The Office of Personnel Management is reminding federal employees and retirees to verify the family members on their FEHB and PSHB plans. Spouses, children under 26, and certain disabled adult children qualify, while former spouses, parents, and domestic partners do not. Ed Zurndorfer outlines who qualifies, the 60-day deadline to remove anyone who doesn’t, and the documents that verify each type of family member
FEHB (Federal Employees Health Benefits)
2027 FEHB Plan Cost Explorer (Launching Soon)
A free 2027 FEHB Plan Cost Explorer tool that will show every FEHB plan available to you with the 2027 premium, the dollar and percent change from 2026, the annual cost, how much of the premium the government pays, and a worst-case year that adds the out-of-pocket maximum. Learn more, and sign up to be notified when this new tool is released before Open Season starts Nov. 9.
2027 FEHB Plan Comparison Tools, Brochures, Premium Rates
The Office of Personnel Management has released its 2027 Federal Employees Health Benefits plan comparison tool. Enter a ZIP code and it lists each plan’s premium, annual deductible, out-of-pocket maximum, and medical account. Premiums rise 10.9% on average for 2027, but some plans cost less, so reading the premium next to the other costs matters before Open Season.
39 FEHB Plans Where Self Plus One Costs More Than Self and Family in 2027
Self Plus One covers fewer people, so it should cost less, right? For 2027, in 39 of 118 FEHB plan options, it does not. Self and Family covers the same person plus any eligible children, and the gap reaches $1,983.54 a year. See every plan on the list, the dollar gap in each, a five-step check for your own plan, and the same pattern in 24 Postal Service Health Benefits plans.
2027 FEHB Plan Changes: Nine Plans Leaving and UnitedHealthcare’s HSA Plan Ending in 12 States
Nine FEHB plan options and one PSHB option are ending in 2027, UnitedHealthcare’s HSA-eligible plan is dropping 12 states, and Presbyterian and Mail Handlers are changing too. Enrollees who do nothing move into an OPM default that costs less but is built differently, and Open Season closes December 14. See the full list, what the default costs, and what to check before the deadline passes.
FEHB Eligibility in Retirement: What Counts Toward the 5 Year Rule?
Keeping Federal Employees Health Benefits coverage in retirement depends on five continuous years of enrollment before you retire. In this guide, Ed Zurndorfer explains what counts toward those five years, including coverage through a spouse, TRICARE, and breaks in service. He also outlines what does not count, such as Medicare, Temporary Continuation of Coverage, and non-appropriated fund service. Employees 5 to 10 years from retirement who are not enrolled will find out why the upcoming FEHB open season also matters
Cancel or Suspend FEHB? Which Option Keeps Your Coverage?
Federal retirees can leave the Federal Employees Health Benefits program in two very different ways. Cancelling usually ends the right to reenroll and the 31-day extension of coverage, while suspending, for example to join a private Medicare Advantage plan, preserves the option to return at a future open season. Ed Zurndorfer walks you through each box on Form RI 79-9, the premium conversion and Medicare Part B issues for retirees covered under a working spouse, and the reenrollment rules that follow each choice.
Why Your 2027 FEHB Share Can Swing Far More Than Your Plan’s Total Premium
Why can one Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) plan raise its total premium 43% while the enrollee share rises 84%, and another cut its total premium 12% while the enrollee share drops 42%? Worked examples from the Office of Personnel Management’s 2027 files show how the government contribution formula drives the swings. Here is what to know before open season starts Nov. 9, including what a big drop in your share does (and does not) mean if you are thinking about switching plans
Should You Keep Your FEHB Plan for 2027? Take This 3-Step Test
The 10.9% average increase in 2027 Federal Employees Health Benefits premiums hides a wide range: about one plan in six costs less, roughly one in three rose by more than 10.9%, and one nationwide plan’s Self Plus One rate roughly doubled. Take this three-step keep-or-change test to see where your plan’s increase falls and what it means in dollars per year, then use the open season checklist to decide
FEHB Premiums Rise 10.9% on Average in 2027, But 20 Plans Cost Less
The Office of Personnel Management announced the average FEHB enrollee share rises 10.9% for 2027, but not every plan follows the average. Of the 117 FEHB plan options with rates in both 2026 and 2027, 20 cost less at Self Only, 22 at Self Plus One and 21 at Self and Family. This breakdown lists the plans that got cheaper, the ones hit hardest, what switching could save per year — plus the plans leaving the program.