DEC ’20 COVER STORY WELLNESS PERKS INCENTIVE PROGRAMS FOR MEETING HEALTH AND FITNESS GOALS Volume 96 • Number 11 ALSO IN THIS ISSUE OPEN SEASON REPORT CHRONIC PAIN NEW WAYS TO TREAT IT FEDERAL EMPLOYEES AND RETIREES CAN GET EARGO’S VIRTUALLY INVISIBLE HEARING AIDS AT NO COST!* Bring your world to life with our 4th generation virtually invisible hearing loss solution. Eargo Neo HiFi features our most comfortable and powerful hearing aids yet. Plus, they sport richer, more natural sound quality and smarter feedback cancellation, so you can hear life to the fullest. And now active and retired federal employees can receive Eargo at no cost* through their FEHB insurance plan. If that’s you, call us and we’ll take care of everything even the paperwork. 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Q4 NARFE Print Ads (10662) DEC.indd 1 9/1/20 5:05 PM DEC ’20 SPECIAL SECTIONS 42 Open Season Report WASHINGTON WATCH 6 Continuing Resolution Keeps Government Open Through December 11 7 House Modernization Committee Passes Final Recommendations 8 Welcome to the United States Congress 9 Senate Committee Advances TSP Board Nominees 10 The History of Federal Holidays COVER STORY ROAD TO WELLNESS PAVED WITH PERKS 11 Bill Tracker David Tobenkin details the incentive programs that many FEHB plans offer for meeting health and fitness goals. 26 COLUMNS 4 From the President 16 Benefits Brief 68 Managing Money 70 Alzheimer’s Update CHRONIC PAIN AND HOW TO TREAT IT Everett A. Chasen explores efforts to develop new and safer treatments, many by 34 government researchers. DEPARTMENTS 18 Questions & Answers 72 For the Record On the Web 74 NARFE News VISIT US ONLINE AT: www.narfe.org 78 NARFE Perks LIKE US ON FACEBOOK: 80 The Way We Worked NARFE National Headquarters ON THE COVER Illustration by GRAPHEK FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: @narfehq WWW.NARFE.ORG | 1 DECEMBER 2020 | Volume 96 | Number 11 NATIONAL OFFICERS EDITORIAL DIRECTOR KENNETH J. THOMAS Jenn Rafael President; [email protected] SENIOR EDITOR KATHRYN E. HENSLEY Mabel Yu Secretary/Treasurer; [email protected] CREATIVE SERVICES MANAGER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Beth Bedard BARBARA SIDO, [email protected] ADDITIONAL GRAPHIC DESIGN GRAPHEK REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENTS EXECUTIVE EDITORS REGION I James C. Risner REGION VI Marshall L. Richards Jessica Klement (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, (Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Helen Mosher New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island Republic of Panama and Texas) and Vermont) TEL: 903-660-2784 EDITORIAL BOARD TEL: 207-540-6233 EMAIL: [email protected] Kenneth J. 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To ensure prompt delivery, members should also forward changes of address without delay. Because of the volume involved, NARFE cannot acknowledge nor be responsible for unsolicited pictures and manuscripts, although every reasonable precaution is taken. All submis- sions become the property of NARFE. Copyright © 2020, NARFE. Advertisements in the magazine are not endorsements of products and/or services by NARFE, unless officially stated in the ad. We shall accept advertising on the same basis as other reputable publications: that is, we shall not knowingly permit a dishonest advertisement to appear in NARFE Magazine, but at the same time we will not undertake to guarantee the reliability of our advertisers. 2 | DEC 2020 Make your home more comfortable than ever “To you, it’s the perfect lift chair. To me, it’s the best sleep chair I’ve ever had.” — J. 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