To require that the Office of Personnel Management study current practices under which dental, vision, and hearing benefits are made available to Federal employees, annuitants, and other classes of individuals, and to require that the Office also present options and recommendations relating to how additional dental, vision, and hearing benefits could be made so available.

        [Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3751 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

2d Session
H. R. 3751

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

June 22, 2004

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Governmental
Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

AN ACT

To require that the Office of Personnel Management study current
practices under which dental, vision, and hearing benefits are made
available to Federal employees, annuitants, and other classes of
individuals, and to require that the Office also present options and
recommendations relating to how additional dental, vision, and hearing
benefits could be made so available.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. REPORTING REQUIREMENT.

(a) In General.--Not later than 6 months after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Office of Personnel Management shall submit
to Congress a report describing and evaluating options whereby
additional dental, vision, and hearing benefits could be made available
to--
(1) Federal employees and annuitants;
(2) qualified relatives of Federal employees and
annuitants; and
(3) other appropriate classes of individuals.
(b) Required Content.--The report shall include--
(1) a description of the dental, vision, and hearing
benefits currently available under the Federal employees health
benefits program;
(2) a description of the supplemental dental, vision, and
hearing plans currently offered by carriers participating in
the Federal employees health benefits program;
(3) a description of specific dental, vision, and hearing
benefits that could be offered in addition to those described
in paragraphs (1) and (2), including any maximums, limitations,
exclusions, and definitions that might be relevant;
(4) a description of the specific classes of individuals
(as referred to generally in paragraphs (1) through (3) of
subsection (a)) to whom those additional benefits should be
made available, including any definitions and other terms or
conditions that might be relevant;
(5) a description and assessment of the various contracting
arrangements by which the Government could make those
additional benefits available, including whether such benefits
should be contracted for on a regional or national basis;
(6) the estimated cost of those additional benefits,
including an analysis relating to whether any regular
Government contributions or allocation for start-up costs might
be necessary or appropriate;
(7) a description of how those additional benefits could be
made available through--
(A) the Federal employees health benefits program;
(B) one or more plans outside the Federal employees
health benefits program, including supplemental plans
referred to in paragraph (2);
(C) the program described in subparagraph (A) in
combination with one or more of the plans described in
subparagraph (B); and
(D) any other dental, vision, and hearing coverage
delivery method;
(8) an analysis of the advantages and disadvantages
associated with the alternatives described under paragraph (7),
including--
(A) the relative cost-effectiveness and efficiency
of each;
(B) the likely impact of each alternative on the
overall attractiveness of the Federal employees health
benefits program to individuals eligible to enroll,
particularly Federal employees and annuitants; and
(C) the extent to which each alternative might
affect the relative competitiveness of the various
carriers and plans currently participating in the
Federal employees health benefits program (including as
a provider of supplemental benefits);
(9) a recommendation from the Office as to its preferred
method or methods for providing those additional benefits; and
(10) any proposed legislation or other measures the Office
considers necessary in order to implement any of the foregoing.
(c) Screening for Glaucoma.--For purposes of this Act, the term
``vision benefits'' includes benefits relating to screening for
glaucoma.

Passed the House of Representatives June 21, 2004.

Attest:

JEFF TRANDAHL,

Clerk.