Rules Deem FEHB Suspended, Not Canceled

In general, FEHB policy bars annuitants who cancel their coverage from getting back into the program; the rules provide an exception to that policy by deeming the action a suspension of FEHB coverage rather than a cancellation. The rules allow covered individuals to return to FEHB coverage immediately if they involuntarily lose the other coverage or during the next annual FEHB open season regardless of whether they remain eligible for the other coverage. The rules also clarify a similar situation involving FEHB-covered annuitants and former spouses by allowing an individual who drops FEHB coverage when he or she enrolls in a Medicare-sponsored plan, or in Medicaid or a similar state-sponsored program of medical assistance for the needy, to return to FEHB coverage during the annual open season or immediately upon being involuntarily disenrolled from the non-FEHB coverage.