Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Open Season runs November 9 to December 14, 2026, according to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Coverage continues into 2027 at 2027 prices unless a change is made, so leaving a plan alone is itself a choice. Average enrollee premiums rise 10.9% for FEHB and 8.2% for the Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB) Program, but individual plans differ widely, and nine FEHB plan options leave the program for 2027.
Download the one-page checklist (PDF) or work through the seven steps below.
1. Start with total cost, not premium alone
A premium is only one part of what a plan costs. Adding a plan’s annual premium to its in-network out-of-pocket maximum gives a high-cost year, which the 2027 FEHB Plan Cost Explorer calls the worst-case year. Some expenses do not count toward that maximum, so the figure is a guide and not a cap on everything a household might pay. In 2027 for Self Only coverage, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Basic Option costs $3,781.96 a year in premium with an $8,500 maximum, a worst-case year of $12,281.96. FEP Blue Focus costs $1,928.16 with an $11,000 maximum, a worst-case year of $12,928.16. The cheaper premium has the higher worst case.
One quirk to check: in 2027, OPM lists 38 plan options where the Self Plus One premium is higher than the Self and Family premium, according to OPM’s premium rate files. In the Foreign Service Benefit Plan High option, for example, Self Plus One is $429.35 biweekly and Self and Family is $382.65, a difference of $1,214.20 a year in the employee share. A household of two can generally enroll in Self and Family, so both are worth pricing for plans on that list.
The Explorer (covering FEHB plans only; a Postal Service Health Benefits version is planned) shows the premium, the change from 2026, the annual cost, the deductible and the worst-case year for every plan at a ZIP code. It also shows where each plan sits against the government contribution line. Below the line, the government pays 75% of the total premium. Above it, the government pays a fixed maximum and the enrollee pays every extra dollar. How the government share works explains why a plan’s enrollee share can swing more than its total premium. OPM’s own 2027 plan comparison tool then compares plan details for a short list, and the FEHB plan comparison page explains how to use both tools.
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2. Check each prescription against each plan’s formulary
Every drug for every household member should be checked in the plan brochure or the carrier’s drug list. Tiers, prior authorization requirements and exclusions can make the same drug cost very different amounts in two plans. Plan brochures are the official statement of benefits and are linked from OPM’s comparison tool.
3. Confirm doctors and hospitals are in network, even when staying in the same plan
Networks and service areas change from year to year, and a doctor’s office can confirm in one call whether it takes a plan for 2027. Enrollees in an FEHB plan that leaves the program who do not choose a new plan are enrolled in Compass Rose Health Plan Standard, the lowest-cost nationwide option for 2027, according to OPM’s FEHB significant events tables. Enrollees in the Mail Handlers Value Consumer option, which ends, move to the Mail Handlers Standard Option instead. The plan-by-plan changes for 2027 list the exits, the high deductible health plan (HDHP) cuts and the service area reductions.
For the Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB) Program, OPM’s PSHB significant events tables show the GEHA High Option ending, with enrollees moved to the GEHA Standard Option, and UnitedHealthcare leaving PSHB, with its enrollees placed in the lowest-cost nationwide option or an alternate plan OPM designates.
4. Coordinate with Medicare
The Medicare coordination section of each plan brochure explains cost-sharing waivers, Part B premium reimbursement and drug coverage. The comparison that matters for a Medicare-eligible household is the plan with Part B added, not the plan alone. The Part B premium is projected at $209.50 a month for 2027, which is not official until the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announces it, and higher-income households pay an income-related surcharge. See Medicare premiums, Medicare Advantage vs. Original Medicare for federal retirees, Medicare enrollment periods, deadlines and penalties and how to appeal a high Part B premium.
PSHB annuitants who retire after January 1, 2025 must enroll in Medicare Part B to keep PSHB coverage, with exceptions, according to OPM’s PSHB annuitant page.
5. Plan for life changes next year
Surgery, a child reaching age 26, a spouse retiring or becoming Medicare-eligible, or a move can change which plan fits. Outside Open Season, changes are generally limited to qualifying life events and must be made within 60 days of the event, according to OPM. Under the FEHB Protection Act, an enrollee adding a family member must provide documentation proving the person’s eligibility, and the employing office verifies it when the election is processed, according to OPM’s family member eligibility verification page. Gathering marriage or birth records early avoids a delay. The FEHB Open Season page has the dates and effective dates.
6. Decide FSA, HSA, dental and vision together
The Federal Flexible Spending Account Program (FSAFEDS) does not renew by itself, so employees must re-enroll to continue. A new FSAFEDS Visa FSA Card is available for 2027. Enrollees with a health savings account (HSA) cannot use a standard health care flexible spending account (FSA), but can choose the Limited Expense Health Care FSA for vision and dental costs, according to OPM. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) sets the HSA contribution limit at zero beginning with the first month of Medicare enrollment, as explained in IRS Publication 969. UnitedHealthcare’s HDHP is dropped in 12 states and Independent Health’s HDHP leaves FEHB, so HSA holders in those plans need another qualifying HDHP to keep contributing.
7. Make the change early, then confirm it was recorded
Where to enroll depends on the audience, according to OPM’s enrollment page:
- Employees use Employee Express if the agency participates, another agency system, or Standard Form 2809 through the human resources office.
- Postal Service employees use the Postal Service Health Benefits System.
- FEHB annuitants use Open Season Online or Open Season Express at 1-800-332-9798, or mail a request postmarked by December 14.
- PSHB annuitants use the PSHB Landing Page on OPM’s enrollment page, Open Season Express, or mail.
Annuitants have no human resources office to call, so questions go to OPM’s Retirement Information Center at 1-888-767-6738 (TTY 711).
Changes take effect January 10, 2027 for most non-Postal employees and January 1, 2027 for annuitants, PSHB enrollees, dental, vision and FSAFEDS. The current plan stays in force until then, so a change made in November does not start coverage early. OPM’s page does not describe a confirmation receipt, so logging back in or asking the human resources office (or, for annuitants, OPM) to verify the change before December 14 is a sensible habit. Calling early in Open Season, not in the final week, usually means shorter waits.
After December 14, new insurance cards come from the plan, and timing varies by carrier. A plan’s member services line can confirm that the enrollment arrived and when a card will ship, and a doctor’s office can confirm in January that the new plan is on file.
More Open Season tools
Compare what every plan costs at a ZIP code in the 2027 FEHB Plan Cost Explorer, see how it works alongside OPM’s tool on the FEHB plan comparison page, and find the full rate tables on the 2027 FEHB premium rates page.