From the Omicron front, and as a public service, the FEHBlog notes this Wall Street Journal A-hed article from yesterday explaining the proper pronunciation of Omicron:

“There isn’t one way of saying Omicron,” said Armand D’Angour, professor of classical languages and literature at the University of Oxford. “First of all, you know, we’re not there, we haven’t recorded it.”

Egbert Bakker, professor of ancient Greek at Yale University, says the letter is pronounced “AWE-mee-kron” in both modern and ancient Greek. But he is open to other forms: “Some people would say ‘oh-MIKE-ron,’ that is the Americanized way. I wouldn’t do it but I don’t think it’s completely unacceptable.”

Isn’t Egbert a perfect name for an Ivy League professor of foreign languages?

Also, the Wall Street Journal reports that

Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE  said that a third dose of their Covid-19 vaccine neutralized the Omicron variant in lab tests but that the two-dose regimen was significantly less effective at blocking the virus.

A third dose increased antibodies 25-fold compared with two doses against the Omicron variant, the companies said. Still, two doses may prove effective in preventing severe illness from Covid-19, they said, because immune cells are able to recognize 80% of parts of the spike protein that the vaccine targets.

The results were issued in a press release by the companies, and weren’t peer reviewed and published in a scientific journal.

As of today, just over 200 million Americans are fully vaccinated against COVID according the CDC. Next Tuesday December 14 will mark the first anniversary of COVID vaccinations outside of trials in the U.S.

From the Federal Benefits Open Season front, FedWeek reminds us that

December 13 is the last day of the current open season for electing or changing coverage in FEHB and FEDVIP for the 2022 plan (calendar) year of each program.

If current enrollees make no changes, they will retain the same coverage next year, subject to new premium rates and coverage terms. In practice, only single-digit percentages change plans, levels of coverage within plans that have more than one, or type of enrollment (between family coverage and self plus one, for example).

In contrast to the FEHB and FEDVIP programs, a new enrollment is required each year for those who want a health care flexible spending account, a dependent care account, or both in the following year. The dependent care maximum remains $5,000 while the health care maximum is rising $2,850.

OPM encourages FEHB plan enrollees to use its online FEHB and FEDVIP Plan comparison tools.

From the telehealth front —

Healthcare Dive reports that

— COVID-19 was no longer among the top five telehealth diagnoses nationwide in September, though use of virtual care rose overall, according to new data from nonprofit Fair Health.

— In August, COVID-19 was among the top five diagnoses nationally and in every U.S. census region except the Northeast. In September, the only region where the it ranked in the top five was the Midwest.

— However, national telehealth use (measured as a percentage of all medical claim lines) rose more than 2% in September for the second straight month as the delta variant gained a foothold in the U.S. following a sustained period of decline early this year.

Kaiser Health News discusses the provider push for expanded coverage of audio-telehealth services.

From the benefit design front, Health Payer Intelligence tells us that

UnitedHealthcare has launched a new employer-sponsored health plan for Arizona residents that seeks to prioritize customer support experiences and lower member premiums.

The Doctors Plan of Arizona is the result of a partnership between the payer and the accountable care organization (ACO) Banner Health Network. The plan will serve Maricopa and Pinal County residents who receive employer-sponsored health coverage.

Banner Health Network frequently partners with health plans and providers to increase access to affordable care, the press release noted. The ACO’s network includes primary and specialty care physicians.

Through the Doctors Plan of Arizona, members will gain access to Banner Health’s network of more than 5,000 physicians and 15 medical centers.

Additionally, the plan will offer members a chance to potentially save up to 15 percent on premiums compared to other traditional health plans. The plan will also offer zero-dollar copays for primary care and urgent care visits, around-the-clock access to telehealth visits, and care coordination from the member’s primary care provider.

UnitedHealthcare will work to improve the customer experience with a personalized concierge approach. The payer’s Doctors Plan of Arizona will include a customer service team that has access to patient data from the provider and the health plan, allowing for more streamlined coordination, the press release stated.

The FEHBlog’s love affair with the ACO concept has not abated.

Health Payer Intelligence also discusses nutritional benefits.

Payers face a variety of challenges in expanding nutritional benefits, particularly due to the lack of ability to measure outcomes, but there are ways to navigate this uncertainty, according to a report from McKinsey & Company (McKinsey).

Among American adults who have at least one chronic condition, 60 percent also have poor nutrition, the report noted. This social determinant of health tends to occur hand-in-hand with some of the most expensive conditions in the US such as hypertension, obesity, and diabetes.

Check out the McKinsey report and the article for nutritional benefit tips.

Finally the Internal Revenue Service today released its draft Fringe Benefits Tax Guide for 2022 which may come in handy for 2022 budgeting purposes.