Health Services are entitled to seek reimbursement from us for certain services and supplies they provide to you or a family member.  They may not seek more than their governing laws allow.  You may be responsible to pay for certain services and charges.  Contact the government facility directly for more information. 

The No Surprises Act (NSA) is a federal law that provides you with protections against “surprise billing” and “balance billing” for out-of-network emergency services; out-of-network non-emergency services provided with respect to a visit to a participating health care facility; and out-of-network air ambulance services. We use “Plan providers” and “Plan facilities” to refer to “in-network” services.

A surprise bill is an unexpected bill you receive for:

1. emergency care – when you have little or no say in the facility or provider from whom you receive care, or for
2. non-emergency services furnished by non-Plan providers with respect to patient visits to Plan health care facilities, or for
3. air ambulance services furnished by non-Plan providers of air ambulance services.

Balance billing happens when you receive a bill from the nonparticipating provider, facility, or air ambulance service for the difference between the nonparticipating provider's charge and the amount payable by your health plan.

Your health plan must comply with the NSA protections that hold you harmless from surprise bills.

Professional services of physicians and other healthcare professionals

• In a physician’s office
• Office medical consultations
• Second surgical opinion
• Advance care planning 

$20 per primary care office visit (nothing for children through age 17)

$30 per specialty care office visit

Note: You pay 10% of our allowance for drugs administered in connection with your care.

$25 per primary care office visit (nothing for children through age 17)

$35 per specialty care office visit

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care. 

$10 per primary care office visit

$20 per specialty care office visit

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care. 

Professional services of physicians and other healthcare professionals

• At home

$20 per primary care visit (nothing for children through age 17)

$30 per specialty care visit

$25 per primary care visit (nothing for children through age 17)

$35 per specialty care visit

$10 per primary care visit 

$20 per specialty care visit

Professional services of physicians and other healthcare professionals

• During a hospital stay
• In a skilled nursing facility

Nothing for inpatient professional services

Nothing for inpatient professional services

Nothing for inpatient professional services

Professional services of physicians and other healthcare professionals

• Injections provided in the Nurse Treatment Area 

$10 per office visit

Note: You pay 10% of our allowance for drugs administered in connection with your care.

$15 per office visit

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care.

$10 per office visit

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care.

Professional services of physicians and other healthcare professionals delivered through telehealth, such as:

• Interactive video visits
• Phone visits
• Email

Note: Visits may be limited by provider type, location and benefit specific limitations, such as visit limits.

Nothing

Nothing

Nothing

For 2025, the following change was made for breast imaging:

• We removed the cost share for non-routine diagnostic and supplemental breast imaging. See details below.

Applies to this benefit

Applies to this benefit

Applies to this benefit

Tests, such as:

• Blood test
• Urinalysis
• Non-routine Pap test
• Pathology

Note: See Section 5(c) for hospital charges.

$10 per department visit

Note: You pay 10% of our allowance for drugs administered in connection with your care.

$25 per department visit

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care.

$20 after the deductible per department visit

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care. 

• X-ray
• Ultrasound
• Electrocardiogram and EEG
• Nuclear medicine

Note: See Section 5(c) for hospital charges.

$15 per department visit

Note: You pay 10% of our allowance for drugs administered in connection with your care.

$30 per department visit

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care.

$20 after the deductible per department visit

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care.

• Non-routine diagnostic and supplemental breast imaging

Nothing

Nothing

Nothing

• CT/CAT scan
• MRI
• PET scan

Note: See Section 5(c) for hospital charges.

$100 per department visit

Note: You pay 10% of our allowance for drugs administered in connection with your care.

$150 per department visit

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care.

$100 after the deductible per department visit

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care.

For 2025, the following preventive care benefits were added:

• Coverage for HIV PrEP to include oral tenofovir alafenamide/emtricitabine (TAF/FTC), brand name Descovy, and injectable cabotegravir
• Coverage for the screening of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) in adults to include the diagnosis of nonspecific reaction to cell-mediated immunity measurement of gamma interferon antigen response

Nothing

Nothing

Nothing

Annual routine physical

Nothing

Nothing

Nothing

The following preventive services are covered at the time interval recommended at each of the links below:

• U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) A and B recommended screenings such as cancer, osteoporosis, depression, diabetes, high blood pressure, total blood cholesterol, HIV, and colorectal cancer. For a complete list of screenings, visit the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) website at https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation-topics/uspstf-a-and-b-recommendations
• Individual counseling on prevention and reducing health risks
• Preventive care benefits for women such as Pap smears, gonorrhea prophylactic medication to protect newborns, annual counseling for sexually transmitted infections, contraceptive methods, screening for interpersonal and domestic violence, and well-women visits. Well-women visits also include prepregnancy, prenatal, postpartum, and interpregnancy visits. For a complete list of preventive care benefits for women, please visit the Health and Human Services (HHS) website at www.hrsa.gov/womens-guidelines
• Adult Immunizations endorsed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) based on the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) schedule.  For a complete list of endorsed immunizations go to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website at https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/
• Services such as routine prostate specific antigen (PSA) test, anemia and urinary tract infection
• We cover other preventive services required by federal healthcare reform legislation (the Affordable Care Act and implementing regulations) and additional services that we include in our preventive services benefit. For a complete list of Kaiser Permanente preventive services visit our website at
  www.kp.org/prevention
• To build your personalized list of preventive services go to 
  www.health.gov/myhealthfinder

Nothing

Nothing

Nothing

• Routine mammogram 

Nothing

Nothing

Nothing

• Travel-related injectable immunizations

Nothing

Nothing

Nothing

Notes:

• You may pay cost-sharing for any procedure, injection, diagnostic service, laboratory or X-ray service that is provided in conjunction with a routine physical exam and not included in the preventive recommended listing of services.
• You should consult with your physician to determine what is appropriate for you.

Applies to this benefit

Applies to this benefit

Applies to this benefit

Obesity counseling, screening and referral for those persons at or above the USPSTF obesity prevention risk factor level, to intensive nutrition and behavioral weight-loss therapy, counseling, or family centered programs under the USPSTF A and B recommendations are covered as part of prevention and treatment of obesity as follows:

• Intensive nutrition and behavioral weight-loss counseling therapy.

• Family centered programs when medically identified to support obesity prevention and management by an in-network provider.

Notes:

• See Section 5(h) Wellness and Other Special Features and Non-PSHB Benefits Available to Plan Members for details on our nutritional and physical activity support for members.
• When Bariatric or Metabolic surgical treatment or intervention is indicated for severe obesity. See section 5(b) for Surgery requirements and cost share.
• When anti-obesity medication is prescribed as indicated by the FDA obesity medication treatment guidelines. See Section 5(f) or 5(f)(a), if applicable for cost share requirements for anti-obesity medications.

Nothing

Nothing

Nothing

Not covered:

• Physical exams and immunizations required for:
  • Obtaining or continuing employment
  • Insurance or licensing
  • Attending schools, sports or camp, athletic exams
  • Participating in employee programs
  • Court ordered parole or probation

All charges

All charges

All charges

Annual routine physical

Nothing

Nothing

Nothing

• Well-child visits, examinations, and other preventive services as described in the Bright Future Guidelines provided by the American Academy of Pediatrics. For a complete list of the American Academy of Pediatrics Bright Futures Guidelines visit www.brightfutures.aap.org
• Children's immunizations endorsed by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) including DTaP/Tdap, Polio, Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR), and Varicella. For a complete list of immunizations go to the website at www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/index.html
• You may also find a complete list of U.S. Preventive Task Force (USPSTF) A and Be recommendations online at   https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation-topics/uspstf-a-and-b-recommendations
• We cover other preventive services required by federal healthcare reform legislation (the Affordable Care Act and implementing regulations) and additional services that we include in our preventive services benefit. For a complete list of Kaiser Permanente preventive services visit our website at
  www.kp.org/prevention
• To build your personalized list of preventive services go to https://health.gov/myhealthfinder

Nothing

Nothing

Nothing

• Travel-related injectable immunizations
• Newborn home nurse visit program

Nothing

Nothing

Nothing

Note: You may pay cost-sharing for any procedure, injection, diagnostic service, laboratory or X-ray service that is provided in conjunction with a routine physical exam and not included in the preventive recommended listing of services.

Applies to this benefit

Applies to this benefit

Applies to this benefit

Obesity counseling, screening, and referral for those persons at or above the USPSTF obesity prevention risk factor level, to intensive nutrition and behavioral weight-loss therapy, counseling, or family centered programs under the USPSTF A and B recommendations are covered as part of prevention and treatment of obesity as follows:

• Intensive nutrition and behavioral weight-loss counseling therapy
• Family centered programs when medically identified to support obesity prevention and management by an in-network provider.

Notes

• See Section 5(h) Wellness and Other Special Features and Non-PSHB Benefits Available to Plan Members for details on our nutritional and physical activity support for members.
• When Bariatric or Metabolic surgical treatment or intervention is indicated for severe obesity. See section 5(b) for Surgery requirements and cost share.
• When anti-obesity medication is prescribed as indicated by the FDA obesity medication treatment guidelines. See Section 5(f) or 5(f)(a), if applicable for cost share requirements for anti-obesity medications.

Nothing

Nothing

Nothing

Not covered:

• Physical exams and immunizations required for:
  • Obtaining or continuing employment
  • Insurance or licensing
  • Participating in employee programs
  • Attending school or camp
  • Court ordered parole or probation

• All other hearing testing, except as may be covered in Section 5(a), Diagnostic and treatment services and Section 5(a), Hearing services.

All charges

All charges

All charges

Complete maternity (obstetrical) care, such as:

• Screening for gestational diabetes
• Prenatal and postpartum care
• Delivery
• Screening and counseling for prenatal and postpartum depression
• Services and supplies for maternal diabetes management (conception through six weeks postpartum)

Nothing

Note: You pay 10% of our allowance for drugs administered in connection with your care.

Nothing

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care. 

Nothing

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care. 

• Delivery

Nothing for inpatient professional delivery services

Nothing for inpatient professional delivery services

Nothing for inpatient professional delivery services

• Lactation support, supplies, and counseling for each birth

Note: We cover milk pumps and supplies under Durable Medical Equipment (DME). 

Nothing

Nothing

Nothing

Notes:

• Routine maternity care is covered after confirmation of pregnancy.
• Your Plan provider does not have to obtain prior approval from us for your vaginal delivery. See Section 3, You need prior Plan approval for certain services, for prior approval guidelines.
• As part of your coverage, you have access to in-network certified nurse midwives and board-certified lactation specialists during the prenatal and post-partum period. 
• You may remain in the hospital up to 48 hours after a vaginal delivery and 96 hours after a cesarean delivery. Your physician will extend your inpatient stay if medically necessary.
• We cover routine nursery care of the newborn child during the covered portion of the mother’s maternity stay. We will cover other care of an infant who requires non-routine treatment only if we cover the infant under a Self Plus One or Self and Family enrollment.
• When a newborn requires definitive treatment during or after the mother’s hospital stay, the newborn is considered a patient in their own right. If the newborn is eligible for coverage, regular medical or surgical benefits apply rather than maternity benefits. In addition, circumcision is covered at the same rate as for regular medical or surgical benefits.
• We pay hospitalization and surgeon services for non-maternity care the same as for illness and injury.
• You pay cost-sharing for other services, including:
  • Diagnostic and treatment services for illness or injury received during a non-routine maternity care as described in this section.
  • Lab, X-ray and other diagnostic tests (including ultrasounds), Durable medical equipment as described in this section.
  • Surgical services (including circumcision of an infant if performed after the mother’s discharge from the hospital) as described in Section 5(b). Outpatient hospital or ambulatory surgical center.
  • Hospitalization (including room and board and delivery) as described in Section 5(c). Inpatient hospital.

Applies to this benefit

Applies to this benefit

Applies to this benefit

Contraceptive counseling on an annual basis

Nothing

Nothing

Nothing

A range of voluntary family planning services, without cost sharing, that includes at least one form of contraception in each of the categories on the HRSA list. This list includes: 

• Pregnancy testing
• Voluntary female sterilization 
• Surgically implanted contraceptives
• Injectable contraceptive drugs (such as Depo Provera)
• Intrauterine devices (IUDs)
• Family planning counseling
• Contraceptives counseling

Notes:

• See Section 5(b), Surgical and Anesthesia Services
• See additional Family Planning and Prescription drug coverage Section 5(f) or 5(f)(a), if applicable 
• Your plan offers some type of voluntary female sterilization surgery coverage at no cost to members. The contraceptive benefit includes at least one option in each of the HRSA-supported categories of contraception (as well as the screening, education, counseling, and follow-up care). Any type of voluntary female sterilization surgery that is not already available without cost sharing can be accessed through the contraceptive exceptions process described below.

• Kaiser Permanente physicians prescribe the appropriate level of medically necessary contraceptive medications to PSHB members. To ensure physicians can make appropriate exceptions, they have the authority to prescribe brand-name or non-formulary contraceptive drugs for members without administrative review if their opinion is that a particular drug is medically necessary and would be more beneficial for an individual member. Members pay their regular prescription drug copayment for medically necessary brand-name drugs. Information on contraceptive coverage is available to PSHB members on kp.org/feds and kp.org/health-wellness.

• If you have difficulty accessing contraceptive coverage or other reproductive healthcare, you can contact contraception@opm.gov. For more information about contraception, you can visit the OPM website regarding Contraceptive Coverage at www.opm.gov/healthcare-insurance/healthcare/contraception-coverage/ or email contraception@opm.gov.

Nothing

Nothing

Nothing

Voluntary male sterilization 

Nothing

Nothing

Nothing

Not covered:

• Reversal of voluntary surgical sterilization

All charges

All charges

All charges

For 2025, we added clarifying language for the following related to infertility coverage:

• Services related to surrogacy are not covered

Not covered

Not covered

Not covered

Infertility is the inability of an individual to conceive or produce conception during a period of 1 year, if the female is age 35 or younger, or during a period of 6 months if the female is over the age of 35, or having a medical or other demonstrated condition that is recognized by a Plan physician as a cause of infertility.

Diagnosis and treatment of infertility, such as:

• Artificial Insemination:
  • Intravaginal insemination (IVI) 
  • Intracervical insemination (ICI)
  • Intrauterine insemination (IUI)
• Semen analysis
• Hysterosalpingogram
• Hormone evaluation

Notes:

• A Plan physician will determine the appropriate treatment and number of attempts for infertility treatment.
• For coverage of fertility drugs, see Section 5(f), Prescription Drug Benefits for coverage of fertility drugs.

50% of our allowance

50% of our allowance after the deductible

50% of our allowance after the deductible.

Standard fertility preservation for iatrogenic infertility, such as:

• Retrieval of sperm and eggs
• Cryopreservation
• Storage for preserved specimen for 1 year after a covered preservation procedure even if your enrollment ends

50% of our allowance

50% of our allowance after the deductible

50% of our allowance after the deductible

Not covered:

These exclusions apply to fertile as well as infertile individuals or couples:

• Assisted reproductive technology (ART) procedures, including related services and supplies, such as:
  • in vitro fertilization (IVF) 
  • embryo transfer, gamete intra-fallopian transfer (GIFT) and zygote intra-fallopian transfer (ZIFT)
• Any charges associated with donor eggs, donor sperm or donor embryos
• Any charges associated with cryopreservation, unless listed as covered above for iatrogenic infertility
• Any charges associated with thawing and storage of frozen sperm, eggs, and embryos, unless listed as covered above for iatrogenic infertility
• Ovum transplants
• Infertility services when either member of the family has been voluntarily, surgically sterilized 
• Services to reverse voluntary, surgically induced infertility
• Services related to surrogate arrangements

All charges

All charges

All charges

• Testing and treatment

$30 per specialty care office visit

Note: You pay 10% of our allowance for drugs administered in connection with your care.

$35 per specialty care office visit

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care. 

$20 per specialty care office visit

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care.

• Injections

$10 per office visit

Note: You pay 10% of our allowance for drugs administered in connection with your care.

$15 per office visit

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care.

$10 per office visit

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care.

• Serum

Nothing

Nothing

Nothing

Not covered:

• Provocative food testing
• Sublingual allergy desensitization

All charges

All charges

All charges

• Chemotherapy and radiation therapy

Note: High dose chemotherapy in association with autologous bone marrow transplants is limited to those transplants listed under Section 5(b), Organ/Tissue transplants.

• Dialysis - hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis

$30 per specialty care office visit

Note: You pay 10% of our allowance for drugs administered in connection with your care.

$35 per specialty care office visit after the deductible

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care. 

$20 per specialty care office visit

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care. 

• Ultraviolet light treatments

$5 per treatment

$5 per treatment

$5 per treatment

• Cardiac rehabilitation following a qualifying event/condition
• Respiratory and inhalation therapy

• $30 per specialty care office visit

  Note: You pay 10% of our allowance for drugs administered in connection with your care.

$35 per specialty care office visit after the deductible

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care.

$20 per specialty care office visit

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care. 

• Intravenous (IV)/Infusion Therapy—Home IV and antibiotic therapy

Nothing at home

$20 per primary care office visit (nothing for children through age 17)

$30 per specialty care office visit

Note: You pay 10% of our allowance for drugs administered in connection with your care.  

Nothing at home

$25 per primary care office visit (nothing for children through age 17)

$35 per specialty care office visit

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care.

Nothing at home

$10 per primary care office visit

$20 per specialty care office visit

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care.

Notes:

• Growth hormone is covered under the prescription drug benefit. See Section 5(f) of 5(f)(a), if applicable.
• See Section 5(e), Professional services, for coverage of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA).

Applies to this benefit

Applies to this benefit

Applies to this benefit

Not covered:

• Cognitive therapy

All charges

All charges

All charges

• Up to 20 habilitative and up to 20 rehabilitative therapy visits per calendar year for each therapy. No visit limits for habilitative and rehabilitative services for the treatment of mental health conditions.
  • Physical therapy by qualified physical therapists to attain or restore bodily function when you have a total or partial loss of bodily function due to illness or injury.
  • Occupational therapy by occupational therapists is limited to services that assist you in attaining or resuming self-care and improved functioning in other activities of daily living when you have a total or partial loss of bodily function due to illness or injury.

$30 per specialty care outpatient visit

Note: You pay 10% of our allowance for drugs administered in connection with your care.

$35 per specialty care outpatient visit

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care.

$20 per specialty care outpatient visit

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care. 

Not covered:

• Long-term therapy
• Exercise programs
• Maintenance therapy
• Cognitive rehabilitation programs
• Vocational rehabilitation programs
• Therapies done primarily for educational purposes
• Services provided by local, state, and federal government agencies, including schools

All charges

All charges

All charges

Up to 20 habilitative and up to 20 rehabilitative visits per calendar year. No visit limits for habilitative and rehabilitative speech therapy for the treatment of mental health conditions.

Note: See Section 5(c), Hospital services, for hospital charges.

$30 per specialty care outpatient office visit

Note: You pay 10% of our allowance for drugs administered in connection with your care.

$35 per specialty care outpatient office visit

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care. 

$20 per specialty care outpatient office visit

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care. 

Not covered:

• Therapies done primarily for educational purposes
• Therapy for tongue thrust in the absence of swallowing problems
• Training or therapy to improve articulation in the absence of injury, illness, or medical condition affecting articulation
• Voice therapy for occupation or performing arts
• Services provided by local, state, and federal government agencies including schools

All charges

All charges

All charges

For 2025, we made the following changes and clarifications to your hearing services benefit. See below for details.

• Coverage for hearing aids and related services to include replacement parts, batteries, and repairs
• Coverage for ear molds and replacement of ear molds as medically necessary
• Non-prescription hearing aids or hearing aid components are not covered

Applies to this benefit

Applies to this benefit

Applies to this benefit

For treatment related to illness or injury, including evaluation and diagnostic hearing tests performed by an M.D., D.O., or audiologist or other provider in a physician's office

Note: For coverage of hearing screenings, see Section 5(a), Preventive care, adult and Preventive care, children, and, for any other hearing testing, see Section 5(a), Diagnostic and treatment services.

$20 per primary care office visit (nothing for children through age 17)

$30 per specialty care office visit

Note: You pay 10% of our allowance for drugs administered in connection with your care.

$25 per primary care office visit (nothing for children through age 17)

$35 per specialty care office visit

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care.

$10 per primary care office visit (nothing for children through age 17)

$20 per specialty care office visit

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care.

Hearing aids and related services for eligible members through age 25, including testing, fitting, and examinations

Notes:

• A single hearing aid providing hearing to both ears (binaural hearing aid) is considered two hearing aids for purposes of this benefit.
• For coverage of audible prescription reading and speech generating devices, see Section 5(a), Durable medical equipment.
• Ear molds and replacement ear molds are covered as medically necessary up to four times per year through ages eight years or younger and once per year ages eight through 25.
• Replacement parts and batteries, repair of hearing aids, and replacement of lost or broken hearing aids are covered.

20% of our allowance (Limited to one hearing aid per ear every 36 months)

20% of our allowance (Limited to one hearing aid per ear every 36 months)

20% of our allowance (Limited to one hearing aid per ear every 36 months)

Not covered:

• All other hearing testing, except as may be covered in Section 5(a), Diagnostic and treatment services and Section 5(a), Preventive care, children
• Hearing aids, including testing and examinations for them, for members age 26 and over
• Non-prescription hearing aids or hearing aid components 

All charges

All charges

All charges

• Diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the eye

$30 per specialty care office visit 

Note: You pay 10% of our allowance for drugs administered in connection with your care.

$35 per specialty care office visit 

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care.

$20 per specialty care office visit

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care.

• Routine eye exam with a Plan optometrist to determine the need for vision correction and provide a prescription for eyeglasses

$20 per primary care office visit

Note: You pay 10% of our allowance for drugs administered in connection with your care.

$25 per primary care office visit 

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care.

$10 per primary care office visit 

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care.

For members age 19 and over, eyeglasses (frames and lenses), contact lenses, including medically necessary contact lenses, or industrial safety glasses.

All charges in excess of $150 every two calendar years

All charges in excess of $60 for single vision or $90 for multifocal eyeglasses or contact lenses every 12 months when a significant change in correction occurs.

All charges in excess of $150 every two calendar years

All charges in excess of $60 for single vision or $90 for multifocal eyeglasses or contact lenses every 12 months when a significant change in correction occurs

All charges

For members through age 18:

• One pair of eyeglasses (frames and lenses, including industrial safety eyeglasses) every calendar year or up to a 12-month supply of disposable contact lenses every calendar year
• Medically necessary contact lenses, including the evaluation, fitting and followup, every calendar year
• Up to one low vision aid every calendar year

 Notes:

• Coverage for eyeglasses and contact lenses are limited to a specified collection
• Medically necessary contact lenses are limited to the following conditions: keratoconus, pathological myopia, aphakia, anisometropia, aniseikonia, aniridia, corneal disorders, post-traumatic disorders or irregular astigmatism.

Nothing

Nothing

Nothing

Eyeglasses and contact lens(es) after cataract surgery with intraocular lens implant:

• One pair of eyeglasses (regular lenses and designated frames); or
• One conventional contact lens or a 6-month supply of disposable contact lenses for each eye on which you had the surgery; or
• Contact lenses and/or one pair of designated frames and regular lenses if both must be worn at the same time to provide a significant improvement in visual acuity or binocular vision not obtainable with regular lenses or contact lens(es) alone

Nothing

Nothing

Nothing

Not covered:

• Repair or replacement of eyewear and accessories due to loss or damage
• Eye surgery solely for the purpose of correcting refractive defects of the eye
• Non-refractive eyeglasses
• Non-corrective contact lenses, including fitting and follow-up 
• Vision therapy, including orthoptics, visual training, and eye exercises
• Low-vision aids for members age 19 and over

All charges

All charges

All charges

Routine foot care when you are under active treatment for a metabolic or peripheral vascular disease, such as diabetes.

$30 per specialty care office visit

Note: You pay 10% of our allowance for drugs administered in connection with your care.

$35 per specialty care office visit

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care. 

$20 per specialty care office visit

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care.

Not covered:

• Cutting, trimming or removal of corns, calluses, or the free edge of toenails, and similar routine treatment of conditions of the foot, except as stated above
• Treatment of weak, strained or flat feet or bunions or spurs; and of any instability, imbalance or subluxation of the foot (unless the treatment is by open cutting surgery)

All charges

All charges

All charges

For 2025, we added coverage for the repair, adjustment and replacement of medically necessary prosthetic and orthotic devices. See below for details.

Applies to this benefit

Applies to this benefit

Applies to this benefit

External prosthetic and orthotic devices, such as:

• Artificial limbs and eyes
• Prosthetic sleeve or sock
• Externally worn breast prostheses and surgical bras, including necessary replacements following a mastectomy
• Corrective orthopedic appliances for non-dental treatment of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain dysfunction syndrome.
• Maxillofacial prosthetic devices to restore or manage head and facial structures that are defective

20% of our allowance

20% of our allowance after the deductible

20% of our allowance after the deductible 

Internal prosthetic devices, such as:

• Artificial joints
• Pacemakers
• Surgically implanted breast implant following mastectomy

 Note: See Section 5(b), Surgery benefits, for coverage of the surgery to insert the device and Section 5(c), Hospital benefits, for inpatient hospital benefits.

Nothing

Nothing

Nothing

Notes:

• Orthopedic and prosthetic equipment or services must be prescribed by a Plan physician; obtained through sources designated by the Plan; consistent with our Plan DME formulary guidelines; and primarily and customarily used to serve a medical or therapeutic purpose in the treatment of an illness or injury.
• We cover only those standard items that are adequate to meet the medical needs of the member.
• We cover the repair, adjustment, and replacement of medically necessary devices.
• For coverage of hearing aids, see Section 5(a), Hearing services.

Applies to this benefit

Applies to this benefit

Applies to this benefit

Not covered:

• Orthopedic and prosthetic devices and corrective shoes, except as listed above
• Foot orthotics and podiatric use devices such as arch supports, heel pads and heel cups
• Lumbosacral supports
• Corsets, trusses, elastic stockings, support hose, and other supportive devices
• Comfort, convenience, or luxury equipment or features
• Prosthetic devices, equipment, and supplies related to the treatment of sexual dysfunction
• Devices used primarily for cosmetic purposes that are not necessary to control or eliminate infection, pain, or restore functions such as speech, swallowing, or chewing
• Dentures 

All charges

All charges

All charges

We cover rental or purchase of durable medical equipment, at our option, including repair and adjustment. Covered items include:

• Oxygen and oxygen dispensing equipment
• Hospital beds
• Wheelchairs
• Crutches
• Walkers
• Speech generating devices
• Continuous blood glucose monitors
• Insulin pumps
• Infant apnea monitors
• Commodes
• Respirators
• Infusion devices
• Diabetic foot care appliances
• Wigs following chemotherapy or radiation therapy, limited to one synthetic wig per year

20% of our allowance

20% of our allowance after the deductible

20% of our allowance after the deductible

• Blood glucose monitors and associated supplies such as lancets and test strips
• Peak flow meters

20% of our allowance

20% of our allowance

20% of our allowance

One breastfeeding pump per delivery, including any equipment and supplies that are required for pump functionality

Note: We cover breastfeeding pumps and supplies under Durable Medical Equipment (DME)

Nothing for retail-grade pump and breastfeeding supplies

20% of our allowance for hospital-grade pump

Nothing for retail-grade pump and breastfeeding supplies

20% of our allowance for hospital-grade pump

Nothing for retail-grade pump and breastfeeding supplies

20% of our allowance for hospital-grade pump

• Enteral pump and supplies
• Enteral supplements and formula where medically necessary for the treatment of severe intestinal malabsorption and a physician has issued a written order for the formula and the formula comprises the sole source, or an essential source, of nutrition.
• Ultraviolet light therapy equipment

Nothing

Nothing

Nothing

Notes: 

• We only provide DME in the Plan's service area. 
• Durable medical equipment is equipment that is prescribed by a Plan physician; obtained through sources designated by the Plan; consistent with our Plan DME formulary guidelines; intended for repeated use; primarily and customarily used to serve a medical or therapeutic purpose in the treatment of an illness or injury; designed for prolonged use; and appropriate for use in the home.
• We cover only those standard items that are adequate to meet the medical needs of the member.
• DME-related supplies for the treatment of diabetes are covered under your prescription drug benefit. See Section 5(f) or 5(f)(a), if applicable.

Applies to this benefit

Applies to this benefit

Applies to this benefit

Not covered:

• Audible prescription reading devices
• Comfort, convenience, or luxury equipment or features
• Non-medical items such as sauna baths or elevators
• Exercise and hygiene equipment
• Repairs, adjustments, or replacements due to misuse, theft or loss

All charges

All charges

All charges

• Home healthcare ordered by a Plan physician and provided by a registered nurse (R.N.), licensed practical nurse (L.P.N.), licensed vocational nurse (L.V.N.), physical or occupational therapists, speech and language pathologists, or home health aide
• Services include oxygen therapy, intravenous therapy, and medications

Notes:

• We only provide these services in the Plan's service areas.
• The services are covered only if you are homebound and a Plan physician determines that it is feasible to maintain effective supervision of your care in your home.

Nothing

Nothing after the deductible

Nothing after the deductible

Not covered:

• Nursing care requested by, or for the convenience of, the patient or the patient’s family
• Home care primarily for personal assistance that does not include a medical component and is not diagnostic, therapeutic, or rehabilitative
• Custodial care
• Private duty nursing
• Personal care and hygiene items
• Care that a Plan provider determines may be appropriately provided in a Plan facility, hospital, skilled nursing facility, or other facility we designate and we provide, or offer to provide

All charges

All charges

All charges

We cover self-referred acupuncture, chiropractic, and naturopathy services and up to 12 visits for massage therapy limited to:

• Diagnosis and treatment
• Plain film X-rays associated with diagnosis and treatment

Notes:

• You may only self-refer to a participating CHP Group chiropractor, acupuncturist, naturopathic physician or massage therapist. The participating providers must provide, arrange, or prescribe your care.
• Participating providers are listed in The CHP Group Participating Provider Directory. For a copy of the most recent directory go to http://chpgroup.com or call Member Services at 800-813-2000 (TTY: 711), Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
• Documented improvement must be evident after the initial course of treatment.

$20 per office visit for chiropractic, naturopathic and acupuncture; $25 per visit for massage therapy

All charges over $1,000 for chiropractic, naturopathic, acupuncture and massage therapy combined per calendar year.

$25 per office visit for chiropractic, naturopathic, acupuncture and massage therapy

All charges over $1,000 for chiropractic, naturopathic, acupuncture and massage therapy combined per calendar year.

$20 per office visit for chiropractic, naturopathic and acupuncture; $25 per visit for massage therapy

All charges over $1,000 for chiropractic, naturopathic, acupuncture and massage therapy combined per calendar year.

Not covered:

• Hypnotherapy, behavior training, sleep therapy, and weight programs
• Thermography
• Any radiological exam other than plain film studies, such as magnetic resonance imaging, CT scans, bone scans, nuclear radiology
• Treatment for non-neuromusculoskeletal disorders, including adjunctive therapy
• Chiropractic appliances, except as covered in Section 5(a), Durable medical equipment and Prosthetics and orthotic devices

All charges

All charges

All charges

Acupuncture - by a doctor of medicine or licensed or certified acupuncture practitioner.

Up to 12 visits for acupuncture services per calendar year, limited to:

• Diagnosis and treatment of chronic pain
• Nausea for pregnancy and associated with chemotherapy

Notes:

• Alternative treatments require prior authorization. See Section 3, You need prior Plan approval for certain services, for more information.
• Participating acupuncturists are listed in the CHP Participating Provider Directory. For a copy of the most recent CHP directory call Member Services at 800-813-2000 (TTY: 711), Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
• Short-term acupuncture is covered only as part of an integrated pain management program and only when standard medical therapies have been attempted. 
• Documented improvement must be evident after the initial course of treatment.  

$30 per specialty care office visit

Note: You pay 10% of our allowance for drugs administered in connection with your care.

$35 per specialty care office visit 

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care.

$20 per specialty care visit

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care.

Not covered:

• All other forms of alternative treatment, such as naturopathic services, hypnotherapy, behavior training, sleep therapy, weight programs, and adjunctive therapy, including moxibustion
• Thermography
• Any radiological exam including plain film studies such as magnetic resonance imaging, CT scans, bone scans, nuclear radiology
• Herbal and nutritional supplements          

All charges

All charges

All charges

Health education classes, including:

• Diabetes self-management 
• Post-coronary
• Nutritional counseling

$20 per primary care office visit (nothing for children through age 17)

$30 per specialty care office visit

$25 per primary care office visit (nothing for children through age 17)

$35 per specialty care office visit

$10 per primary care office visit 

$20 per specialty care office visit

• Tobacco Cessation programs, including individual/group/telephone counseling, over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription drugs approved by the FDA to treat tobacco dependence.

Nothing

Nothing

Nothing

Notes:

• Please call our Health Education department at 503-286-6816 (Portland) or 866-301-3866 (outside Portland) for information on classes near you.
• See Section 5(f) or 5(f)(a), Prescription Drug Benefits, if applicable, for important information about coverage of tobacco cessation and other drugs.

Applies to this benefit

Applies to this benefit

Applies to this benefit

A comprehensive range of services, such as:

• Operative procedures
• Treatment of fractures, including casting
• Normal pre- and post-operative care by the surgeon
• Correction of amblyopia and strabismus
• Endoscopy procedures
• Biopsy procedures
• Removal of tumors and cysts
• Correction of congenital anomalies (see Reconstructive surgery)
• Insertion of internal prosthetic devices. See Section 5(a), Orthopedic and prosthetic devices, for coverage information
• Treatment of burns
• Other implanted time-release drugs, except for contraceptive drugs and devices 

Notes:

• In addition to the office visit copayment, we charge the prescription drug copayment for the drug or device.
• For female surgical family planning procedures see Family Planning Section 5(a)
• For male surgical family planning procedures see Family Planning Section 5(a)

Nothing

Nothing

Nothing

• Insertion of surgically implanted time-release contraceptive drugs and intrauterine devices (IUDs)

Note: We cover the cost of these drugs and devices under the prescription drug benefit (see Section 5(f) or 5(f)(a), if applicable.

Nothing

Nothing

Nothing

Surgical treatment of severe obesity (bariatric surgery). For 2025, Bariatric surgery is now covered in an outpatient surgery setting when medically appropriate. 

Notes:

• Visit www.kp.org/postal to get a list of criteria you must meet to qualify for bariatric surgery.
• See Section 3, You need prior Plan approval for certain services, for more information.
• You will need to obtain an approved referral from your Plan provider to our bariatric surgery program. You must sign and comply with the “Severe Obesity Evaluation and Management Program Contract for Participation.” Final approval for surgical treatment will be required from the Northwest Permanente Medical Group’s designated physician. 

Nothing

Nothing

Nothing

Not covered:

• Reversal of voluntary sterilization
• Routine treatment of conditions of the foot (see Foot care)
• Services for the promotion, prevention, or other treatment of hair loss or hair growth
• Cosmetic surgery, any surgery procedure (or any portion of the procedure) performed primarily to improve physical appearance through change in bodily form

All charges

All charges

All charges

• Surgery to correct a functional defect
• Surgery to correct a condition caused by injury or illness if:
  • the condition produced a major effect on the member’s appearance; and
  • the condition can reasonably be expected to be corrected by such surgery
• Surgery to correct a condition that existed at or from birth and is a significant deviation from the common form or norm. Examples of congenital anomalies are protruding ear deformities, cleft lip, cleft palate, birthmarks, and webbed fingers and toes

Note: We cover orthodontia services as a result of cleft lip and/or cleft palate

• All stages of breast reconstruction surgery following a mastectomy, such as:
  • surgery and reconstruction on the other breast to produce a symmetrical appearance
  • treatment of any physical complications, such as lymphedemas
  • breast prostheses and surgical bras and replacements (see Prosthetic devices)

Note: If you need a mastectomy, you may choose to have the procedure performed on an inpatient basis and remain in the hospital up to 48 hours after the procedure.

• Gender Affirming Surgery
  • Visit www.kp.org/postal to get a list of criteria you must meet to qualify for gender affirming surgery and the surgeries available. You should consult with your primary care physician to determine what is appropriate for you.
  • Your primary care physician will introduce you to specialists and other caregivers familiar with the unique challenges of transitioning. Care teams collaborate to provide medical, psychological, and emotional support throughout the process.

• Notes: See Section 3, You need prior Plan approval for certain services.

Nothing

Nothing

Nothing

Not covered:

Cosmetic surgery—any surgical procedure (or any portion of a procedure) performed primarily to improve physical appearance through change in bodily form, except repair of accidental injury

All charges

All charges

All charges

Oral surgical procedures, limited to:

• Reduction of fractures of the jaws or facial bones
• Surgical correction of cleft lip, cleft palate, or severe functional malocclusion
• Removal of stones from salivary ducts
• Excision of leukoplakia or malignancies
• Excision of cysts and incision of abscesses when done as independent procedures
• Medical and surgical treatment of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder (non-dental); and 
• Other surgical procedures that do not involve the teeth or their supporting structures

Nothing

Nothing

Nothing

Not covered:

• Oral implants and transplants
• Procedures that involve the teeth or their supporting structures (such as the periodontal membrane, gingiva, and alveolar bone)
• Correction of any malocclusion not listed above
• Dental services associated with medical treatment such as surgery and radiation treatment, except for services related to accidental injury of teeth (See Section 5(g))

All charges

All charges

All charges

These solid organ transplants are subject to medical necessity and experimental/investigational review by the Plan.  Refer to Section 3, How You Get Care for prior authorization procedures. Solid organ tissue transplants are limited to:

• Autologous pancreas islet cell transplant (as an adjunct to total or near total pancreatectomy) only for patients with chronic pancreatitis.
• Cornea
• Heart
• Heart-lung
• Intestinal transplants
  • Isolated small intestine
  • Small intestine with the liver
  • Small intestine with multiple organs, such as the liver, stomach, and pancreas
• Kidney
• Kidney-pancreas
• Liver
• Lung: Single/bilateral/lobar
• Pancreas

Nothing

Nothing

Nothing

These tandem blood or marrow stem cell transplants for covered transplants are subject to medical necessity review by the Plan. Refer to Section 3 for prior authorization procedures.

• Autologous tandem transplants for:
  • AL Amyloidosis
  • Hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT)
  • Multiple myeloma (de novo and treated)
  • Recurrent germ cell tumors (including testicular cancer)

Nothing

Nothing

Nothing

Blood or marrow stem cell transplants
The Plan extends coverage for the diagnoses as indicated below.

• Allogeneic transplants for:
  • Acute lymphocytic or non-lymphocytic   (i.e., myelogenous [myeloid]) leukemia
  • Hodgkin’s lymphoma (relapsed)
  • Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (relapsed)
  • Advanced neuroblastoma
  • Chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL)
  • Hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT)
  • Hemoglobinopathies (e.g., thalassemias, Sickle cell disease)
  • Infantile malignant osteopetrosis
  • Kostmann’s syndrome
  • Leukocyte adhesion deficiencies
  • Marrow Failure and Related Disorders (i.e., Fanconi's, Pure Red Cell Aplasia)
  • Mucolipidosis (e.g., Gaucher's disease, metachromatic leukodystrophy, adrenoleukodystrophy)
  • Mucopolysaccharidosis (e.g., Hunter’s syndrome, Hurler's syndrome, Sanfilippo’s syndrome, Maroteaux Lamy syndrome variants)
  • Myelodysplasia/Myelodysplastic syndromes
  • Myeloproliferative disorders
  • Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria
  • Severe combined immunodeficiency
  • Severe Aplastic Anemia
  • Sickle cell anemia
  • X-linked lymphoproliferative syndrome
• Autologous transplants for:
  • Hodgkin’s lymphoma (relapsed)
  • Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (relapsed)
  • Amyloidosis
  • Ewing sarcoma
  • Immune deficiency diseases other than SCID (e.g., Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, Kostmann’s Syndrome, Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiencies) not amenable to more conservative treatments
  • Medulloblastoma
  • Multiple myeloma
  • Neuroblastoma
  • Phagocytic/Hemophagocytic deficiency diseases
  • Pineoblastoma
  • Testicular, mediastinal, retroperitoneal, and ovarian germ cell tumors
  • Waldenstrom’s macroglobulin

Nothing

Nothing

Nothing

Limited benefits The following autologous blood or bone marrow stem cell transplants may be provided in a National Cancer Institute (NCI) or National Institutes of Health (NIH)-approved clinical trial at a Plan-designated Center of Excellence. These limited benefits are not subject to medical necessity.

• Acute lymphocytic or non-lymphocytic (i.e., myelogenous) leukemia
• Beta Thalassemia Major
• Breast cancer
• Childhood rhabdomyosarcoma
• Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP)
• Chronic lymphocytic leukemia
• Chronic lymphocytic lymphoma/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) relapsed/refractory disease
• Chronic myelogenous leukemia
• Early stage (indolent or non-advanced) small cell lymphocytic lymphoma
• Epithelial ovarian cancer
• High-grade (Aggressive) non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas (Mantle Cell lymphoma, adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma, peripheral T-cell lymphomas and aggressive Dendritic Cell neoplasms)
• High-risk Ewing sarcoma
• High risk childhood kidney cancers
• Hodgkin’s lymphoma
• Multiple myeloma
• Multiple sclerosis
• Myeloproliferative Disorders
• Myelodysplasia/Myelodysplastic Syndromes
• Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
• Sarcomas
• Sickle Cell
• Systemic lupus erythematosus
• Systemic sclerosis
• Scleroderma
• Scleroderma-SSc (severe, progressive)

Nothing

Nothing

Nothing

Mini-transplants performed in a Clinical Trial Setting (non-myeloblative, reduced intensity conditioning).

• Allogeneic transplants for:
  • Acute lymphocytic or non-lymphocytic (i.e., myelogenous) leukemia
  • Acute myeloid leukemia
  • Advanced Hodgkin’s lymphoma with recurrence (relapsed)
  • Advanced Myeloproliferative Disorders (MPDs)
  • Advanced non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma with recurrence (relapsed)
  • Amyloidosis
  • Chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL)
  • Hemoglobinopathy
  • Marrow Failure and Related Disorders (i.e. Fanconi's, Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria, Pure Red Cell Aplasia)
  • Myelodysplasia/Myelodysplastic syndromes
  • Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria
  • Severe combined immunodeficiency
  • Severe or very severe aplastic anemia
• Autologous transplants for:
  • Acute lymphocytic or nonlymphocytic (i.e., myelogenous) leukemia
  • Advanced Hodgkin’s lymphoma with recurrence (relapsed)
  • Advanced non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma with recurrence (relapsed)
  • Amyloidosis
  • Neuroblastoma

Nothing

Nothing

Nothing

Notes:

• We cover related medical and hospital expenses of the donor when we cover the recipient.
• We cover donor screening tests for potential donors for solid organ transplants. We cover human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing for potential donors for a bone marrow/stem cell transplant only for parents, children and siblings of the recipient.
• We cover computerized national and international search expenses for prospective unrelated bone marrow/stem cell transplant donors conducted through the National Marrow Donor Program, and the testing of blood relatives of the recipient.
• We cover medically necessary routine dental services required in preparation for a transplant. Covered services may include a routine oral examination, cleaning (prophylaxis), extractions, and X-rays. You pay cost-sharing listed in Section 5(a) for services performed during an office visit.
• Please refer to Section 5(h), Wellness and Other Special Features, for information on our Centers of Excellence.

Applies to this benefit

Applies to this benefit

Applies to this benefit

Not covered:

• Donor screening tests and donor search expenses, except those listed above
• Implants of non-human artificial organs
• Transplants not listed as covered

All charges

All charges

All charges

Professional services provided in:

• Hospital (inpatient)
• Hospital outpatient department
• Skilled nursing facility
• Ambulatory surgical center
• Office

Nothing

Nothing

Nothing

Room and board, such as:

• Ward, semiprivate, or intensive care accommodations
• General nursing care
• Meals and special diets

Note: If you want a private room when it is not medically necessary, you pay the additional charge above the semiprivate room rate.

$250 per admission

Nothing for maternity care

$300 per admission after the deductible

Nothing for maternity care (no deductible)

$500 per admission after the deductible

$250 after the deductible for maternity care

Other hospital services and supplies, such as:

• Operating, recovery, maternity, and other treatment rooms
• Prescribed drugs and medications
• Diagnostic laboratory tests and X-rays
• Blood and blood products
• Dressings, splints, casts, and sterile tray services
• Medical supplies and equipment, including oxygen
• Anesthetics, including nurse anesthetist services
• Costs associated with blood donated by you for a scheduled covered surgery

Note: You may receive covered hospital services for certain dental procedures if a Plan physician determines you need to be hospitalized for reasons unrelated to the dental procedure. The need for anesthesia, by itself, is not such a condition.

Nothing

Nothing

Nothing

Not covered:

• Custodial care and care in an intermediate care facility
• Non-covered facilities, such as nursing homes
• Personal comfort items, such as phone, television, barber services, and guest meals and beds
• Private nursing care, except when medically necessary
• Inpatient dental procedures
• Cord blood procurement and storage for possible future need or for a yet-to-be determined member recipient

All charges

All charges

All charges

• Operating, recovery, and other treatment rooms
• Prescribed drugs and medications
• Blood and blood products
• Dressings, casts, and sterile tray services
• Medical supplies and equipment, including oxygen
• Anesthetics and anesthesia service

Notes:

• We cover hospital services and supplies related to dental procedures when necessitated by a non-dental physical impairment.  We do not cover the dental procedures.
• Your regular prescription drug copayment will apply for prescriptions purchased at Plan pharmacies.
• For lab, X-ray, and other diagnostic test cost-sharing, see Section 5(a), Lab, X-ray and other diagnostic tests.

$100 per procedure

Note: You pay 10% of our allowance for drugs administered in connection with your care.

$150 after the deductible per procedure

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care.

$250  after the deductible per procedure

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care.

Not covered:

• Collection, processing, and storage of blood donated by donors designated by you or a family member
• Cord blood procurement and storage for possible future need or for a yet-to-be determined member recipient

All charges

All charges

All charges

Up to 100 days per calendar year when you need full-time skilled nursing care

All necessary services are covered, including:

• Room and board
• General nursing care
• Medical social services
• Prescribed drugs, biologicals, supplies, and equipment, including oxygen, ordinarily provided or arranged by the skilled nursing facility

Nothing

Nothing after the deductible

Nothing after the deductible

Not covered:

• Custodial care and care in an intermediate care facility
• Personal comfort items, such as phone, television, barber services, and guest meals and beds

All charges

All charges

All charges

Supportive and palliative care for a terminally ill member:

• You must reside in the service area
• Services are provided:
  • in the home, when a Plan physician determines that it is feasible to maintain effective supervision and control of your care in your home, or
  • in a Plan-approved hospice facility if approved by the hospice interdisciplinary team.

Notes:

• Services include inpatient care, outpatient care, and family counseling. A Plan physician must certify that you have a terminal illness, with a life expectancy of approximately six months or less.

Nothing

Nothing

Nothing

Not covered:

• Independent nursing (private duty nursing)
• Homemaker services

All charges

All charges

All charges

• Local licensed ambulance service when medically necessary.

Note: See Section 5(d) for emergency services.

$100 per trip

$125 per trip after the deductible

$200 per trip after the deductible

Not covered:

• Transportation by car, taxi, bus, gurney van, wheelchair van, and any other type of transportation (other than a licensed ambulance), even if it is the only way to travel to a Plan Provider

All charges

All charges

All charges

• Emergency care at a Plan urgent care center
• Urgent care at a Plan urgent care center

$35 per office visit

Note: You pay 10% of our allowance for drugs administered in connection with your care

$40 per office visit

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care. 

$30 per office visit

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care.

• Emergency care as an outpatient at a hospital, including physicians' services
• Urgent care at a Plan emergency room 

Note:

• If you receive emergency care and then are transferred to observation care, you pay the emergency services cost-sharing. If you are admitted as an inpatient, we will waive your emergency room copayment and you will pay your cost-sharing related to your inpatient hospital stay.

$150 per office visit

Note: You pay 10% of our allowance for drugs administered in connection with your care

$125 per office visit after the deductible

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care. 

$200 per office visit after the deductible

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care.

Not covered:

• Elective care or non-emergency care
• Urgent care at a non-Plan urgent care center or emergency room

All charges

All charges

All charges

• Emergency care at an urgent care center
• Urgent care at an urgent care center

$35 per office visit

Note: You pay 10% of our allowance for drugs administered in connection with your care

$40 per office visit

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care

$30 per office visit

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care.

• Emergency care as an outpatient at a hospital, including physicians' services
• Urgent care at an emergency room 

Notes:

• We waive your emergency room copayment for services provided in a licensed emergency department if you are directly admitted to the hospital as an inpatient. Your inpatient admission copayment will still apply (See Section 5(c)).
• Transfers to an observation bed or observation status do not qualify as an admission to a hospital and your emergency copayment will not be waived.
• See Section 5(h) for travel benefit coverage of continuing or follow-up care.

$150 per office visit

Note: You pay 10% of our allowance for drugs administered in connection with your care

$125 per office visit after the deductible

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care

$200 per office visit after the deductible

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care.

Not covered:

• Elective care or non-emergency care
• Emergency care provided outside the service area if the need for care could have been foreseen before leaving the service area
• Medical and hospital costs resulting from a normal full-term delivery of a baby outside the service area

Not covered

Not covered

Not covered

Licensed ambulance service, including air ambulance, when medically necessary.

Notes:

• See Section 5(c) for non-emergency service.
• Trip means any time an ambulance is summoned on your behalf.

$100 per trip

$125 per trip after the deductible

$200 per trip after the deductible

Not covered:

• Trips we determine are not medically necessary
• Transportation by car, taxi, bus, gurney van, wheelchair vain, minivan, and any other type of transportation (other than a licensed ambulance), even if it is the only way to travel to a provider or facility

All charges

All charges

All charges

We cover professional services recommended by a Plan mental health or substance use disorder treatment provider.

Notes:

• We cover the services only when we determine that the care is clinically appropriate to treat your condition.

Your cost-sharing responsibilities are no greater than for other illnesses or conditions.

Your cost-sharing responsibilities are no greater than for other illnesses or conditions.

Your cost-sharing responsibilities are no greater than for other illnesses or conditions.

Diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric conditions, mental illness, or disorders. Services include:

• Diagnostic evaluation
• Treatment services (including individual and group therapy visits)
• Crisis intervention and stabilization for acute episodes
• Psychological and neuropsychological testing necessary to determine the appropriate psychiatric treatment
• Medication evaluation and management (pharmacotherapy)
• Professional charges for intensive outpatient treatment in a provider's office or other professional setting
• Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) for the treatment of autism spectrum disorder 
• Electroconvulsive therapy

$20 per office visit for individual therapy

$10 per office visit for group therapy

(nothing for children through age 17)

Note: You pay 10% of our allowance for drugs administered in connection with your care

$25 per office visit for individual therapy

$12 per office visit for group therapy

(nothing for children through age 17)

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care. 

$10 per office visit for individual therapy

$5 per office visit for group therapy

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care.

Diagnosis and treatment of substance use disorders. Services include:

• Detoxification (medical management of withdrawal from the substance)
• Treatment and counseling (including individual and group therapy visits)

$20 per office visit for individual therapy

$10 per office visit for group therapy

(nothing for children through age 17)

Note: You pay 10% of our allowance for drugs administered in connection with your care

$25 per office visit for individual therapy

$12 per office visit for group therapy

(nothing for children through age 17)

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care. 

$10 per office visit for individual therapy

$5 per office visit for group therapy

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care.

Notes:

• You may see a plan outpatient mental health or substance use disorder treatment provider for these services without a referral from your primary care provider. See Section 3, How You Get Care, for information about services requiring our prior approval.
• Your Plan mental health or substance use disorder treatment provider will develop a treatment plan to assist you in improving or maintaining your condition and functional level, or to prevent relapse and will determine which diagnostic and treatment services are appropriate for you.

Applies to this benefit

Applies to this benefit

Applies to this benefit

• Outpatient diagnostic tests provided and billed by a licensed mental health and substance use disorder treatment practitioner
• Outpatient diagnostic tests provided and billed by a laboratory, hospital or other covered facility
• Inpatient diagnostic tests provided and billing by a hospital or other covered facility

Your cost-sharing responsibilities are no greater than for other illness or condition. See Section 5(a) Lab, X-ray and other diagnostic tests. 

Your cost-sharing responsibilities are no greater than for other illness or condition. See Section 5(a) Lab, X-ray and other diagnostic tests. 

Your cost-sharing responsibilities are no greater than for other illness or condition. See Section 5(a) Lab, X-ray and other diagnostic tests. 

Inpatient services provided and billed by a hospital or other covered facility

• Room and board, such as semiprivate or intensive accommodations, general nursing care, meals and special diets, and other hospital services
• Inpatient psychiatric or substance use care
• Residential treatment

Note: All inpatient admissions require pre-approval by a Plan mental health or substance use disorder treatment physician.

$250 per admission

$300 per admission after the deductible

$500 per admission after the deductible

Outpatient services provided and billed by a hospital or other covered facility

• Intensive outpatient psychiatric treatment programs
• Substance use day treatment services

Note: These services must be pre-approved by a Plan mental health or substance use disorder treatment physician.

$20 per day

(nothing for children through age 17)

Note: You pay 10% of our allowance for drugs administered in connection with your care

$25 per day

(nothing for children through age 17)

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care. 

$10 per day

Note: You pay 20% of our allowance after the deductible for drugs administered in connection with your care.

Not covered:

• Care that is not clinically appropriate for the treatment of your condition
• Intelligence, IQ, aptitude ability, or interest testing not necessary to determine the appropriate treatment of a psychiatric condition
• Evaluation or therapy on court order or as a condition of parole or probation, or otherwise required by the criminal justice system, unless determined by a Plan physician to be medically necessary and appropriate
• Services that are custodial in nature
• Marital, family, or educational services
• Services rendered or billed by a school or a member of its staff
• Services provided under a federal, state, or local government program
• Psychoanalysis or psychotherapy credited toward earning a degree or furtherance of education or training regardless of diagnosis or symptoms

All charges

All charges

All charges

For 2025, we made the following benefit changes and clarifications to your prescription coverage. See more details below.

• The day supply dispensed may be reduced to a lesser than 30-day supply if determined that the medication needed is in limited supply due to a national shortage.  Prescription costs will be prorated should this occur.
• Coverage for at least one opioid rescue agent drug at no cost share when filled through a participating pharmacy
• Coverage for Post-Exposure Prophylactic (PEP) drugs
• Drug formulary exception process for non-formulary medications when authorized by your physician

Applies to this benefit

Applies to this benefit

Applies to this benefit

We cover the following medications and supplies prescribed by a Plan physician or licensed dentist and obtained from a Plan pharmacy or through our mail-order program:

• Drugs and medications that, by federal law, require a prescription for their purchase, except those listed as Not covered
• Certain over-the-counter medications prescribed by a Plan physician and listed on the Plan’s formulary
• Insulin
• Diabetic supplies, limited to glucose and ketone test strips and Glucagon emergency kits
• Disposable needles and syringes for administration of prescribed medications
• Prescribed injectable drugs obtained from a Plan pharmacy or through our mail-order program
• Self-injectable drugs
• Fertility drugs, including drugs for in vitro fertilization. If it is medically necessary to administer medication during an office visit, the medication is included in the office visit copayment.
• Growth hormone, except for treatment of idiopathic short stature
• Drugs to treat gender dysphoria, including hormones and androgen blockers
• Medications prescribed to treat obesity

Notes:

• For information about mail-order discounts, see "These are the dispensing limitations" in the introduction to Section 5(f).
• The brand-name drug copayment applies to compound drugs and to single source generic drugs.
• A compound drug is one in which two or more drugs or pharmaceutical agents are combined together to meet the requirements of a prescription.
• For in vitro fertilization only, we cover fertilization drugs prescribed by non-Plan providers when obtained at a Plan pharmacy.
• Over-the-counter and appropriate prescription drugs approved by the FDA to treat tobacco dependence are covered under the Tobacco Cessation Educational Classes and programs in Section 5(a)

$15 for generic drugs or devices,

$40 for preferred brand-name drugs or devices,

$60 for non-preferred brand-name drugs or devices,

$100 per prescription or refill for specialty drugs for up to a 30-day supply at a Plan pharmacy

Note: For up to a 30-day supply of insulin, you pay the standard prescription cost-sharing up to $35

$15 for generic drugs or devices,

$50 for preferred brand-name drugs or devices,

$70 for non-preferred brand-name drugs or devices,

$150 per prescription or refill for specialty drugs for up to a 30-day supply at a Plan pharmacy

Note: For up to a 30-day supply of insulin, you pay the standard prescription cost-sharing up to $35

$10 for generic drugs or devices,

$50 for preferred brand-name drugs or devices,

40% up to $350 for non-preferred brand-name drugs or devices,

40% up to $500 per prescription or refill for specialty drugs for up to a 30-day supply at a Plan pharmacy

Note: For up to a 30-day supply of insulin, you pay the standard prescription cost-sharing up to $35

Contraceptive drugs and devices as listed in the Health Resources and Services Administration www.hrsa.gov/womens-guidelines. Contraceptive coverage is available at no cost to PSHB members. The contraceptive benefit includes at least one option in each of the HRSA-supported categories of contraception (as well as the screening, education, counseling, and follow-up care). Any contraceptive that is not already available without cost sharing on the formulary can be accessed through the contraceptive exceptions process described below. 

• We cover contraceptive drugs and devices, including implanted contraceptive devices, contraceptive gels, diaphragms, hormonal contraceptive methods, and prescribed FDA approved over-the-counter women's contraceptives and devices 
• We cover over-the-counter and prescription drugs approved by the FDA to prevent unintended pregnancy.
• We cover prescribed FDA approved over-the-counter women’s contraceptives and devices when prescribed by a Plan provider and obtained at a Plan pharmacy. 
• We cover non-preferred contraceptives if they would otherwise be covered, and a Plan provider receives an approved drug formulary exception. 

Providers have the authority to prescribe non-formulary, contraceptive drugs for their patients if it is medically necessary and would be more beneficial for an individual patient. Members pay no cost share for medically necessary, approved non-formulary contraceptive drugs. For more information on contraceptive coverage and the prescription exception process, please go to kp.org/feds under Member Resources.

If you have difficulty accessing contraceptive coverage or other reproductive healthcare, you can contact contraception@opm.gov.

Reimbursement for covered over-the-counter contraceptives can be submitted in accordance with Section 7.

Note:  For additional Family Planning benefits see Section 5(a)

Nothing

Nothing

Nothing

• Prescribed tobacco cessation medications, including prescribed over-the-counter medications, approved by the FDA to treat tobacco dependence

Nothing

Nothing

Nothing

• Sexual dysfunction drugs

50% of our allowance

50% of our allowance

50% of our allowance

• Amino acid modified products used in the treatment of inborn errors of amino acid metabolism
• Immunosuppressive drugs required after a transplant 
• We cover all cost-sharing for the coverage of Post-Exposure Prophylactic (PEP) drugs or therapies following exposure to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
• Intravenous fluids and medication for home use
• Oral chemotherapy drugs for cancer treatment
• Insulin and supplies for maternal diabetes management

Nothing

Nothing

Nothing

Opioid rescue agents are covered under this Plan with no cost sharing when filled through a participating pharmacy such as nasal sprays and intramuscular injections. For more information consult the FDA guidance at: www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/access-naloxone-can-save-life-during-opioid-overdose

Or call SAMHSA’s National Helpline 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or go to https://www.findtreatment.samhsa.gov

Nothing

Nothing

Nothing

Not covered:

• Drugs for cosmetic purposes
• Drugs to enhance athletic performance
• Prescriptions filled at a non-Plan pharmacy, except for out-of-area emergencies as described in Section 5(d), Emergency Services/Accidents
• Vitamins, nutritional and herbal supplements that can be purchased without a prescription, unless they are included in our drug formulary or listed as covered above or below
• Prescription drugs not in our formulary, unless by exception
• Over-the-counter (nonprescription) drugs, unless they are included in our drug formulary or listed as covered below
• Medical supplies such as dressings and antiseptics, except as listed above
• Drugs to shorten the duration of the common cold
• Any requested packaging of drugs other than the dispensing pharmacy’s standard packaging
• Replacement of lost, stolen, or damaged prescription drugs and accessories
• Drugs related to non-covered services, except as stated above
• Drugs for the promotion, prevention, or other treatment of hair loss or growth

All charges

All charges

All charges

The following are covered:

• Preventive medications with a USPSTF recommendation of A or B are covered without cost-share when prescribed by a healthcare professional and filled by a Plan pharmacy. These may include some over-the-counter vitamins, nicotine replacement medications, and low dose aspirin for certain patients.  For current recommendations go to www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/BrowseRec/Index/browse-recommendations
• Aspirin to reduce the risk of heart attack
• Oral fluoride for children to reduce the risk of tooth decay
• Folic acid for women to reduce the risk of birth defects
• Medication to reduce the risk of breast cancer

Nothing

Nothing

Nothing

Not covered:

• Prescriptions filled at a non-Plan pharmacy, except for emergencies as described in Section 5(d), Emergency services/accidents
• Vitamins, nutritional and herbal supplements that can be purchased without a prescription, unless they are included in our drug formulary or listed as covered above
• Over-the-counter (nonprescription) drugs, unless they are included in our drug formulary or listed as covered above
• Prescription drugs not on our drug formulary, unless approved through an exception process
• Any requested packaging of drugs other than the dispensing pharmacy’s standard packaging
• Replacement of lost, stolen or damaged prescription drugs and accessories
• Drugs related to non-covered services

All charges

All charges

All charges

For 2025, we made the following benefit changes and clarifications to your prescription coverage. See more details below.

• The day supply dispensed may be reduced to a lesser than 30-day supply if determined that the medication needed is in limited supply due to a national shortage.  Prescription costs will be prorated should this occur.
• Coverage for at least one opioid rescue agent drug at no cost share when filled through a participating pharmacy
• Drug formulary exception process for non-formulary medications when authorized by your physician

Applies to this benefit

Applies to this benefit

Applies to this benefit

We cover the following medications and supplies prescribed by a Plan physician or licensed dentist and obtained from a Plan pharmacy or through our mail-order program:

• Drugs and medications that, by federal law, require a prescription for their purchase, except those listed as Not covered
• Certain over-the-counter medications prescribed by a Plan physician and listed on the Plan’s formulary
• Insulin
• Diabetic supplies, limited to glucose and ketone test strips and Glucagon emergency kits
• Disposable needles and syringes for administration of prescribed medications
• Prescribed injectable drugs obtained from a Plan pharmacy or through our mail-order program
• Self-injectable drugs
• Fertility drugs, including drugs for in vitro fertilization. If it is medically necessary to administer medication during an office visit, the medication is included in the office visit copayment.
• Growth hormone, except for treatment of idiopathic short stature
• Drugs to treat gender dysphoria, including hormones and androgen blockers
• Medications prescribed to treat obesity

Notes:

• For information about mail-order discounts, see "These are the dispensing limitations" in the introduction to Section 5(f).
• The brand-name drug copayment applies to compound drugs and to single source generic drugs.
• A compound drug is one in which two or more drugs or pharmaceutical agents are combined together to meet the requirements of a prescription.
• For in vitro fertilization only, we cover fertilization drugs prescribed by non-Plan providers when obtained at a Plan pharmacy.
• Over-the-counter and appropriate prescription drugs approved by the FDA to treat tobacco dependence are covered under the Tobacco Cessation Educational Classes and programs in Section 5(a)

$15 for generic drugs or devices,

$40 for preferred brand-name drugs or devices,

$60 for non-preferred brand-name drugs or devices,

$100 per prescription or refill for specialty drugs for up to a 30-day supply at a Plan pharmacy

Note: For up to a 30-day supply of insulin, you pay the standard prescription cost-sharing up to $35

$15 for generic drugs or devices,

$45 for preferred brand-name drugs or devices,

$70 for non-preferred brand-name drugs or devices,

$150 per prescription or refill for specialty drugs for up to a 30-day supply at a Plan pharmacy

Note: For up to a 30-day supply of insulin, you pay the standard prescription cost-sharing up to $35

$10 for generic drugs or devices,

$45 for preferred brand-name drugs or devices,

$100 for non-preferred brand-name drugs or devices,

33% up to $500 per prescription or refill for specialty drugs for up to a 30-day supply at a Plan pharmacy

Note: For up to a 30-day supply of insulin, you pay the standard prescription cost-sharing up to $35

Contraceptive drugs and devices as listed in the Health Resources and Services Administration www.hrsa.gov/womens-guidelines. Contraceptive coverage is available at no cost to PSHB members. The contraceptive benefit includes at least one option in each of the HRSA-supported categories of contraception (as well as the screening, education, counseling, and follow-up care). Any contraceptive that is not already available without cost sharing on the formulary can be accessed through the contraceptive exceptions process described below. 

• We cover contraceptive drugs and devices, including implanted contraceptive devices, contraceptive gels, diaphragms, hormonal contraceptive methods, and prescribed FDA approved over-the-counter women's contraceptives and devices 
• We cover over-the-counter and prescription drugs approved by the FDA to prevent unintended pregnancy.
• We cover prescribed FDA approved over-the-counter women’s contraceptives and devices when prescribed by a Plan provider and obtained at a Plan pharmacy. 
• We cover non-preferred contraceptives if they would otherwise be covered, and a Plan provider receives an approved drug formulary exception. 

Providers have the authority to prescribe non-formulary, contraceptive drugs for their patients if it is medically necessary and would be more beneficial for an individual patient. Members pay no cost share for medically necessary, approved non-formulary contraceptive drugs. For more information on contraceptive coverage and the prescription exception process, please go to kp.org/feds under Member Resources.

If you have difficulty accessing contraceptive coverage or other reproductive healthcare, you can contact contraception@opm.gov.

Reimbursement for covered over-the-counter contraceptives can be submitted in accordance with Section 7.

Note:  For additional Family Planning benefits see Section 5(a)

Nothing

Nothing

Nothing

• Prescribed tobacco cessation medications, including prescribed over-the-counter medications, approved by the FDA to treat tobacco dependence

Nothing

Nothing

Nothing

• Sexual dysfunction drugs

50% of our allowance

50% of our allowance

50% of our allowance

• Amino acid modified products used in the treatment of inborn errors of amino acid metabolism
• Immunosuppressive drugs required after a transplant 
• We cover all cost-sharing for the coverage of Post-Exposure Prophylactic (PEP) drugs or therapies following exposure to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
• Intravenous fluids and medication for home use
• Oral chemotherapy drugs for cancer treatment
• Insulin and supplies for maternal diabetes management

Nothing

Nothing

Nothing

Opioid rescue agents such as naloxone are covered under this Plan with no cost sharing when obtained in a clinical setting administered in a form such as nasal sprays and intramuscular injections.

For more information consult the FDA guidance at: www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/access-naloxone-can-save-life-during-opioid-overdose

Or call SAMHSA’s National Helpline 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or go to https://www.findtreatment.samhsa.gov

Nothing

Nothing

Nothing

Not covered:

• Drugs for cosmetic purposes
• Drugs to enhance athletic performance
• Prescriptions filled at a non-Plan pharmacy, except for out-of-area emergencies as described in Section 5(d), Emergency Services/Accidents
• Vitamins, nutritional and herbal supplements that can be purchased without a prescription, unless they are included in our drug formulary or listed as covered above or below
• Prescription drugs not in our formulary, unless by exception
• Over-the-counter (nonprescription) drugs, unless they are included in our drug formulary or listed as covered below
• Medical supplies such as dressings and antiseptics, except as listed above
• Drugs to shorten the duration of the common cold
• Any requested packaging of drugs other than the dispensing pharmacy’s standard packaging
• Replacement of lost, stolen, or damaged prescription drugs and accessories
• Drugs related to non-covered services, except as stated above
• Drugs for the promotion, prevention, or other treatment of hair loss or growth

All charges

All charges

All charges

The following are covered:

• Preventive medications with a USPSTF recommendation of A or B are covered without cost-share when prescribed by a healthcare professional and filled by a Plan pharmacy. These may include some over-the-counter vitamins, nicotine replacement medications, and low dose aspirin for certain patients.  For current recommendations go to www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/BrowseRec/Index/browse-recommendations
• Aspirin to reduce the risk of heart attack
• Oral fluoride for children to reduce the risk of tooth decay
• Folic acid for women to reduce the risk of birth defects
• Medication to reduce the risk of breast cancer

Nothing

Nothing

Nothing

Not covered:

• Prescriptions filled at a non-Plan pharmacy, except for emergencies as described in Section 5(d), Emergency services/accidents
• Vitamins, nutritional and herbal supplements that can be purchased without a prescription, unless they are included in our drug formulary or listed as covered above
• Over-the-counter (nonprescription) drugs, unless they are included in our drug formulary or listed as covered above
• Prescription drugs not on our drug formulary, unless approved through an exception process
• Any requested packaging of drugs other than the dispensing pharmacy’s standard packaging
• Replacement of lost, stolen or damaged prescription drugs and accessories
• Drugs related to non-covered services

All charges

All charges

All charges

We cover restorative services and supplies necessary to promptly repair (but not replace) sound natural teeth, if:

• Damage is due to an accidental injury from trauma to the mouth from violent contact with an external object,
• The tooth has not been restored previously, except in a proper manner, and
• The tooth has not been weakened by decay, periodontal disease, or other existing dental pathology

Note: Services will be covered only when provided within 72 hours following the accidental injury.

All charges after $500 per accidental injury

The maximum benefit amount we will pay is $500 per accidental injury

All charges after $500 per accidental injury

The maximum benefit amount we will pay is $500 per accidental injury

All charges after $500 per accidental injury

The maximum benefit amount we will pay is $500 per accidental injury

Not covered:

• Services for conditions caused by an accidental injury occurring before your eligibility date
• Injury that results from chewing or biting

All charges

All charges

All charges

We have no other dental benefits.

All charges

All charges

All charges

Under the flexible benefits option, we determine the most effective way to provide services.

• We may identify medically appropriate alternatives to regular contract benefits as a less costly alternative. If we identify a less costly alternative, we will ask you to sign an alternative benefits agreement that will include all of the following terms in addition to other terms as necessary. Until you sign and return the agreement, regular contract benefits will continue.
• Alternative benefits will be made available for a limited time period and are subject to our ongoing review. You must cooperate with the review process.
• By approving an alternative benefit, we do not guarantee you will get it in the future.
• The decision to offer an alternative benefit is solely ours, and except as expressly provided in the agreement, we may withdraw it at any time and resume regular contract benefits.
• If you sign the agreement, we will provide the agreed-upon alternative benefits for the stated time period (unless circumstances change). You may request an extension of the time period, but regular contract benefits will resume if we do not approve your request.
• Our decision to offer or withdraw alternative benefits is not subject to OPM review under the disputed claims process. However, if at the time we make a decision regarding alternative benefits, we also decide that regular contract benefits are not payable, then you may dispute our regular contract benefits decision under the OPM disputed claim process (see Section 8).

The Centers of Excellence program began in Fall 1987. As new technologies proliferate and become the standard of care, Kaiser Permanente refers members to contracted “Centers of Excellence” for certain specialized medical procedures.

We have developed a nationally contracted network of Centers of Excellence for organ transplantation, which consists of medical facilities that have met stringent criteria for quality care in specific procedures. A national clinical and administrative team has developed guidelines for site selection, site visit protocol, volume and survival criteria for evaluation and selection of facilities. The institutions have a record of positive outcomes and exceptional standards of quality.

We provide a TTY/text phone number at: 711. Sign language services are also available.

When you visit a different Kaiser Foundation Health Plan service area, you can receive visiting member care from designated providers in that area. Visiting member services are subject to the terms, conditions and cost-sharing described in this PSHB brochure. Certain services are not covered as a visiting member.

For more information about receiving visiting member services, including provider and facility locations in other Kaiser Permanente service areas, please call our Away from Home Travel Line at 951-268-3900 or visit www.kp.org/travel.

We provide a limited benefit to dependent children under the age of 26, who are temporarily outside Kaiser Permanente’s service areas and within the United States. These benefits are in addition to your emergency and travel benefits.

We cover routine, continuing, and follow-up medical care. You pay 20% of the actual fee (or "our allowance") the provider, facility or vendor charged for and there is no deductible for the following services:

• Up to 10 visits per year (combined visit limits between primary care, specialty care, preventive care, mental health and substance abuse, outpatient physical therapy and allergy injections).
• Up to 10 laboratory tests and diagnostic X-rays per year.
• We cover up to 10 prescribed drugs (up to a 30-day supply). You pay the cost-sharing in Section 5(f), Prescription Drug Benefits.

The following are not included in your Dependent children out-of-area coverage benefit:

• Dental Services
• Transplants and transplant follow-up care
• Services provided outside the United States
• Special diagnostic procedures such as CT, MRI, or PET scans

File claims as shown in Section 7. For more information about this benefit, call 800-813-2000 (TTY: 711).

Kaiser Permanente’s travel benefit for Postal employees provides you with outpatient follow-up and/or continuing medical and mental health and substance abuse care when you are temporarily (for example, on a temporary work assignment or attending school) outside your home service area by more than 100 miles and outside of any other Kaiser Permanente service area. This benefit is in addition to your emergency services/accident and Dependent children out-of-area coverage benefits and include:

• Outpatient follow-up care necessary to complete a course of treatment after a
  covered emergency. Services include removal of stitches, a catheter, or a cast.
• Outpatient continuing care for covered services for conditions diagnosed and treated within the previous 12 months by a Kaiser Permanente healthcare provider or affiliated Plan provider. Services include dialysis and prescription drug monitoring.

You pay $25 for each follow-up or continuing care office visit. This amount will be deducted from the reimbursement we make to you or to the provider. We limit our payment for this travel benefit to no more than $1,200 each calendar year. For more information about this benefit call our Member Services Department at 800-813-2000 (TTY: 711). File claims as shown in Section 7.

The following are a few examples of services not included in your travel
benefits coverage:

• Non-emergency hospitalization
• Infertility treatments
• Medical and hospital costs resulting from a normal full-term delivery of a baby outside the service area
• Transplants
• Durable Medical Equipment (DME)
• Prescription drugs
• Home health services

Take steps to improve your well-being by completing the Kaiser Permanente Total Health Assessment and a healthy lifestyle program. You must accept the Wellness Program Agreement to be eligible to earn rewards. Please go to www.kp.org/postal to learn how to earn your reward and to view and track the status of your reward activities. PSHB subscribers and their enrolled spouses (age 18 and over) are eligible for the following rewards:

High and Standard Options

• $100 on the High Option and $50 on the Standard Option for completing a confidential, online, Total Health Assessment (available in English or Spanish). You will get a picture of your overall health and a customized action plan with tips and resources to improve your well-being. 
• $50 on the High Option and $25 on the Standard Option for completing an online healthy lifestyle program of your choice. Personalized and self-paced, they can help you reduce stress, quit smoking, lose weight and more. You can complete as many of these online programs as you would like, but you will only earn a reward for one program completion. 

Prosper

• $75 for completing a confidential, online, Total Health Assessment and being up to date on the following biometric screenings: blood glucose, blood pressure, Body Mass Index (BMI) and total cholesterol. To view and determine the status of your screenings, go to www.kp.org/postal. If you have not had these screenings recently, you may be required to contact your Kaiser Permanente doctor.

You must complete the Total Health Assessment and/or a healthy lifestyle program during the plan year. We will issue you a Kaiser Permanente Health Payment Card 4-6 weeks after you complete either activity. We will send each eligible member their own debit card.

You may use your Health Payment Card to pay for certain qualified medical expenses, such as:

• Copayments for office visits, prescription drugs and other services at Kaiser Permanente or other providers
• Prescription eyeglasses or contacts
• Dental services
• Over-the-counter medication for certain diseases
• Other medical expenses, as permitted by the IRS

Please keep your card for use in the future. As you complete activities, we will add rewards to your card. We will not send you a new card until the card expires. Rewards you earn during this calendar year may be used until March 31 of the next calendar year. Funds are forfeited if you leave this plan.

For more information, please go to www.kp.org/postal. If you have questions about completing a Total Health Assessment or class, you may call us at 1-866-300-9867. If you have questions about your account balance or what expenses the Health Payment Card can be used for, you may call the phone number on the back of your Health Payment Card.

Kaiser Permanente is committed to investing in the total health of our members. Exercise, nutrition, and weight management resources such as wellness coaching and online Healthy Lifestyle Programs are all available at no cost. We offer our members the tools and resources they need to actively participate in their health at home, online, with their smartphone, and at our facilities. Our members can enroll in a variety of programs that are designed to help them take an active role in their health and make desired lifestyle changes. Unless otherwise noted, most of these programs are available at no additional costs to members because they are embedded within our integrated care delivery model as part of our core offerings. Examples of our wellness programs aimed at weight and nutrition are:

• Nutrition counseling (such as weight loss and a healthy diet)
• Stress reduction programs
• Chronic disease self-management programs
• Exercise counseling and cardiovascular fitness programs
• Smoking Cessation program
• Health risk assessments

Members can access our Health and Wellness Programs at www.kp.org/healthyliving.

Early intervention is a hallmark of Kaiser Permanente’s prenatal care program. Prenatal care screenings can help detect or prevent many adverse health outcomes and identify members with high-risk pregnancies. In Kaiser Permanente’s patient-centered model of care, the care plan for patients with high-risk pregnancies is determined based on the patient’s unique needs and condition.  This may include ultrasounds, fetal monitoring, and/or additional in-person prenatal visits, and supportive touchpoints with nurses or other care coordinators. 

In most cases, providers and facilities file claims for you. Providers must file on the form CMS-1500, Health Insurance Claim Form. Facilities will file on the UB-04 form. For claims questions and assistance call 800-813-2000 (TTY: 711).

When you must file a claim—such as for services you received outside of the Plan’s service area - please complete the Non-Plan Care Information form and submit it with the CMS-1500 or a claim form that includes the information shown below. These forms may be obtained by calling 800-813-2000 (TTY: 711). Bills and receipts should be itemized and show:

• Covered member’s name, date of birth, address, phone number, and ID number
• Name and address of the provider or facility that provided the service or supply
• Dates you received the services or supplies
• Diagnosis
• Type of each service or supply
• The charge for each service or supply
• Follow-up services rendered out-of-area
• A copy of the explanation of benefits, payments, or denial from any primary payor—such as the Medicare Summary Notice (MSN)
• Receipts, if you paid for your services

Note: Canceled checks, cash register receipts, or balance due statements are not acceptable substitutes for itemized bills.

Submit your claims to:

Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Northwest
National Claims Administration - Northwest
PO Box 370050
Denver, CO 80237-9998

Submit your claims to:

Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Northwest
National Claims Administration - Northwest
PO Box 370050
Denver, CO 80237-9998

Send us all of the documents for your claim as soon as possible. You must submit the claim by December 31 of the year after the year you received the service, unless timely filing was prevented by administrative operations of Government or legal incapacity, provided the claim was submitted as soon as reasonably possible. Once we pay benefits, there is a three year limitation on the re-issuance of uncashed checks.

We will notify you of our decision within 30 days after we receive your post-service claim. If matters beyond our control require an extension of time, we may take up to an additional 15 days for review and we will notify you before the expiration of the original 30-day period. Our notice will include the circumstances underlying the request for the extension and the date when a decision is expected.

If we need an extension because we have not received necessary information from you, our notice will describe the specific information required and we will allow you up to 60 days from the receipt of the notice to provide the information.

If you do not agree with our initial decision, you may ask us to review it by following the disputed claims process detailed in Section 8 of this brochure.

You may designate an authorized representative to act on your behalf for filing a claim or to appeal claims decisions to us. For urgent care claims, a healthcare professional with knowledge of your medical condition will be permitted to act as your authorized representative without your express consent. For the purposes of this section, we are also referring to your authorized representative when we refer to you.

If you live in a county where at least 10% of the population is literate only in a non-English language (as determined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services), we will provide language assistance in that non-English language. You can request a copy of your Explanation of Benefits (EOB) statement, related correspondence, oral language services (such as telephone customer assistance) and help with filing claims and appeals (including external reviews) in the applicable non-English language. The English versions of your EOBs and related correspondence will include information in the non-English language about how to access language services in that non-English language.

Any notice of an adverse benefit determination or correspondence from us confirming an adverse benefit determination will include information sufficient to identify the claim involved (including the date of service, the healthcare provider, and the claim amount, if applicable), and a statement describing the availability, upon request, of the diagnosis and procedure codes.

Ask us in writing to reconsider our initial decision. You must:

a)   Write to us within 6 months from the date of our decision; and

b)   Send your request to us at: Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Northwest, 500 NE Multnomah St., Suite 100, Portland, Oregon 97232-2099; and

c)   Include a statement about why you believe our initial decision was wrong, based on specific benefit provisions in this brochure; and

d)   Include copies of documents that support your claim, such as physicians’ letters, operative reports, bills, medical records, and explanation of benefits (EOB) forms.

We will provide you, free of charge and in a timely manner, with any new or additional evidence considered, relied upon, or generated by us or at our direction in connection with your claim and any new rationale for our claim decision. We will provide you with this information sufficiently in advance of the date that we are required to provide you with our reconsideration decision to allow you a reasonable opportunity to respond to us before that date. However, our failure to provide you with new evidence or rationale in sufficient time to allow you to timely respond shall not invalidate our decision on reconsideration. You may respond to that new evidence or rationale at the OPM review stage described in step 4.

In the case of a post-service claim, we have 30 days from the date we receive your request to:

a) Pay the claim or

b) Write to you and maintain our denial or.

c) Ask you or your provider for more information

You or your provider must send the information so that we receive it within 60 days of our request. We will then decide within 30 more days.

If we do not receive the information within 60 days we will decide within 30 days of the date the information was due. We will base our decision on the information we already have. We will write to you with our decision.

If you do not agree with our decision, you may ask OPM to review it.

You must write to OPM within:

• 90 days after the date of our letter upholding our initial decision; or
• 120 days after you first wrote to us -- if we did not answer that request in some way within 30 days; or
• 120 days after we asked for additional information.

Write to OPM at: United States Office of Personnel Management, Healthcare and Insurance, Postal Service Insurance Operations (PSIO), 1900 E Street, room 3443, NW, Washington, DC 20415.

Send OPM the following information:

• A statement about why you believe our decision was wrong, based on specific benefit provisions in this brochure;
• Copies of documents that support your claim, such as physicians' letters, operative reports, bills, medical records, and explanation of benefits (EOB) forms;
• Copies of all letters you sent to us about the claim;
• Copies of all letters we sent to you about the claim; and
• Your daytime phone number and the best time to call.
• Your email address, if you would like to receive OPM’s decision via email. Please note that by providing your email address, you may receive OPM’s decision more quickly.

Note: If you want OPM to review more than one claim, you must clearly identify which documents apply to which claim.

Note: You are the only person who has a right to file a disputed claim with OPM. Parties acting as your representative, such as medical providers, must include a copy of your specific written consent with the review request. However, for urgent care claims, a healthcare professional with knowledge of your medical condition may act as your authorized representative without your express consent.

Note: The above deadlines may be extended if you show that you were unable to meet the deadline because of reasons beyond your control.

OPM will review your disputed claim request and will use the information it collects from you and us to decide whether our decision is correct. OPM will send you a final decision or notify you of the status of OPM’s review within 60 days. There are no other administrative appeals.

If you do not agree with OPM’s decision, your only recourse is to sue. If you decide to file a lawsuit, you must file the suit against OPM in Federal court by December 31 of the third year after the year in which you received the disputed services, drugs, or supplies or from the year in which you were denied precertification or prior approval. This is the only deadline that may not be extended.

OPM may disclose the information it collects during the review process to support their disputed claim decision. This information will become part of the court record.

You may not file a lawsuit until you have completed the disputed claims process. Further, Federal law governs your lawsuit, benefits, and payment of benefits. The Federal court will base its review on the record that was before OPM when OPM decided to uphold or overturn our decision. You may recover only the amount of benefits in dispute.

You must tell us if you or a covered family member has coverage under any other health plan or has automobile insurance that pays healthcare expenses without regard to fault. This is called “double coverage.”

When you have double coverage, one plan normally pays its benefits in full as the primary payor and the other plan pays a reduced benefit as the secondary payor. We, like other insurers, determine which coverage is primary according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ (NAIC) guidelines. For more information on NAIC rules regarding the coordinating of benefits, visit our website at www.kp.org/postal.

When we are the primary payor, we will pay the benefits described in this brochure.

When we are the secondary payor, we will determine our allowance. After the primary plan processes the benefit, we will pay what is left of our allowance, up to our regular benefit, except Medicare-eligible members with Original Medicare as primary payor must pay cost-sharing described in this PSHB brochure (see Sections 4 and 5, members with Medicare should also see the Original Medicare Plan portion of this Section 9). We will not pay more than our allowance. If we are the secondary payor, and you received your services from Plan providers, we may bill the primary carrier.

Please see Section 4, Your Costs for Covered Services, for more information about how we pay claims.

TRICARE is the healthcare program for eligible dependents of military persons, and retirees of the military. TRICARE includes the CHAMPUS program. CHAMPVA provides health coverage to disabled Veterans and their eligible dependents. IF TRICARE or CHAMPVA and this Plan cover you, we pay first. See your TRICARE or CHAMPVA Health Benefits Advisor if you have questions about these programs.

Suspended PSHB coverage to enroll in TRICARE or CHAMPVA: If you are an annuitant, you can suspend your PSHB coverage to enroll in one of these programs, eliminating your PSHB premium. (OPM does not contribute to any applicable plan premiums.) For information on suspending your PSHB enrollment, contact your retirement or employing office. If you later want to re-enroll in the PSHB Program, generally you may do so only at the next Open Season unless you involuntarily lose coverage under TRICARE or CHAMPVA.

Every job-related injury or illness should be reported as soon as possible to your supervisor. Injury also means any illness or disease that is caused or aggravated by the employment as well as damage to medical braces, artificial limbs and other prosthetic devices. If you are a federal or postal employee, ask your supervisor to authorize medical treatment by use of form CA-16 before you obtain treatment. If your medical treatment is accepted by the Dept. of Labor Office of Workers’ Compensation (OWCP), the provider will be compensated by OWCP. If your treatment is determined not job-related, we will process your benefit according to the terms of this plan, including use of in-network providers. Take form CA-16 and form OWCP-1500/HCFA-1500 to your provider, or send it to your provider as soon as possible after treatment, to avoid complications about whether your treatment is covered by this plan or by OWCP.

We do not cover services that:

• You (or a covered family member) need because of a workplace-related illness or injury that the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP) or a similar federal or state agency determines they must provide; or
• OWCP or a similar agency pays for through a third-party injury settlement or other similar proceeding that is based on a claim you filed under OWCP or similar laws.

When you have this Plan and Medicaid, we pay first.

Suspended PSHB coverage to enroll in Medicaid or a similar state-sponsored program of medical assistance: If you are an annuitant, you can suspend your PSHB coverage to enroll in one of these state programs, eliminating your PSHB premium. For information on suspending your PSHB enrollment, contact your retirement or employing office. If you later want to re-enroll in the PSHB Program, generally you may do so only at the next Open Season unless you involuntarily lose coverage under the state program.

We do not cover services and supplies when a local, state, or federal government agency directly or indirectly pays for them.

When you receive money to compensate you for medical or hospital care for injuries or illness caused by another person, you must reimburse us for any expenses we paid. However, we will cover the cost of treatment that exceeds the amount you received in the settlement.

If you do not seek damages, you must agree to let us try. This is called subrogation. If you need more information, contact us for our subrogation procedures.

If you obtain a judgment or settlement from or on behalf of a third party who allegedly caused or is responsible for an injury or illness for which you received covered healthcare services or benefits (“Services”), you must pay us Charges for those Services. “Charges” are: 1) for Services that we pay the provider on a fee-for-service basis, the payments that we made for the Services; and 2) for all other Services, the charges in the provider’s schedule of charges for Services provided to Members less any cost share payments that you made to the provider. Our payments for Services in these circumstances are expressly conditioned on your agreement to comply with these provisions. You are still required to pay cost-sharing to the provider, even if a third party has allegedly caused or is responsible for the injury or illness for which you received Services.

You must also pay us Charges for such Services if you receive or are entitled to receive a recovery from any insurance for an injury or illness alleged to be based on a third party’s or your own fault, such as from uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, automobile or premises medical payments coverage, or any other first party coverage. You must also pay us Charges for such Services if you receive or are entitled to receive recovery from any Workers' Compensation benefits.

To secure our rights, we will have a lien on and reimbursement right to the proceeds of any judgment or settlement you or we obtain. The proceeds of any judgment or settlement that you or we obtain. The proceeds of any judgment or settlement that you or we obtain shall first be applied to satisfy our lien, regardless of whether the total amount of the proceeds is less than the actual losses and damages you incurred.

Our right to receive payment is not subject to reduction based on attorney fees or costs under the “common fund” doctrine and is fully enforceable regardless of whether you are “made whole” or fully compensated for the full amount of damages claimed.

We are entitled to full recovery regardless of whether any liability for payment is admitted by any person, entity or insurer. We are entitled to full recovery regardless of whether the settlement or judgment received by you identifies the medical benefits provided or purports to allocate any portion of such settlement or judgment to payment of expenses other than medical expenses. We are entitled to recover from any and all settlements, even those designated as for pain and suffering, non-economic damages and/or general damages only.

In order for us to determine the existence of any rights we may have and to satisfy those rights, you must complete and send us all consents, releases, authorizations, assignments, and other documents, including lien forms directing your attorney and any insurer to pay us directly. You may not agree to waive, release, or reduce our rights under this provision without our prior, written consent. You must cooperate in doing what is reasonably necessary to assist us with our right of recovery. You must notify us within 30 days of the date you or someone acting on your behalf notifies anyone, including an insurer or attorney, of your intention to pursue or investigate a claim to recover damages or obtain compensation due to your injury or illness. You must not take any action that may prejudice our right of recovery.

If your estate, parent, guardian, or conservator asserts a claim based on your injury or illness, that person or entity and any settlement or judgment recovered by that person or entity shall be subject to our liens and other rights to the same extent as if you had asserted the claim against the party. We may assign our rights to enforce our liens and other rights.

We have the option of becoming subrogated to all claims, causes of action, and other rights you may have against a third party or an insurer, government program, or other source of coverage for monetary damages, compensation, or indemnification on account of the injury or illness allegedly caused by the third party. We will be so subrogated as of the time we mail or deliver a written notice of our exercise of this option to you or your attorney, but we will be subrogated only to the extent of the total of Charges for the relevant Services.

Contact us if you need more information about recovery or subrogation.

If you enter into a Surrogacy Agreement, you must reimburse us for covered services you receive related to conception, pregnancy, delivery, or postpartum care in connection with the Surrogacy Agreement, except that the amount you must pay will not exceed the payments or other compensation you and any other payee are entitled to receive under the Surrogacy Agreement. A "Surrogacy Agreement" is one in which a person agrees to become pregnant and to surrender the baby (or babies) to another person or persons who intend to raise the child (or children), in exchange for payment or compensation for being a surrogate. The "Surrogacy Agreement" does not affect your obligation to pay your cost-sharing for services received, but we will credit any such payments toward the amount you must pay us under this paragraph. We will only cover charges incurred for any services when you have legal custody of the baby and when the baby is covered as a family member under your Self Plus One or Self and Family enrollment (the legal parents are financially responsible for any services that the baby receives).

By accepting services, you automatically assign to us your right to receive payments that are payable to you or any other payee under the Surrogacy Agreement, regardless of whether those payments are characterized as being for medical expenses. To secure our rights, we will also have a lien on those payments and on any escrow account, trust, or any other account that holds those payments. Those payments (and amounts in any escrow account, trust, or other account that holds those payments) shall first be applied to satisfy our lien. The assignment and our lien will not exceed the total amount of your obligation to us under the preceding paragraph.

Within 30 days after entering into a Surrogacy Agreement, you must send written notice of the Agreement, a copy of the Agreement, including the names, addresses, and phone numbers of all parties involved in the Agreement. You must send this information to:

Surrogacy Third Party Liability Supervisor
Equian
P.O. Box 36380
Louisville, KY 40233-6380
Fax: 502-214-1137
Phone: 800-552-8314

You must complete and send us consents, releases, authorizations, lien forms, and other documents that are reasonably necessary for us to determine the existence of any rights we may have under this "Surrogacy Agreements" section and to satisfy those rights.

If your estate, parent, guardian, or conservator asserts a claim against a third party based on the Surrogacy Agreement, your estate, parent, guardian, or conservator and any settlement or judgment recovered by the estate, parent, guardian, or conservator shall be subject to our liens and other rights to the same extent as if you had asserted the claim against the third party. We may assign our rights to enforce our liens and other rights.

Some PSHB plans already cover some dental and vision services. When you are covered by more than one vision/dental plan, coverage provided under your PSHB plan remains as your primary coverage. FEDVIP coverage pays secondary to that coverage. When you enroll in a dental and/or vision plan on BENEFEDS.com or by phone at 1-877-888-3337, (TTY 1-877-889-5680), you will be asked to provide information on your PSHB plan so that your plans can coordinate benefits. Providing your PSHB information may reduce your out-of-pocket cost.

An approved clinical trial includes a phase I, phase II, phase III, or phase IV clinical trial that is conducted in relation to the prevention, detection, or treatment of cancer or other life-threatening disease or condition and is either Federally funded; conducted under an investigational new drug application reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration; or is a drug trial that is exempt from the requirement of an investigational new drug application.

If you are a participant in a clinical trial, this health plan will provide related care as follows, if it is not provided by the clinical trial:

• Routine care costs – costs for routine services such as doctor visits, lab tests, X-rays and scans, and hospitalizations related to treating the patient’s condition, whether the patient is in a clinical trial or is receiving standard therapy.
• Extra care costs – costs related to taking part in a clinical trial such as additional tests that a patient may need as part of the trial, but not as part of the patient’s routine care.
• Research costs – costs related to conducting the clinical trial such as research physician and nurse time, analysis of results, and clinical tests performed only for research purposes. These costs are generally covered by the clinical trials. This plan does not cover these costs.

For more detailed information on “What is Medicare?” and “When do I Enroll in Medicare?” please contact Medicare at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), (TTY 1-877-486-2048) or at www.medicare.gov.

Important Note: Subject to limited exceptions, Postal Service annuitants entitled to Medicare Part A and their eligible family members who are entitled to Medicare Part A are required to enroll in Medicare Part B to maintain eligibility for the PSHB Program in retirement.

If you are required to enroll in Medicare Part B and fail to do so at your first opportunity, you may be disenrolled (annuitants) and/or your family members removed from coverage. 

For more information on these requirements, please contact 800-813-2000; TTY: 711. 

The Original Medicare Plan (Original Medicare) is available everywhere in the United States. It is the way everyone used to get Medicare benefits and is the way most people get their Medicare Part A and Part B benefits now. You may go to any doctor, specialist, or hospital that accepts Medicare. The Original Medicare Plan pays its share and you pay your share.

All physicians and other providers are required by law to file claims directly to Medicare for members with Medicare Part B, when Medicare is primary. This is true whether or not they accept Medicare.

When you are enrolled in Original Medicare along with this Plan, you still need to follow the rules in this brochure for us to cover your care.

Claims process when you have the Original Medicare Plan - You will probably not need to file a claim form when you have both our Plan and the Original Medicare Plan.

When we are the primary payor, we process the claim first.

When Original Medicare is the primary payor, Medicare processes your claim first. In most cases, your claim will be coordinated automatically and we will then provide secondary benefits for covered charges. To find out if you need to do something to file your claim, call us at 877-221-8221 (TTY: 711), 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., 7 days a week, or visit our Web site at www.kp.org/postal.

We do not waive any costs if the Original Medicare Plan is your primary payor.

If you enroll in Medicare Part B, we require you to assign your Medicare Part B benefits to the Plan for its services. Assigning your benefits means you give the Plan written permission to bill Medicare on your behalf for covered services you receive in network. You do not lose any benefits or entitlements as a result of assigning your Medicare Part B benefits.

You must tell us if you or a covered family member has Medicare coverage, and let us obtain information about services denied or paid under Medicare if we ask. You must also tell us about other coverage you or your covered family members may have, as this coverage may affect the primary/secondary status of this Plan and Medicare.

We offer a program designed to help members with their Medicare Part B premium. This program is called, "Senior Advantage 2". For each month you are enrolled in Senior Advantage 2, have Medicare Parts A and B and are enrolled in Senior Advantage for Postal Service Members, you will be reimbursed up to $200.00 of your Medicare Part B monthly premium (up to $2,400 per year), including any Part B late enrollment penalty (LEP) or income-related monthly adjustment amount (IRMAA) you pay. In addition to reimbursing for the Part B monthly premium, we will cover additional benefits, including lower copayments for office visits, outpatient surgery, inpatient hospital care, emergency care, plus additional coverage for the One Pass® fitness program.

You may enroll in this program if:

• You enroll in the Plan’s High Option or Standard Option
• You live in our Senior Advantage service area
• You enroll in Senior Advantage for Postal Members
• The PSHB subscriber completes an additional application for enrollment in Senior Advantage 2

Reimbursements will begin on the first of the month following receipt of your additional application for enrollment in Senior Advantage 2 and verification of your Medicare Part B enrollment. During a calendar year, you may enroll in Senior Advantage 2 only once. If the PSHB subscriber enrolls in Senior Advantage 2, each family member who enrolls in Senior Advantage for Postal Service Members is required to participate in Senior Advantage 2. If, for any reason, you do not meet the enrollment requirements for Senior Advantage 2, you will no longer be eligible to participate in the program. Your reimbursements will end and your regular PSHB High or Standard Option benefits will resume. You may be required to repay any reimbursements paid to you in error.

To learn more about Senior Advantage 2 and how to enroll, call us at 877-221-8221 (TTY: 711), 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., 7 days a week, or visit our Web site at www.kp.org/postal. We will send you additional information and an additional application for enrollment in Senior Advantage 2.

If you are eligible for Medicare, you may choose to enroll in and get your Medicare benefits from a Medicare Advantage plan. These are private healthcare choices (like HMOs and regional PPOs) in some areas of the country. To learn more about Medicare Advantage plans, contact Medicare at 800-MEDICARE (800-633-4227) (TTY: 877-486-2048) or at www.medicare.gov.

If you enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan, the following options are available to you:

This Plan and our Medicare Advantage plan: We offer a Medicare Advantage plan known as Kaiser Permanente Senior Advantage for Postal Service Members. Senior Advantage for Postal Service Members enhances your PSHB coverage by lowering cost-sharing for some services and/or adding benefits. High and Standard Option members can choose between 2 Medicare Advantage plans: "Senior Advantage 1" (richest benefits) and "Senior Advantage 2" (some rich benefits and Part B premium reimbursement). If you live in our service area and you have Medicare Parts A and B, you can enroll in Senior Advantage for Postal Service Members. Enrolling in Senior Advantage for Postal Service Members does not change your PSHB premium. Your enrollment is in addition to your PSHB High Option, Standard Option, or Prosper enrollment; however, your benefits will be provided by the Kaiser Permanente Senior Advantage for Postal Service plan and are subject to Medicare rules. If you are already a member of Senior Advantage for Postal Service Members and would like to understand your additional benefits in more detail, please refer to your Senior Advantage for Postal Service Members Evidence of Coverage. If you are considering enrolling in Senior Advantage for Postal Service Members, please call us at 877-221-8221 (TTY: 711), 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., 7 days a week, or visit our Web site at www.kp.org/postal.

With Kaiser Permanente Senior Advantage for Postal Service Members, you’ll get more coverage, such as lower cost sharing and additional benefits. This 2025 benefit summary allows you to make a comparison of your choices:

2025 Benefit Description:  Deductible
High Option You Pay Without Medicare: $0
High Option You Pay With Senior Advantage 1: $0
High Option You Pay With Senior Advantage 2: $0
Standard Option You Pay Without Medicare: $150
Standard Option You Pay With Senior Advantage 1: $0
Standard Option You Pay With Senior Advantage 2: $0
Prosper Option You Pay Without Medicare: $300
Prosper Option You Pay With Senior Advantage: None 

2025 Benefit Description: Primary Care
High Option You Pay Without Medicare: $20 ($0 through age 17)
High Option You Pay With Senior Advantage 1: $0 ($0 through age 17)
High Option You Pay With Senior Advantage 2: $15 ($0 through age 17)
Standard Option You Pay Without Medicare: $25 ($0 through age 17)
Standard Option You Pay With Senior Advantage 1: $5 ($0 through age 17)
Standard Option You Pay With Senior Advantage 2: $20 ($0 through age 17)
Prosper Option You Pay Without Medicare: $10
Prosper Option You Pay With Senior Advantage: $10

2025 Benefit Description: Specialty Care
High Option You Pay Without Medicare: $30
High Option You Pay With Senior Advantage 1: $0
High Option You Pay With Senior Advantage 2: $15
Standard Option You Pay Without Medicare: $35
Standard Option You Pay With Senior Advantage 1: $5
Standard Option You Pay With Senior Advantage 2: $20
Prosper Option You Pay Without Medicare: $20
Prosper Option You Pay With Senior Advantage: $20

2025 Benefit Description: Outpatient Surgery
High Option You Pay Without Medicare: $100
High Option You Pay With Senior Advantage 1: $0
High Option You Pay With Senior Advantage 2: $50
Standard Option You Pay Without Medicare: $150*
Standard Option You Pay With Senior Advantage 1: $50
Standard Option You Pay With Senior Advantage 2: $100
Prosper Option You Pay Without Medicare: $250*
Prosper Option You Pay With Senior Advantage: $250

2025 Benefit Description: Inpatient Hospital Care
High Option You Pay Without Medicare: $250 per admission, nothing for maternity
High Option You Pay With Senior Advantage 1: $0
High Option You Pay With Senior Advantage 2: $200, nothing for maternity
Standard Option You Pay Without Medicare: $300 per admission*, nothing for maternity
Standard Option You Pay With Senior Advantage 1: $100, nothing for maternity
Standard Option You Pay With Senior Advantage 2: $225, nothing for maternity
Prosper Option You Pay Without Medicare: $500 per admission*, $250 per admission for maternity*
Prosper Option You Pay With Senior Advantage: $500 per admission, $250 for maternity

2025 Benefit Description:  Additional benefits offered
High Option Without Medicare: Not applicable
High Option With Senior Advantage 1: One Pass
High Option With Senior Advantage 2: One Pass
Standard Option Without Medicare: Not applicable
Standard Option With Senior Advantage 1: One Pass
Standard Option With Senior Advantage 2: One Pass
Prosper Option Without Medicare: No Applicable
Prosper Option With Senior Advantage: One Pass

2025 Benefit Description: Out-of-pocket maximum (2x per family)
High Option You Pay Without Medicare: $5,000
High Option You Pay With Senior Advantage 1: $600
High Option You Pay With Senior Advantage 2: $1,000
Standard Option You Pay Without Medicare: $6,000
Standard Option You Pay With Senior Advantage 1: $750
Standard Option You Pay With Senior Advantage 2: $2,000
Prosper Option You Pay Without Medicare: $7,000
Prosper Option You Pay With Senior Advantage: $3,000

2025 Benefit Description: Part B Premium Reimbursement
High Option Without Medicare: $0
High Option With Senior Advantage 1: $0
High Option With Senior Advantage 2: Up to $200 monthly
Standard Option Without Medicare: $0
Standard Option With Senior Advantage 1: $0
Standard Option With Senior Advantage 2: Up to $200 monthly
Prosper Option Without Medicare: $0
Prosper Option With Senior Advantage: $0

* You pay the deductible, then cost-sharing

This is a summary of the features of the Kaiser Permanente Senior Advantage for Postal Service Members. As a Senior Advantage member, you are still entitled to coverage under the PSHB Program. All benefits are subject to the definitions, limitations, and exclusions set forth in this PSHB brochure and the Kaiser Permanente Senior Advantage for Postal Service Members Evidence of Coverage.

This Plan and another plan's Medicare Advantage plan: We offer a Medicare Advantage plan known as Kaiser Permanente Senior Advantage for Postal Service Members. Senior Advantage for Postal Service Members enhances your PSHB coverage by lowering cost-sharing for some services and/or adding benefits. If you have Medicare Parts A and B, you can enroll in Senior Advantage for Postal Service Members. Enrolling in Senior Advantage for Postal Service Members does not change your PSHB premium. Your enrollment is in addition to your PSHB High Option, Standard Option, or Prosper enrollment; however, your benefits will be provided by the Kaiser Permanente Senior Advantage for Postal Service Members plan and are subject to Medicare rules. If you are already a member of Senior Advantage for Postal Service Members and would like to understand your additional benefits in more detail, please refer to your Senior Advantage for Postal Service Members Evidence of Coverage. If you are considering enrolling in Senior Advantage for Postal Service Members, please call us at 877-221-8221 (TTY: 711), 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., 7 days a week, or visit our Web site at 
www.kp.org/postal.

Suspended PSHB coverage to enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan: If you are an annuitant or former spouse, you can suspend your PSHB coverage to enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan, eliminating your PSHB premium. (OPM does not contribute to your Medicare Advantage plan premium.) For information on suspending your PSHB enrollment, contact your retirement or employing office. If you later want to re-enroll in the PSHB Program, generally you may do so only at the next Open Season unless you involuntarily lose coverage or move out of the Medicare Advantage plan’s service area.

When we are the primary payor, we process the claim first.  If you (as an active employee eligible for Medicare Part D or their covered Medicare Part D-eligible family member) enroll in any open market Medicare Part D plan and we are the secondary payor, we will review claims for your prescription drug costs that are not covered by that Medicare Part D plan and consider them for payment under the PSHB plan. 

Note: If you are a Postal Service annuitant or their covered Medicare-eligible family member enrolled in our Medicare Part D PDP EGWP, this does not apply to you because you may not be enrolled in more than one Medicare Part D plan at the same time.  If you opt out of or disenroll from our PDP EGWP you do not have our PSHB Program prescription drug coverage and we are not a secondary payor for prescription drug benefits.

Our Kaiser Permanente owned and operated pharmacies will not consider another plan's Medicare Part D benefits. These Kaiser Permanente pharmacies will only provide your PSHB Kaiser Permanente benefits.

You will still need to follow the rules in this brochure for us to cover your care. We will only cover your prescription if it is written by a Plan provider and obtained at a Plan pharmacy or through our Plan mail-order program, except in an emergency or urgent care situation.

If you enroll in one of our Kaiser Permanente Senior Advantage for Postal Service Members plan, you will get all of the benefits of Medicare Part D plus additional drug benefits covered under your PSHB plan.

If you are enrolled in Medicare Part A and/or Part B, and are not enrolled in our Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug Plan (MAPD), you will be automatically group enrolled into our Medicare PDP EGWP. Our PDP EGWP is a prescription drug benefit for Postal Service annuitants and their covered Medicare-eligible family members. This allows you to receive benefits that will never be less than the standard prescription drug coverage that is available to members with non-PDP EGWP prescription drug coverage. But more often you will receive benefits that are better than members with standard non-PDP EGWP prescription drug coverage. Note: You have the choice to opt out of or disenroll from our PDP EGWP at any time and may obtain prescription drug coverage outside of the PSHB Program.

When you are enrolled in our Medicare PDP EGWP for your prescription drug benefits you continue to have our medical coverage.

Members with higher incomes may have a separate premium payment for their Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plan (PDP) benefit. Please refer to the Part D-IRMAA section of the Medicare website: https://www.medicare.gov/drug-coverage-part-d/costs-for-medicare-drug-coverage/monthly-premium-for-drug-plans to see if you would be subject to an additional premium.

For people with limited income and resources, Extra Help is a Medicare program to help with Medicare prescription drug plan costs.  Information regarding this program is available through the Social Security Administration (SSA) online at www.socialsecurity.gov or call the SSA at 800-772-1213 TTY 800-325-0778.  You may also contact 800-813-2000.

The PDP EGWP opt out process:

If you were automatically group enrolled into our PDP EGWP and choose to opt out

• You will lose your Kaiser Permanente prescription drug coverage unless you are enrolling in a Medicare Advantage with Part D plan offered through the PSHB program.
• You may be subject to a Medicare Part D Late Enrollment Penalty (LEP) if you re-enroll in a Medicare Part D plan at a later date. The LEP is a dollar amount that is permanently added to your Medicare Part D plan premium.
• Contact us at 800-813-2000 for additional information. 

The PDP EGWP disenrollment process:

When you are enrolled in our PDP EGWP, you may choose to disenroll at any time.  

• If you request disenrollment, your disenrollment effective date will be the first day of the month following our receipt of your written, signed, and dated disenrollment request.
• Send written notice to the following address:

• Kaiser Permanente
  California Service Center
  P.O. Box 232400
  San Diego, CA  92193-2400

• When your Medicare Part D Group plan coverage ends, you may continue your PSHB membership if you still meet the requirements for PSHB coverage.

For additional information, see Chapter 8. Ending your membership in the plan in the Evidence of Coverage for Kaiser Permanente Medicare Part D Group Plan (PDP) for Postal Service Members or contact us at 800-813-2000.

Warning:  If you opt out of or disenroll from our PDP EGWP, you will not have any PSHB Program prescription drug coverage. However, you can enroll in our MAPD during Open Season or for a QLE and receive PSHB Program Prescription Drug Coverage. 

To learn more about our MAPD plans or enroll you can:

• Visit www.kp.org/postal to view benefit details, enroll online, download an enrollment application, or RSVP to attend a seminar.
• Call and speak to a Kaiser Permanente Medicare health plan specialist at 877-547-4909 (TTY 711), Monday through Friday, from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Pacific Time.

Note:  If you choose to opt out of or disenroll from our PDP EGWP, your premium will not be reduced, and you may have to wait to re-enroll when and if you are eligible.  If you do not maintain creditable coverage, re-enrollment in our PDP EGWP may be subject to a late enrollment penalty. Contact us for assistance at 800-813-2000.

• You have PSHB coverage on your own or through your spouse who is also an active employee

• You have PSHB coverage through your spouse who is an annuitant

• It is within the first 30 months of eligibility for or entitlement to Medicare due to ESRD (30-month coordination period)

• It is beyond the 30-month coordination period and you or a family member are still entitled to Medicare due to ESRD

• This Plan was the primary payor before eligibility due to ESRD (for 30-month coordination period)

• Medicare was the primary payor before eligibility due to ESRD

• Medicare based on age and disability

• Medicare based on ESRD (for the 30-month coordination period)

• Medicare based on ESRD (after the 30-month coordination period)

An authorization by you (the enrollee or covered family member) that is approved by us (the Carrier), for us to issue payment of benefits directly to the provider.

• We reserve the right to pay you directly for all covered services. Benefits payable under the contract are not assignable by you to any person without express written approval from us, and in the absence of such approval, any assignment shall be void.
• Your specific written consent for a designated authorized representative to act on your behalf to request reconsideration of a claim decision (or, for an urgent care claim, for a representative to act on your behalf without designation) does not constitute an Assignment.
• OPM’s contract with us, based on federal statute and regulation, gives you a right to seek judicial review of OPM's final action on the denial of a health benefits claim but it does not provide you with authority to assign your right to file such a lawsuit to any other person or entity. Any agreement you enter into with another person or entity (such as a provider, or other individual or entity) authorizing that person or entity to bring a lawsuit against OPM, whether or not acting on your behalf, does not constitute an Assignment, is not a valid authorization under this contract, and is void.

January 1 through December 31 of the same year. For new enrollees, the calendar year begins on the effective date of their enrollment and ends on December 31 of the same year.

An approved clinical trial includes a phase I, phase II, phase III, or phase IV clinical trial that is conducted in relation to the prevention, detection, or treatment of cancer or other life-threatening disease or condition and is either Federally funded; conducted under an investigational new drug application reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration; or is a drug trial that is exempt from the requirement of an investigational new drug application.

• Routine care costs – costs for routine services such as doctor visits, lab tests, X-rays and scans, and hospitalizations related to treating the patient’s cancer, whether the patient is in a clinical trial or is receiving standard therapy
• Extra care costs – costs related to taking part in a clinical trial such as additional tests that a patient may need as part of the trial, but not as part of the patient’s routine care
• Research costs – costs related to conducting the clinical trial such as research physician and nurse time, analysis of results, and clinical tests performed only for research purposes. These costs are generally covered by the clinical trials. This plan does not cover these costs.

See Section 4, page (Applies to printed brochure only).

See Section 4, page (Applies to printed brochure only).

See Section 4, page (Applies to printed brochure only).

Care we provide benefits for, as described in this brochure.

(1) Assistance with activities of daily living, for example, walking, getting in and out of bed, dressing, feeding, toileting, and taking medication. (2) Care that can be performed safely and effectively by people who, in order to provide the care, do not require medical licenses or certificates or the presence of a supervising licensed nurse. Custodial care that lasts 90 days or more is sometimes known as long-term care.

See Section 4, page (Applies to printed brochure only).

We do not cover a service, supply, item or drug that we consider experimental. We consider a service, supply, item, or drug to be experimental when the service, supply, item or drug:

(1) has not been approved by the FDA; or

(2) is the subject of a new drug or new device application on file with the FDA; or

(3) is part of a Phase I or Phase II clinical trial, as the experimental or research arm of a Phase III clinical trial; or is intended to evaluate the safety, toxicity, or efficacy of the service; or

(4) is available as the result of a written protocol that evaluates the service’s safety, toxicity, or efficacy; or

(5) is subject to the approval or review of an Institutional Review Board; or

(6) requires an informed consent that describes the service as experimental or investigational.

We carefully evaluate whether a particular therapy is safe and effective or offers a reasonable degree of promise with respect to improving health outcomes. The primary source of evidence about health outcomes of any intervention is peer-reviewed medical or dental literature.

Healthcare benefits that are available as a result of your employment or the employment of your spouse, and that are offered by an employer or through membership in an employee organization. Healthcare coverage may be insured or indemnity coverage, self-insured or self-funded coverage, or coverage through health maintenance organizations or other managed care plans. Healthcare coverage purchased through membership in an organization is also “group health coverage.”

A physician or other healthcare professional licensed, accredited, or certified to perform specified health services consistent with state law.

Hospice is a program for caring for the terminally ill patient that emphasizes supportive services, such as home care and pain and symptom control, rather than curative care. If you make a hospice election, you are not entitled to receive other healthcare services that are related to the terminal illness. If you have made a hospice election, you may revoke that election at any time, and your standard health benefits will be covered.

All benefits need to be medically necessary in order for them to be covered benefits. Generally, if your Plan physician provides the service in accord with the terms of this brochure, it will be considered medically necessary. However, some services are reviewed in advance of you receiving them to determine if they are medically necessary. When we review a service to determine if it is medically necessary, a Plan physician will evaluate what would happen to you if you do not receive the service. If not receiving the service would adversely affect your health, it will be considered medically necessary. The services must be a medically appropriate course of treatment for your condition. If they are not medically necessary, we will not cover the services. In case of emergency services, the services that you received will be evaluated to determine if they were medically necessary.

Part A helps cover inpatient hospital stays, skilled nursing facility care, hospice care, and some health care.

Part B covers medically necessary services like doctors’ services and tests, outpatient care, home health services, durable medical equipment, and other medical services.

Part C is a Medicare Advantage plan that combines the coverage of Medicare Part A and Part B.  Part C typically also covers additional benefits like, dental, vision, and hearing services. Some Part C plans also include Medicare Part D coverage.

Medicare Part D plans provide coverage for prescription drugs. Private insurers contract with CMS on an annual basis for the right to offer Part D plans. Part D can be offered as a standalone Prescription Drug plan (PDP) or as part of a Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug plan (MAPD).

A Medicare Part D Employer Group Waiver Plan (EGWP) is a type of Medicare prescription drug plan that can be offered to employees and retirees of certain companies, unions, or government agencies, which allows for flexibility and enhanced coverage of traditional Medicare pharmacy benefits. Examples of Medicare Part D EGWPs are Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug (MAPD) plan EGWPs that include both health and drug benefits, as well as Prescription Drug Plan (PDP) EGWPs, which only cover the prescription drug benefit.

Certain Hospital Acquired Conditions, as defined by Medicare, including things like wrong-site surgeries, transfusion with the wrong blood type, pressure ulcers (bedsores), falls or trauma, and nosocomial infections (hospital-acquired infections) associated with surgeries or catheters, that are directly related to the provision of an inpatient covered service at a Plan provider.

Hospital outpatient services you get while your physician decides whether to admit you as an inpatient or discharge you. You can get observation services in the emergency department or another area of the hospital.

Our allowance is the amount we use to determine our payment and your coinsurance for covered services. We determine our allowance as follows:

• For services and items provided by Kaiser Permanente, the applicable charges in the Plan’s schedule of Kaiser Permanente charges for services and items provided to Plan members.
• For services and items for which a provider (other than Kaiser Permanente) is compensated on a capitation basis, the charges in the schedule of charges that Kaiser Permanente negotiates with the capitated provider.
• For items obtained at a pharmacy owned and operated by Kaiser Permanente, the amount the pharmacy would charge a Plan member for the item if a Plan member’s benefit plan did not cover the item. This amount is an estimate of the cost of: acquiring, storing, and dispensing drugs, the direct and indirect costs of providing Kaiser Permanente pharmacy services and items to Plan members, and the pharmacy program’s contribution to the net revenue requirements of the Plan.
• For services subject to federal surprise billing laws, the amount that we are required to pay (see Section 4 for more information about surprise billing).
• For all other services and items, the payments that Kaiser Permanente makes for the services and items or, if Kaiser Permanente subtracts cost-sharing from its payment, the amount Kaiser Permanente would have paid if it did not subtract cost-sharing.

You should also see Important Notice About Surprise Billing – Know Your Rights in Section 4 that describes your protections against surprise billing under the No Surprises Act.

Any claims that are not pre-service claims. In other words, post-service claims are those claims where treatment has been performed and the claims have been sent to us in order to apply for benefits.

Those claims (1) that require precertification, prior approval, or a referral and (2) where failure to obtain precertification, prior approval, or a referral results in a reduction of benefits.

A carrier's pursuit of a recovery if a covered individual has suffered an illness or injury and has received, in connection with that illness or injury, a payment from any party that may be liable, any applicable insurance policy, or a workers' compensation program or insurance policy, and the terms of the carrier's health benefits plan require the covered individual, as a result of such payment, to reimburse the carrier out of the payment to the extent of the benefits initially paid or provided. The right of reimbursement is cumulative with and not exclusive of the right of subrogation.

A carrier's pursuit of a recovery from any party that may be liable, any applicable insurance policy, or a workers' compensation program or insurance policy, as successor to the rights of a covered individual who suffered an illness or injury and has obtained benefits from that carrier's health benefits plan.

An unexpected bill you receive for:

• emergency care – when you have little or no say in the facility or provider from whom you receive care, or for
• non-emergency services furnished by nonparticipating providers with respect to patient visits to participating health care facilities, or for
• air ambulance services furnished by nonparticipating providers of air ambulance services.

A claim for medical care or treatment is an urgent care claim if waiting for the regular time limit for non-urgent care claims could have one of the following impacts:

• Waiting could seriously jeopardize your life or health;
• Waiting could seriously jeopardize your ability to regain maximum function; or
• In the opinion of a physician with knowledge of your medical condition, waiting would subject you to severe pain that cannot be adequately managed without the care or treatment that is the subject of the claim.

Urgent care claims involve Pre-service claims and not Post-service claims. We will determine whether or not a claim is an urgent care claim by applying the judgment of a prudent layperson who possesses an average knowledge of health and medicine.

If you believe your claim qualifies as an urgent care claim, please contact our Member Services Department at 800-813-2000. You may also prove that your claim is an urgent care claim by providing evidence that a physician with knowledge of your medical condition has determined that your claim involves urgent care.

Us and we refer to Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Northwest - PSHB.

You refers to the enrollee and each covered family member.

$20 per primary care office visit (Nothing for children through age 17)
$30 per specialty care office visit

(Applies to printed brochure only)

$250 per admission, except nothing for maternity care

(Applies to printed brochure only)

$100 per procedure

(Applies to printed brochure only)

$150 per visit

(Applies to printed brochure only)

Regular cost-sharing

(Applies to printed brochure only)

$15 generic drugs; $40 preferred brand-name drugs; $60 non-preferred brand-name drugs; $100 for specialty drugs.
Up to a 90-day supply of maintenance drugs for 2 times the 30-day copay through our mail order program.

(Applies to printed brochure only)

$15 generic drugs; $40 preferred brand-name drugs; $60 non-preferred brand-name drugs; $100 for specialty drugs.
Up to a 90-day supply of maintenance drugs for 2 times the 30-day copay through our mail order program.

(Applies to printed brochure only)

Not covered

(Applies to printed brochure only)

$20 per primary care office visit; $30 per specialty care office visit

(Applies to printed brochure only)

See Section 5(h) for more information.

(Applies to printed brochure only)

Nothing after $5,000/Self Only or $10,000/Family enrollment per year. Some costs do not count toward this protection.

(Applies to printed brochure only)

$150 per person, up to $300 per family

(Applies to printed brochure only)

$25 per primary care office visit (Nothing for children through age 17)
$35 per specialty care office visit

(Applies to printed brochure only)

$300 per admission,* except nothing for maternity care 

(Applies to printed brochure only)

$150 per procedure*

(Applies to printed brochure only)

$125 per visit*

(Applies to printed brochure only)

Regular cost-sharing

(Applies to printed brochure only)

$15 generic drugs; $50 preferred brand-name drugs; $70 non-preferred brand-name drugs; $150 for specialty drugs.
Up to a 90-day supply of maintenance drugs for 2 times the 30-day copay through our mail order program.

(Applies to printed brochure only)

$15 generic drugs; $45 preferred brand-name drugs; $70 non-preferred brand-name drugs; $150 for specialty drugs.
Up to a 90-day supply of maintenance drugs for 2 times the 30-day copay through our mail order program.

(Applies to printed brochure only)

Not covered.

(Applies to printed brochure only)

$25 per primary care office visit; $35 per specialty care office visit

(Applies to printed brochure only)

See Section 5(h) for more information.

(Applies to printed brochure only)

Nothing after $6,000/Self Only or $12,000/Family enrollment per year. Some costs do not count toward this protection.

(Applies to printed brochure only)

$300 per person, up to $600 per family

(Applies to printed brochure only)

$10 per primary care office visit,
$20 per specialty care office visit

(Applies to printed brochure only)

$500 per admission*, $250 per admission* for maternity care

(Applies to printed brochure only)

$250 per procedure*

(Applies to printed brochure only)

$200 per visit*

(Applies to printed brochure only)

Regular cost-sharing

(Applies to printed brochure only)

$10 generic drugs; $50 preferred brand-name drugs; 40% up to $350 non-preferred brand-name drugs; 40% up to $500 for specialty drugs.
Up to a 90-day supply of maintenance drugs for 2 times the 30-day cost-share through our mail order program.

(Applies to printed brochure only)

$10 generic drugs; $45 preferred brand-name drugs; $100 for non-preferred brand-name drugs; 33% up to $500 for specialty drugs.
Up to a 90-day supply of maintenance drugs for 2 times the 30-day cost-share through our mail order program.

(Applies to printed brochure only)

Not covered

(Applies to printed brochure only)

$10 per primary care office visit; $20 per specialty care office visit

(Applies to printed brochure only)

See Section 5(h) for more information.

(Applies to printed brochure only)

Nothing after $7,000/Self Only or $14,000/Family enrollment per year. Some costs do not count toward this protection.

(Applies to printed brochure only)