Last verified: October 22, 2026, against the OPM and IRS sources linked below. Written by Casey Steward.
When is Open Season this year?
Monday, November 9 through Monday, December 14, 2026, for coverage in plan year 2027. FEHB and PSHB changes close at 11:59 p.m. in the local time of your electronic enrollment system; FEDVIP and FSAFEDS close at 11:59 p.m. Eastern. Miss it and, barring a qualifying life event, you live with this year’s choices for all of next year (OPM Open Season).
How much are FEHB premiums going up for 2027?
The average enrollee share rises 10.9% for FEHB and 8.2% for PSHB. That’s an average, which is the statistical way of saying your plan could do something quite different. Look up your own plan and enrollment code.
| Program, plan year 2027 | Average change |
|---|---|
| FEHB, enrollee share | +10.9% (2026: +12.3%) |
| FEHB, total premium | +9.3% (2026: +10.2%) |
| FEHB, government contribution | +8.6% |
| PSHB, enrollee share | +8.2% (2026: +11.3%) |
| PSHB, total premium | +6.7% |
| FEDVIP dental / vision | +1.0% / +1.6% |
Source: OPM, Open Season Highlights for Plan Year 2027. The 2027 maximum biweekly government contribution for FEHB is $352.04 Self Only, $767.53 Self Plus One and $843.82 Self and Family (OPM premiums). OPM’s stated drivers: higher prices and use of hospital and physician services, behavioral health growth, and drug spending, particularly GLP-1s and specialty drugs.
Do I have to do anything if I like my plan?
For health, dental and vision: no. For FSAFEDS: yes. FEHB, PSHB and FEDVIP enrollments roll over automatically. FSAFEDS does not; if you want a flexible spending account in 2027 you must re-enroll during Open Season, every year. Two exceptions to “do nothing” on the health side: if your plan is leaving the program (below), or if you’re adding a family member (new documentation rule, below).
The Open Season checklist
- Find your 2027 premium. On OPM’s premiums page, note your 2026 and 2027 biweekly (or monthly, for annuitants) amounts. Difference × 26 is your annual raise in premium.
- Check whether your plan is terminating. Nine FEHB options end after 2026, including Independent Health Standard and HDHP, several UHC and Health Net of California options, and Blue Care Network of Michigan Southeast High. Enrollees who don’t pick a new plan are moved to Compass Rose Standard. One PSHB option (UHC Choice Plus Primary Postal East) ends; its default is FEP Blue Focus (OPM Highlights).
- Compare at least three plans in OPM’s FEHB Plan Comparison Tool. A rough worst case is the annual premium plus the out-of-pocket maximum. Check your doctors and your prescriptions’ tiers in each brochure.
- Check the Self Plus One quirk. OPM warns that in some plans Self Plus One costs the enrollee more than Self and Family. If you cover one family member, you may elect either; compare both.
- Adding a family member? Bring documents. Starting this Open Season, anyone adding a new family member to FEHB or PSHB must submit documentation proving eligibility (FEHB Protection Act of 2025, per OPM Highlights). Marriage and birth certificates are the usual suspects; ask your benefits officer.
- Re-enroll in FSAFEDS if you want it next year (details below).
- Look at FEDVIP if dental or vision costs matter to you (below).
- Save your confirmation and check your first 2027 earnings or annuity statement for the new deduction.
What do Postal annuitants need to know about PSHB and Medicare?
Many Medicare-eligible Postal Service annuitants must be enrolled in Medicare Part B to enroll in or keep a PSHB plan. This applies only to the Postal Service Health Benefits Program; non-Postal FEHB has no Part B requirement. Exceptions under 5 CFR 890.1604 include people who were Postal annuitants on January 1, 2025 and weren’t already in both Part A and Part B, Postal employees who were 64 or older on January 1, 2025, people living outside the U.S., VA health care enrollees, and people eligible for the Indian Health Service. OPM warns that skipping Part B when required can cost you PSHB coverage in retirement for good (OPM, PSHB annuitants and Medicare). If this is you, compare PSHB plans’ Medicare coordination and any Part B premium reimbursement features in the brochures.
Non-Postal annuitants with Medicare can also use Open Season to rethink their plan: several FEHB plans offer Medicare Advantage options or reimburse part of the Part B premium. Check the brochure before assuming.
What is FEDVIP and should I change it?
FEDVIP is the separate dental and vision program, enrolled through BENEFEDS; it’s 100% enrollee-paid, and average 2027 premiums rise just 1.0% (dental) and 1.6% (vision). For 2027 there are 11 dental and 5 vision carriers with 31 plan options. New this year: a Compare Dental Service Costs tool on BENEFEDS estimates out-of-pocket costs for 75 common procedures across all dental carriers. Annuitants can enroll too. FEDVIP Open Season changes take effect January 1, 2027.
Do I really have to re-elect my FSA every year?
Yes. FSAFEDS participation does not carry over; if you don’t re-enroll by December 14, you have no FSA in 2027. OPM: “Enrollment does NOT carry forward year to year” (OPM FSAFEDS). It also matters for leftover money: to carry unused 2026 Health Care or Limited Expense FSA money into 2027, you must stay employed and contributing through December 31, 2026 and re-enroll for 2027.
- Who: active employees of participating agencies only. Retirees can’t use FSAFEDS.
- 2027 limits: Dependent Care FSA, $7,500 per household ($3,750 married filing separately; set in statute). The IRS had not announced the 2027 Health Care FSA limit or carryover as of October 22, 2026; the 2026 figures were $3,400 and $680 (Rev. Proc. 2025-32).
- Minimum election: $100.
- New for 2027: an optional FSAFEDS Visa debit card for Health Care and Limited Expense accounts.
- Deadlines: 2027 health FSA expenses must be incurred by December 31, 2027; dependent care by March 15, 2028; all claims filed by April 30, 2028 (FSAFEDS).
Is an HDHP with an HSA worth a look?
Maybe, if you’re fairly healthy and can cover a higher deductible: lower premiums plus the plan’s HSA deposit can beat a traditional plan. For 2027 the IRS limits are $4,500 self-only and $9,000 family, plus $1,000 catch-up at 55 or older; the plan’s own contribution counts toward the limit. An HDHP must have a deductible of at least $1,750 (self-only) or $3,500 (family) (Rev. Proc. 2026-24). Two traps: you can’t contribute to an HSA once you’re enrolled in any part of Medicare, and a regular FSAFEDS Health Care FSA disqualifies you from the HSA. HDHP enrollees use the Limited Expense FSA (dental and vision) instead.
Run three scenarios for each plan: a quiet year, a typical year and a bad year (premium + expected out-of-pocket − HSA plan deposit).
When do Open Season changes take effect?
| Who / what | New enrollment or change effective |
|---|---|
| FEHB, non-Postal employees | January 10, 2027 (first pay period beginning in January) |
| FEHB, compensationers (OWCP) | January 24, 2027 |
| PSHB enrollees | January 1, 2027 |
| Annuitants | January 1, 2027 |
| FEDVIP | January 1, 2027 |
| FSAFEDS | January 1, 2027 |
Cancellations end coverage the day before: January 9, 2027 for most employees and December 31, 2026 for PSHB enrollees and annuitants (OPM Highlights).
Does my health plan choice affect retirement?
The plan doesn’t, but your enrollment history does. To keep FEHB into retirement you generally need to be covered for the five years before you retire (or since first eligible) and retire on an immediate annuity, which includes MRA+10. Leaving with a deferred annuity ends it for good. The Should I Leave Federal Service? calculator shows which of your retirement dates keep FEHB.
Run the numbers
- Should I Leave Federal Service?: which retirement dates keep FEHB, side by side
- FERS Pension Calculator: what your annuity covers once premiums come out
- TSP Growth Calculator: what FSA or HSA savings could do over time
Free, no login, nothing you enter leaves your browser. All tools
More: the printable 2027 checklist · FERS retirement checklist · Open Season reminders in the free newsletter
Sources
- OPM, Open Season (dates and closing times)
- OPM, Federal Benefits Open Season Highlights for Plan Year 2027 (premium changes, terminating plans, effective dates, FSAFEDS card, documentation rule)
- OPM, FEHB premiums; OPM, PSHB premiums
- OPM, PSHB Program; OPM, PSHB annuitants and Medicare; 5 CFR 890.1604
- OPM, Flexible Spending Accounts; FSAFEDS
- IRS, Rev. Proc. 2026-24 (2027 HSA limits); IRS, Rev. Proc. 2025-32 (2026 health FSA limit)
Educational only, not financial advice. The High Three is an independent publication. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board, the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), the IRS, or any government agency. Verify details with official sources and your agency HR office before making decisions.