Federal employees and retirees who carry MHBP Standard self-only coverage face the biggest premium jump in the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) program for 2027, $1,540 more a year. The estimate comes from an analysis by Consumers’ Checkbook, a nonprofit that compares health plans. Open Season, the yearly window to change plans, ends Dec. 14.
Kevin Moss, a senior editor at Checkbook, laid out the numbers in an Oct. 5 column for Federal News Network. He found that MHBP Standard (plan code 454) has the largest increase of any plan offered in both years, 63 percent, or $1,540 more per year for self-only enrollees.
Who has to decide by Dec. 14
Open Season for the 2027 plan year runs from Nov. 9 to Dec. 14, according to OPM’s Open Season page. That page says FEHB and PSHB enrollment closes at 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 14, based on the time zone of the enrollment system a person uses. OPM’s highlights document says new FEHB coverage takes effect Jan. 10, 2027.
The question for anyone in MHBP Standard is whether to stay put or move. People who do nothing keep the same plan at the new, higher price. Active workers and retirees alike can use OPM’s free FEHB plan comparison tool, and the premium tables for each plan are posted on OPM’s site.
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What the 63 percent increase means for self-only enrollees
Self-only means coverage for the worker or retiree alone, with no spouse or children on the plan. Moss compared the 117 plans offered in both years and found that 20 get cheaper, 5 stay the same, 53 rise by less than average and 39 rise by more than average.
The $1,540 is Checkbook’s figure for what enrollees pay out of pocket, and it is not a number OPM published. The Office of Personnel Management, which runs FEHB, has its own average. Its Open Season highlights put the average FEHB enrollee share increase at 10.9 percent for 2027, and the overall average premium increase at 9.3 percent.
That puts MHBP Standard far above the 10.9 percent average. A retiree on a fixed pension and Social Security has little room to absorb it, because the extra cost comes straight out of a check that does not grow with it.
How other plans compare
MHBP Standard is not the only plan to look at. In the same column, Moss says the DC-area M.D. IPA plan has the largest decrease, 46 percent, or $2,626 less per year, and GEHA Standard has no change in price. About two-thirds of federal employees are enrolled in a Blue Cross Blue Shield plan, and he reports that its Basic and Standard options rose by less than the average, while FEP Blue Focus rose slightly more.
Price is only part of the picture. Moss notes that Blue Cross Standard is the only one of its three options with out-of-network coverage, skilled nursing benefits and in vitro fertilization coverage up to $25,000 a year. A cheaper plan can leave out coverage a household relies on, so the comparison has to include what is covered, not only the premium.
One more wrinkle: Self Plus One coverage is usually cheaper than Self and Family for two people, but the column found 38 plans where the family tier costs less. OPM’s page makes the same point, noting that for some plans the Self Plus One premium can be higher than the Self and Family premium.
What OPM says about the choice
OPM’s Open Season announcement says the 2027 FEHB lineup has 45 carriers offering 118 plan options. It also says the average rate of premium increase has slowed for the second year in a row.
Matthew Kiley, OPM’s associate director for healthcare and insurance, said in the announcement that Open Season is the time to look beyond a current plan and make sure the coverage still works for the family. Moss said much the same in his column, saying there may be another plan that offers better value. Checkbook also publishes a 2027 guide to health plans for federal employees, available from Nov. 9.
Postal workers are on a separate track. The Postal Service Health Benefits program, called PSHB, shows an average enrollee share increase of 8.2 percent for 2027, according to the same OPM highlights document.
Higher premiums and the rest of the household budget
The Open Season window is short, and a missed Dec. 14 deadline locks in a full year of the higher price. Retirees on fixed incomes have the least room to absorb it.
A premium hike that large is one reason many retirees look at the other ways to trim household costs, such as Medicare Savings Programs, help with prescription costs and utility assistance. Those programs have their own income limits and have to be applied for, and many people who might qualify never check.
Facing a bigger health premium in 2027 and watching every dollar?
A $1,540 increase can sit next to a Dec. 14 deadline and leave little time to look for savings elsewhere. Retirees on fixed incomes have the least room to absorb it.
The story’s money question is the health premium, and the related job is trimming the rest of the household budget. The Benefits Checklist scans 11 benefit programs retirees most often miss, with the 2026 income limits and a 50-state phone directory. It also includes a printable application tracker, so each application and its date stay in one place.
Get the 11-program scan for households facing a bigger health premium from the Benefits Checklist →
More Financial Reading
- 21 Ways to Stretch a $2,087 Social Security Check
- 15 Places to Find Your Share of the $4.25 Billion States Give Back
- 21 Ways Retirees Can Raise $1,000 Fast Without a Job
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
