Recent proposals to reform the Medicare program and add an outpatient prescription drug benefit have used the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) as the model for how private plans could be incorporated into the Medicare program. This policy brief presents information showing how FEHBP is functioning in rural areas of the country. Enrollment patterns into the various options available in the FEHBP, descriptions of the choices typically available in rural areas, and location of primary care providers used by plans in a sample of rural communities is presented.