2027 FEHB Premiums: What Federal Retirees Will Pay

What did OPM announce for 2027?

FEHB will offer 118 plan options from 45 carriers in 2027. Nine plan options are leaving the program. If yours is one of them, you must choose a new plan during Open Season.

Open Season runs November 9 through December 14, 2026. For annuitants, changes take effect January 1, 2027.

Source: OPM Open Season Highlights for Plan Year 2027

What will retirees pay each month in 2027?

Retirees pay the same premium as active employees for the same plan. The difference is timing and tax. Your share comes out of your annuity once a month, and it comes out after tax.

Monthly enrollee share, non-postal, from OPM's 2027 premium tables. Check your own plan and enrollment code in OPM's 2027 premium tables.

Why is the premium the wrong number to compare?

The premium is the only cost you are certain to pay. It is not the only cost. A plan with a low premium can carry a higher deductible and a higher out-of-pocket limit.

Take two Blue Cross plans at Self Plus One. Standard costs about $2,585 more per year in premium than Basic. In return it has a lower out-of-pocket limit and pays toward out-of-network care, which Basic generally does not. Whether that trade is worth it depends on how much care your household uses and where you get it.

What changes if you are 65 or older?

Your FEHB premium does not go down when Medicare starts. If you enroll in Part B, you pay both.

For a couple on Blue Cross Basic, Self Plus One, with both spouses on Part B, the monthly total looks like this:

• FEHB premium: $759.38
• Part B, two people at the 2026 standard rate of $202.90: $405.80
• Total: $1,165.18 per month, before any income-related surcharge

CMS has not yet announced the 2027 Part B premium. We will update this figure when it does.

Some FEHB plans reduce or waive cost sharing when Medicare is primary, and a few offer a Part B premium reimbursement. Those features can change the math. They are listed in each plan's brochure.

What if you use VA health care?

VA health care is not insurance, and it does not replace FEHB. VA generally does not bill Medicare, and it treats you at VA facilities or through community care it authorizes.

Enrollment in VA care does not protect you from the Part B late-enrollment penalty. Medicare adds 10% to the Part B premium for each full year you could have enrolled but didn't, unless you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period.

Many veterans keep FEHB so that a spouse stays covered and so they can use providers outside the VA system. A lower-premium FEHB plan can make sense for a veteran who gets most care at VA, but only if the plan's network and out-of-pocket limit still work for the rest of the household.

What if your spouse has CHAMPVA?

CHAMPVA has its own Medicare rule. A CHAMPVA beneficiary who becomes eligible for Medicare must generally have both Part A and Part B to keep CHAMPVA. Skipping Part B can end CHAMPVA eligibility.

If your household has FEHB, Medicare and CHAMPVA together, CHAMPVA pays last. That changes which FEHB tier and plan are worth paying for.

OPM allows annuitants to suspend FEHB, not cancel it, to use CHAMPVA or TRICARE, with a right to re-enroll. Cancelling FEHB in retirement is generally permanent. Confirm with OPM before doing either.

What should you do before December 14?

1. Find your plan's 2027 premium in OPM's tables, using your enrollment code.
2. Check whether your plan is one of the nine leaving the program.
3. Read Section 2 of your plan's 2027 brochure, which lists what changed.
4. Compare at least one alternative on total yearly cost, not premium alone.
5. If you turn 65 in 2027, decide on Part B before your enrollment window closes.
6. If you are still working, confirm you will meet the five-year FEHB rule at retirement.

Frequently asked questions