The Office of Personnel Management recently issued more detailed information on the rates that the federal government and federal employees/retirees contribute for paying insurance premiums under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHB).
The 2020 Federal Benefits Open Season will run from Nov. 9 through Dec. 14, 2020.
During the annual open season, federal employees can enroll, change plans or plan options, change enrollment type, or cancel their enrollment for the:
- Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program
- Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP)
- Employees can also re-enroll or newly enroll in the Federal Flexible Spending Account Program (FSAFEDS).
The Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) Program and the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP) do not participate in the annual open season.
According to OPM, for the 2021 plan year there will be 276 FEHB plan choices across the entire program. The actual number of options available to any given enrollee will be lower and will vary by geographic location but will include a minimum of 18 nationwide plan choices, along with local and regional plans as well. Information on plans available by geographic location can be found in the OPM’s FEHB Plan Comparison Tool in early November, OPM said.
2021 FEHB Program Rates
Rate averages below are based on 2020 plan enrollment.
- The overall average increase for non-Postal employees and annuitants will be 3.6%.
- The federal government contribution will increase by 3%.
- The enrollee share will increase an average of 4.9%.
- For Self Only, the average premium increase is 3.5%.
- For Self Plus One, the average increase is 3.5%.
- For Self and Family, the average increase is 3.7%.
The overall average increase of 3.6% is lower than premium increases projected for or reported by other large private and public sector employers, which range from 4-10%.
Maximum Government Contribution
2021 Maximum Government Contribution for non-Postal employees and annuitants (72% of the weighted average) is:
– $241.58 for Self Only
– $517.46 for Self Plus One
– $562.25 for Self and Family
The monthly maximum government contribution (72% of the weighted average) is:
– $523.42 for Self Only
– $1,121.16 for Self Plus One
– $1,218.21 for Self and Family
Weighted Average Premiums
For 2021, the biweekly program-wide weighted average premiums with a government contribution are:
– $335.53 for Self Only
– $718.70 for Self Plus One
– $780.90 for Self and Family
The monthly program-wide weighted average premiums with a government contribution are:
– $726.98 for Self Only
– $1,557.18 Self Plus One
– $1,691.95 Self and Family
2021 FEHB Program Rates Summary
Rate averages below are based on the prior year’s enrollment.
2021 FEHB New Plan Options
OPM said there will be six new plan options to the FEHB in 2021:
- UnitedHealthcare Advantage Plan – High (new FEHB plan for 2021; all contiguous states and the District of Columbia)
- Kaiser Permanente – Northwest (Washington/Oregon) – Basic
- Kaiser Permanente – Washington (Washington/Idaho) – Basic
- Geisinger Health Plan Pennsylvania – Basic
- Dean Health Plan, Inc, Wisconsin – Basic
- Group Health Cooperative of South Central Wisconsin – Standard
The actual number of options available to any given enrollee varies by geographic location and will include at a minimum 18 nationwide fee-for-service plans for the 2021 plan year that are open to all.