TGIF

OPM now has a special webpage about extending FEHBP coverage to seasonal firefighters. The wildfire season evidently runs from April through October.

The Administration made a big splash about the effective date of the expanded women's preventive care benefit on Wednesday. Humorously (at least to the FEHBlog), Kaiser Health News reports that the administrative burden of the expansion falls on the already overburdened doctors.

That’s because not all women are eligible for the cost sharing waiver at the same time. The rule went into effect Wednesday, but only for plans that are new or renewing after that date. Women with “grandfathered” plans that don’t renew for months or even years still face co-pays until that time.

For the FEHBP, the mandate takes effect with the new plan year on January 1, 2013.  OPM requires plans to cover these services whether or not they are grandfathered for ACA purposes.

Bear in mind that two of the "new" screening mandates

• Sexually transmitted infections counseling for sexually-active women.
• HIV screening and counseling for sexually-active women

have been covered under the FEHBP without enrollee cost sharing since 2011 for sexually active women and men. Those screenings are listed under the A and B screenings classified by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

As you know, the FEHBlog believes that belaboring the obvious is a responsibility of his legal profession. However, that role is not limited to lawyers. Yesterday the Generic Pharmaceutical Association released a report trumpeting that generic prescription drugs are less costly than brand name drugs. Duh! The FEHBlog would like to know when the Food and Drug Administration will create the regulatory pathway for creating generic versions of expensive specialty or biologic drugs which was greenlighted by the ACA in March 2010. The European Union has been approving biogenerics for a decade.