If you cover just one family member under the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program, Self Plus One is the obvious choice. It covers fewer people, so it should cost less, right? For 2027, in 39 of the 118 plan options, it does not. Self and Family covers the same person plus any eligible children, and it costs less. The difference reaches $76.29 per pay period, or $1,983.54 a year.
Because Self Plus One is assumed to be the cheaper choice, the two columns in the rate charts can easily go unexamined. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) lets enrollees who want to cover one eligible family member choose either enrollment type. In some cases, an employee or retiree can stay with the same insurer and plan option, continue covering the same family member, and pay a lower premium simply by changing from Self Plus One to Self and Family.
Finding the cheaper option takes two numbers and a few minutes before Open Season ends on December 14. Below is the full list of affected FEHB plan options, the dollar gap in each, a five-step check for your own coverage, and the same pattern in 24 Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB) plan options.
Get an email alert when OPM releases the 2027 plan comparison tools (early Nov.)
Enter your email here and we’ll send you an alert as soon as the 2027 FEHB plan comparison tools are available from the Office of Personnel Management
Why Covering Fewer People Can Cost More
The government contribution is the lesser of two figures, according to OPM’s 2027 Open Season highlights: 72% of the program-wide weighted average premium for the enrollment type, or 75% of the plan’s total premium. The first figure acts as a dollar cap, and that cap is higher for Self and Family.
Ad
Retire before 62, and there’s a benefit most feds forget to plan around
The FERS Special Retirement Supplement can bridge the gap until Social Security kicks in — if you know the eligibility rules and how it’s taxed. This workshop covers it, plus everything else on your path to retirement. Get the details at a free FedImpact Workshop near you.
For 2027, the biweekly cap is $767.53 for Self Plus One and $843.82 for Self and Family, a difference of $76.29. Monthly, the caps are $1,662.98 and $1,828.28, a difference of $165.30.
Because the government contribution is calculated separately for each enrollment type, a plan can have similar total premiums for Self Plus One and Self and Family but different enrollee shares. In some cases, the higher government contribution for Self and Family makes that enrollment type less expensive for the enrollee.
In the 2027 rate comparisons examined, the total premium for Self Plus One is not higher than the total premium for Self and Family. The reversal comes from the government’s share. In OPM’s 2027 files, 17 plan options, all of them Kaiser Permanente, charge identical total premiums for Self Plus One and Self and Family. Because the government’s cap is $76.29 higher for Self and Family, the Self Plus One enrollee pays more in eight of those 17. In four of the eight (Fresno California High Option, Washington Core High Option, Mid-Atlantic States High Option and Northern California High Option), the gap is the full $76.29 per pay period. In the other four it runs from $25.79 to $59.55. In the remaining nine, the two enrollment types cost the enrollee the same.
The formula behind these swings, including why a plan’s total premium and the enrollee share can move by very different percentages, is explained in Why Your 2027 FEHB Share Can Swing Far More Than Your Plan’s Total Premium.
What the Gap Costs in Five Plans
The table shows the enrollee share for five plan options where Self Plus One costs more. CDHP stands for consumer-driven health plan, and MHBP stands for Mail Handlers Benefit Plan. Annual figures multiply the biweekly gap by 26 pay periods. Annuitants pay monthly, and the last column shows the monthly gap.
Because OPM publishes separately rounded biweekly and monthly rates, the annual savings calculated from 26 biweekly payments may differ slightly from those calculated from 12 monthly payments.
| Plan and option | Area | Self Plus One | Self and Family | Gap per pay period | Gap per year | Gap per month (annuitants) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaiser Permanente Northern California, High Option | CA | $568.01 | $491.72 | $76.29 | $1,983.54 | $165.30 |
| Aetna HealthFund CDHP | AL, AR, DC, FL, GA, LA, MD, NC, TN, VA, WV | $761.43 | $700.43 | $61.00 | $1,586.00 | $132.17 |
| Aetna Open Access, High Option | NJ | $2,044.89 | $1,996.72 | $48.17 | $1,252.42 | $104.38 |
| Foreign Service Benefit Plan, High Option | Nationwide | $429.35 | $382.65 | $46.70 | $1,214.20 | $101.19 |
| MHBP, Standard Option | Nationwide | $442.77 | $400.78 | $41.99 | $1,091.74 | $90.99 |
An active employee in the Kaiser Permanente Northern California High Option who covers one family member would save $1,983.54 a year in premiums by choosing Self and Family, assuming 26 biweekly premium payments. In MHBP Standard Option, the smallest gap among these five, the saving is still $1,091.74 a year. The steep 2027 increase in that plan is covered in 2027 FEHB plans that got cheaper and who got hit hardest.
Most plans run the other way. In 70 of the 118 plan options examined, Self Plus One costs less than Self and Family, and in nine the two are the same. In Government Employees Health Association (GEHA) High Option, for example, Self Plus One is $376.59 and Self and Family is $459.39 biweekly, so staying with Self Plus One saves $82.80 per pay period.
All 39 Plan Options Where Self Plus One Costs More
The table lists the 39 FEHB plan options in the 2027 rate-file comparison where the Self Plus One enrollee share is higher than the Self and Family share, sorted by plan name. These are individual plan options and geographic rate groups, not 39 separate insurance companies or necessarily 39 distinct health plans.
Biweekly amounts are the enrollee share. The last three columns show the gap per pay period, per year and per month for annuitants.
| Plan and option | Codes (Self Plus One / Self and Family) | Area | Self Plus One | Self and Family | Gap per pay period | Gap per year | Gap per month (annuitants) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aetna HealthFund CDHP | EP3/EP2 | CT, DE, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, RI, VT | $972.14 | $913.27 | $58.87 | $1,530.62 | $127.56 |
| Aetna HealthFund CDHP | F53/F52 | AL, AR, DC, FL, GA, LA, MD, NC, TN, VA, WV | $761.43 | $700.43 | $61.00 | $1,586.00 | $132.17 |
| Aetna HealthFund CDHP | G53/G52 | AZ, CO, KS, MI, MO, NM, NV, SD, UT, WA | $872.74 | $812.82 | $59.92 | $1,557.92 | $129.83 |
| Aetna HealthFund CDHP | H43/H42 | IA, ID, IL, KY, MN, MS, MT, ND, NE, OR, PA, WY | $852.43 | $791.98 | $60.45 | $1,571.70 | $130.98 |
| Aetna HealthFund CDHP | JS3/JS2 | AK, CA, HI, IN, OH, OK, SC, TX, WI | $974.45 | $915.59 | $58.86 | $1,530.36 | $127.53 |
| Aetna HealthFund HDHP | 226/225 | All 50 states and DC | $378.76 | $325.35 | $53.41 | $1,388.66 | $115.73 |
| Aetna HMO, High Option | 2X3/2X2 | CA | $1,006.54 | $965.70 | $40.84 | $1,061.84 | $88.49 |
| Aetna Open Access (Capital Region and Saver), High Option | JN3/JN2 | DC, MD, VA | $1,100.03 | $1,042.45 | $57.58 | $1,497.08 | $124.76 |
| Aetna Open Access, Basic Option | JC6/JC5 | NY | $1,560.67 | $1,507.64 | $53.03 | $1,378.78 | $114.90 |
| Aetna Open Access, Basic Option | JR6/JR5 | NJ | $1,479.63 | $1,425.83 | $53.80 | $1,398.80 | $116.57 |
| Aetna Open Access, Basic Option | P36/P35 | DE, NJ, PA | $1,543.49 | $1,490.35 | $53.14 | $1,381.64 | $115.14 |
| Aetna Open Access, High Option | JC3/JC2 | NY | $1,716.25 | $1,664.80 | $51.45 | $1,337.70 | $111.48 |
| Aetna Open Access, High Option | JR3/JR2 | NJ | $2,044.89 | $1,996.72 | $48.17 | $1,252.42 | $104.38 |
| Aetna Open Access, High Option | P33/P32 | DE, NJ, PA | $1,688.69 | $1,636.94 | $51.75 | $1,345.50 | $112.13 |
| Aetna Value Plan | EP6/EP5 | CT, DE, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, RI, VT | $1,062.46 | $1,022.79 | $39.67 | $1,031.42 | $85.96 |
| Aetna Value Plan | F56/F55 | AL, AR, DC, FL, GA, LA, MD, NC, TN, VA, WV | $782.49 | $737.25 | $45.24 | $1,176.24 | $98.03 |
| Aetna Value Plan | G56/G55 | AZ, CO, KS, MI, MO, NM, NV, SD, UT, WA | $669.70 | $622.11 | $47.59 | $1,237.34 | $103.12 |
| Aetna Value Plan | H46/H45 | IA, ID, IL, KY, MN, MS, MT, ND, NE, OR, PA, WY | $892.02 | $848.93 | $43.09 | $1,120.34 | $93.36 |
| Aetna Value Plan | JS6/JS5 | AK, CA, HI, IN, OH, OK, SC, TX, WI | $1,214.07 | $1,157.52 | $56.55 | $1,470.30 | $122.53 |
| Altius Health Plans, HDHP | 9K6/9K5 | ID, UT, WY | $325.62 | $278.76 | $46.86 | $1,218.36 | $101.52 |
| Altius Health Plans, High Option | 9K3/9K2 | ID, UT, WY | $894.83 | $835.14 | $59.69 | $1,551.94 | $129.33 |
| Altius Health Plans, Standard Option | DK6/DK5 | ID, UT, WY | $588.79 | $526.07 | $62.72 | $1,630.72 | $135.89 |
| Baylor Scott & White Health Plan, Standard | A86/A85 | TX | $346.52 | $335.46 | $11.06 | $287.56 | $23.97 |
| Baylor Scott & White Health Plan, Standard | P86/P85 | TX | $428.09 | $421.82 | $6.27 | $163.02 | $13.59 |
| Foreign Service Benefit Plan, High Option | 403/402 | Nationwide | $429.35 | $382.65 | $46.70 | $1,214.20 | $101.19 |
| Geisinger Health Plan, Standard | GG6/GG5 | PA | $312.20 | $300.28 | $11.92 | $309.92 | $25.84 |
| Kaiser Permanente Fresno California, High Option | NZ3/NZ2 | CA | $424.00 | $347.71 | $76.29 | $1,983.54 | $165.30 |
| Kaiser Permanente Georgia, High Option | F83/F82 | GA | $290.23 | $264.44 | $25.79 | $670.54 | $55.88 |
| Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic High | E33/E32 | DC, MD, VA | $361.71 | $285.42 | $76.29 | $1,983.54 | $165.30 |
| Kaiser Permanente Northern California, High Option | 593/592 | CA | $568.01 | $491.72 | $76.29 | $1,983.54 | $165.30 |
| Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Standard Option | 596/595 | CA | $335.24 | $275.69 | $59.55 | $1,548.30 | $129.03 |
| Kaiser Permanente Northwest, High Option | 573/572 | OR, WA | $291.67 | $264.80 | $26.87 | $698.62 | $58.22 |
| Kaiser Permanente Southern California, High Option | 623/622 | CA | $313.70 | $270.31 | $43.39 | $1,128.14 | $94.02 |
| Kaiser Permanente Washington Core, High Option | 543/542 | ID, WA | $500.13 | $423.84 | $76.29 | $1,983.54 | $165.30 |
| MHBP, Standard Option | 456/455 | Nationwide | $442.77 | $400.78 | $41.99 | $1,091.74 | $90.99 |
| Panama Canal Area Benefit Plan, FFS Plan with a POS Option | 433/432 | Nationwide | $457.87 | $437.78 | $20.09 | $522.34 | $43.53 |
| Presbyterian Health Plan, High Option – Central | P23/P22 | NM | $691.89 | $666.98 | $24.91 | $647.66 | $53.98 |
| Presbyterian Health Plan, Standard Option – Central | PS6/PS5 | NM | $448.87 | $415.40 | $33.47 | $870.22 | $72.52 |
| Presbyterian Health Plan, Wellness Option – Central | PS3/PS2 | NM | $301.86 | $276.76 | $25.10 | $652.60 | $54.39 |
Areas show the states where a regional plan is offered, and regional plans may serve only selected counties or ZIP codes within those states. Codes are the enrollment codes OPM lists for each enrollment type. Plan labels follow OPM’s names, including high deductible health plan (HDHP), health maintenance organization (HMO), fee-for-service (FFS) and point of service (POS).
The figures use the standard government contribution that applies to most employees and annuitants. Some groups, including certain part-time employees, receive a different contribution, so their own rates in OPM’s charts apply.
The amounts shown for enrollment codes H46 and H45 (Aetna Value Plan) come directly from OPM’s 2027 HMO rate file. Confirm them against OPM’s current charts before relying on them.
How to Check Your Own Plan in a Few Minutes
- Find your plan, option and enrollment codes on the FEHB premium rates page or on OPM’s premiums page. Regional plans list rates by area, so match the codes on your current enrollment.
- Write down the Self Plus One and Self and Family enrollee shares, using biweekly amounts if you are an employee or monthly amounts if you are an annuitant.
- If the Self Plus One figure is higher, Self and Family may cover the same person for less. Multiply the biweekly gap by 26, or the monthly gap by 12, for the annual premium difference.
- Check the plan brochure for anything that changes by enrollment type, such as the family deductible, catastrophic out-of-pocket limit or account arrangements in a high deductible or consumer-driven plan. The covered medical services are generally the same within a plan option, but some family-level cost-sharing provisions may differ.
- Confirm the change with your human resources (HR) office if you are an employee, or with OPM if you are an annuitant, and make it during Open Season.
If your plan is not on the list, Self Plus One generally costs less than Self and Family, although some plans charge the same premium for both enrollment types. Compare the actual rates before making a decision.
If Both Spouses Are Federal Enrollees
Couples in which both spouses are eligible for FEHB in their own right have a third option: two Self Only enrollments, one for each spouse. In 101 of the 118 plan options, two Self Only enrollments in the same plan option cost less than either joint enrollment, based on OPM’s 2027 enrollee rates. In the other 17, at least one joint enrollment costs less or the same.
For example, in Kaiser Permanente Washington Core High Option, Self and Family at $423.84 biweekly costs less than two Self Only enrollments totaling $448.34. In other plans, two Self Only enrollments can produce a lower combined premium.
This approach does not work for every household. Each spouse must independently qualify for FEHB enrollment, and two Self Only enrollments do not cover dependent children. Separate enrollments can also mean separate deductibles and out-of-pocket limits, potentially offsetting the premium savings.
When one spouse is retired and the other still works, premium conversion, which lets eligible active employees pay premiums with pre-tax pay, can also change the comparison. A lower stated premium is not necessarily a lower after-tax cost. Edward A. Zurndorfer’s guide to cancelling or suspending FEHB covers the premium conversion issue for retirees covered under a working spouse.
Couples considering separate enrollments should also evaluate how their coverage would be affected if one spouse dies, loses eligibility or changes employment status. The lowest premium today is not necessarily the best long-term arrangement.
Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB) Plans
PSHB shows the same pattern with a smaller government contribution cap difference. OPM’s 2027 maximum government contribution is $689.34 biweekly for Self Plus One and $748.55 for Self and Family, a $59.21 gap. Monthly, the caps are $1,493.57 and $1,621.86, a $128.29 gap.
In the 2027 PSHB rate-file comparison, 24 plan options charge more for Self Plus One than for Self and Family. Five Kaiser Permanente options reach the full gap, which is $128.29 a month or $1,539.48 a year for annuitants, and $59.21 per pay period for active Postal employees.
As with FEHB, these are individual plan options and geographic rate entries, not necessarily 24 distinct health plans.
| Plan and option | Codes (Self Plus One / Self and Family) | Area | Self Plus One (monthly) | Self and Family (monthly) | Gap per month | Gap per year | Gap per pay period (active employees) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aetna HealthFund CDHP | HHC/HHB | IA, ID, IL, KY, MN, MS, MT, ND, NE, OR, PA, WY | $1,177.95 | $1,075.84 | $102.11 | $1,225.32 | $47.13 |
| Aetna HealthFund CDHP | L7C/L7B | AL, AR, DC, FL, GA, LA, MD, NC, TN, VA, WV | $1,320.24 | $1,220.11 | $100.13 | $1,201.56 | $46.21 |
| Aetna HealthFund CDHP | GRC/GRB | AZ, CO, KS, MI, MO, NM, NV, SD, UT, WA | $2,227.98 | $2,136.85 | $91.13 | $1,093.56 | $42.06 |
| Aetna HealthFund CDHP | KDC/KDB | CT, DE, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, RI, VT | $2,243.71 | $2,152.78 | $90.93 | $1,091.16 | $41.97 |
| Aetna HealthFund CDHP | JDC/JDB | AK, CA, HI, IN, OH, OK, SC, TX, WI | $2,850.10 | $2,765.29 | $84.81 | $1,017.72 | $39.14 |
| Aetna HealthFund HDHP | G3F/G3E | Multiple states (confirm service area) | $1,098.78 | $1,022.28 | $76.50 | $918.00 | $35.31 |
| Aetna Open Access (Capital Region and Saver), High Option | G8C/G8B | DC, MD, VA | $2,396.16 | $2,306.85 | $89.31 | $1,071.72 | $41.22 |
| Aetna Value Plan | JDF/JDE | AK, CA, HI, IN, OH, OK, SC, TX, WI | $1,921.90 | $1,827.67 | $94.23 | $1,130.76 | $43.49 |
| Aetna Value Plan | L7F/L7E | AL, AR, DC, FL, GA, LA, MD, NC, TN, VA, WV | $1,587.86 | $1,521.24 | $66.62 | $799.44 | $30.75 |
| Aetna Value Plan | GRF/GRE | AZ, CO, KS, MI, MO, NM, NV, SD, UT, WA | $1,676.87 | $1,611.93 | $64.94 | $779.28 | $29.97 |
| Aetna Value Plan | HHF/HHE | IA, ID, IL, KY, MN, MS, MT, ND, NE, OR, PA, WY | $1,690.28 | $1,625.67 | $64.61 | $775.32 | $29.82 |
| Aetna Value Plan | KDF/KDE | CT, DE, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, RI, VT | $2,443.57 | $2,394.12 | $49.45 | $593.40 | $22.82 |
| Kaiser Permanente Fresno California, High Option | NNC/NNB | CA | $876.40 | $748.11 | $128.29 | $1,539.48 | $59.21 |
| Kaiser Permanente Fresno California, Standard Option | NNF/NNE | CA | $546.89 | $510.11 | $36.78 | $441.36 | $16.97 |
| Kaiser Permanente Georgia, High Option | PFC/PFB | GA | $769.88 | $641.59 | $128.29 | $1,539.48 | $59.21 |
| Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic High | RAC/RAB | DC, MD, VA | $700.51 | $572.22 | $128.29 | $1,539.48 | $59.21 |
| Kaiser Permanente Northern California, High Option | TBC/TBB | CA | $1,187.72 | $1,059.43 | $128.29 | $1,539.48 | $59.21 |
| Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Standard Option | TBF/TBE | CA | $629.01 | $530.64 | $98.37 | $1,180.44 | $45.40 |
| Kaiser Permanente Southern California, High Option | Y3C/Y3B | CA | $634.79 | $532.09 | $102.70 | $1,232.40 | $47.40 |
| Kaiser Permanente Washington Core, High Option | PRC/PRB | ID, WA | $1,240.53 | $1,112.24 | $128.29 | $1,539.48 | $59.21 |
| Kaiser Permanente Washington Core, Standard Option | PRF/PRE | ID, WA | $508.93 | $500.62 | $8.31 | $99.72 | $3.83 |
| MHBP, Standard Option | 73F/73E | Nationwide | $857.85 | $807.80 | $50.05 | $600.60 | $23.10 |
| NALC Health Benefit Plan, NALC High Option | 77C/77B | Nationwide | $628.33 | $585.80 | $42.53 | $510.36 | $19.63 |
| Rural Carrier Benefit Plan, High Option | 79C/79B | Nationwide | $751.75 | $736.58 | $15.17 | $182.04 | $7.00 |
The table shows monthly annuitant rates from OPM’s PSHB rate file, and the last column shows the gap per pay period in the biweekly rates for active Postal employees. NALC stands for National Association of Letter Carriers. Check OPM’s PSHB premiums page for the official charts and service-area details.
For regional plans, the listed states do not necessarily mean coverage is available in every county or ZIP code. Enrollees should confirm the plan’s service area and enrollment codes before making a change. OPM’s service-area file for Aetna HealthFund HDHP (G3F/G3E) lists only 32 states, ending alphabetically at Nevada, which may be incomplete, so the full service area should be confirmed with Aetna or OPM.
How and When to Change Enrollment
Open Season for the 2027 plan year runs from November 9 through December 14, 2026. Employees generally make changes through their agency’s benefits system or by submitting a Health Benefits Election Form (SF 2809) to their HR office, and annuitants make changes through OPM.
OPM publishes separate guidance for active employees, retirees and other annuitants and PSHB enrollees. OPM’s plan comparison tool and the 2027 plan brochures are expected in early November, and the FEHB plan comparison page links to them. The FEHB Open Season page keeps the key dates in one place.
A lower premium is not always a lower total cost. Deductibles, copayments, out-of-pocket limits and other plan provisions can matter more than a few hundred dollars in annual premium savings. Although Self Plus One and Self and Family generally offer the same covered medical services within a plan option, certain family-level cost-sharing rules may differ.
The comparisons above apply within the same plan option. They do not establish which insurer or plan is the cheapest overall. Enrollees considering a different plan should also compare provider networks, prescription coverage and expected out-of-pocket expenses.
Enrollees in one of the plans leaving in 2027 must select new coverage during Open Season, and the same Self Plus One and Self and Family check applies when comparing the new plan’s enrollment categories. The 2027 FEHB plan changes article lists the plans that are leaving.
For federal employees and retirees covering one other family member, the practical lesson is straightforward: do not assume Self Plus One is the less expensive choice. Check both enrollment categories before Open Season closes. In some plans, the difference is more than $1,000 a year, and changing enrollment categories may provide those premium savings without changing insurers or plan options.
Figures in this article come from OPM’s 2027 FEHB and PSHB premium rate files. Confirm the rates, eligibility requirements and applicable plan provisions with OPM or your HR office before making a change.