On Thursday, October 9, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) announced the 2026 Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program rates. The open season for health benefits, dental and vision insurance, and flexible spending accounts will be November 10 through December 8, 2025. Importantly, FEHB open enrollment will proceed as normal even if the current government shutdown extends into November.

The average enrollee share increase for 2026 will be 12.3 percent. This is down slightly from last year’s increase in the enrollee share (13.5 percent). The overall average FEHB premium increase will be 10.2 percent. The new health premiums go into effect in January 2026.

As you may know, FEHB premiums are shared by you and your agency. You generally pay approximately 30 percent of the total cost, and your agency pays the remaining 70 percent. The full set of rate charts for 2026 is available here.

The average premium increase for dental plans for 2026 is 3.35 percent, and the average premium increase for vision plans is 0.47 percent.

OPM officials said the primary drivers for the 2026 premium increases are price increases from providers and suppliers, as well as the costs of prescription drugs.

OPM has many resources available on its website, including information on enrollment for FEHB and FEDVIP (dental and vision), recommendations on what to consider during open season, an open season manual, and more.

FEHB Plan Comparison Tool

OPM has a useful FEHB plan comparison tool, where you can compare different plans according to their costs, coverage, and other considerations. To access the tool, please click here. Please note the link to OPM's plan comparison tool currently compares 2025 plans. The link will reflect 2026 plans once it is updated by OPM. We will also post the link on FMA's website, www.fedmanagers.org.

FMA encourages you to closely review your benefits and premiums when determining what plan to enroll in during open season.