On September 30 the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) announced the 2027 Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program rates. The open season for health benefits, dental and vision insurance, and flexible spending accounts will be November 9 through December 14, 2026.

The average enrollee share increase for 2027 will be 10.9 percent. This is a 1.4 percent decrease from last year’s increase in the enrollee share (12.3 percent in 2026). The overall average FEHB premium increase will be 9.3 percent. The new health premiums go into effect in January 2027.

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. In 2027, FEHB will have 45 participating carriers offering 118 different plan options. In some instances, the Self Plus One option can wind up costing the employee more than the Self Plus Family option, so we encourage you to evaluate the plans closely as you make your decisions. The Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP) will have 11 dental carriers and 21 plan options, while there are five vision carriers with 10 plan options.

The average premium increase for dental plans for 2027 is 1 percent, and the average premium increase for vision plans is 1.6 percent.

FMA staff joined a call with OPM officials who said the primary drivers for the 2027 premium increases are price increases from providers and suppliers, as well as increased costs for behavioral and mental health and 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 2026 plans. The link will reflect 2027 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.