News Briefs

THE DAILY FED

News Briefs

The following news summaries are from OPM AM, the daily newsletter of the Office of Personnel Management. OPM AM is available on OPM Mainstreet, the agency's electronic bulletin board, at 202-606-4800.

THE FEDERAL DIARY--"The two congressional committees that make or break legislation affecting the benefit packages, paychecks and retirees will be under new management next year. Republicans still control the House and the Senate, but the new chairmen are very different from their predecessors. Sen. Fred D. Thompson (R-Tenn.) will run the Senate's Governmental Affairs Committee....On the House side, veteran Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.) will be chairman of the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee" (The Washington Post).

DESPITE NEW STANDARDS, HMOs STILL FACE REGULATIONS--"HMOs and other managed care plans are expected to embrace new standards, announced Tuesday, to give consumers more information about how they operate. But the plans, which cover 160 million people, still face new regulations and rules as concerns mount over how they deliver care and pay doctors. The American Association of Health Plans (AAHP) urged its 1,000 member plans Tuesday to give patients more information about physician contracts, treatment options, why care is sometimes denied and what drugs are covered. All are areas that have triggered a backlash against managed care" (USA Today).

POSTAL SERVICE CLAIMS RECORD ON-TIME DELIVERY RATE-- "A day after it was swamped with a record volume of Christmas mail, the U.S. Postal Service announced it had delivered the nation's pre-holiday mail at record speed. For the second quarter in a row the agency said it had delivered 91 percent of first-class letters the next day in 96 regions of the country. It was the eighth straight quarter that national mail service had improved over the previous year's scores" (The Washington Post).

MORAN VOWS RENEWED PUSH FOR FEDERAL BENEFITS PROGRAM FOR MILITARY RETIREES--"Rep. James Moran (D-VA) will again carry the torch for military retirees who want to join the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP)....Moran sponsored a bill in the last congressional session which would have given military retirees the option of joining FEHBP, the health benefits program enjoyed by Congressmen and those who have retired from federal civilian jobs.... The bill will go in the first day (of the 105th Congress),' said Mike Brown, Moran's legislative director" (Stars and Stripes, November 18).

HOLIDAY SHOPPING TIPS--Today's "Federal Page" offers readers a listing of holiday gift ideas from Uncle Sam. These include items from the Indian Craft Shop and the U.S. Geological Survey at the Department of Interior, the National Aquarium at the Department of Commerce, and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. (The Washington Post).