According to a recent OPM news release, federal employees and annuitants enrolled in the Federal Employee Health Benefit (FEHB) program will, on average, pay 10% more for their health care coverage in 2026. The Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB) premiums will increase by an average of 9%.
Adding this increase to the 13.5% for 2025, the 7.7% premium rise for 2024, and 2023’s 8.7% increase, we are all paying substantially more for our health care coverage than we were paying back in 2022!
OPM stated that the average enrollee, including retirees, is 60 years old. They go on to say, “Not surprisingly, that affects our annual health care expenditures. An older enrollee base means more chronic conditions and more pharmaceutical usage.”
This explanation doesn’t change the fact that we will be paying approximately 40% more for our health care coverage than we were paying in 2022, just four short years ago.
FEDVIP & MEDICARE PART B PREMIUM INCREASES
FEDVIP’s premium increases will average low single digits for dental plans and less than 1% for vision plans in 2026, making the combined average health care premiums increase by approximately 12%! Check your plan’s premiums to determine your actual increase.
The official 2026 Medicare Part B premium will be announced by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) shortly. The standard Medicare Part B premium is projected to increase to $206.50 per month in 2026, up from $185.00 in 2025, a 10.5% increase!
2026 CARRIER CHANGES
Next year, the FEHB Program will have 47 participating carriers offering 132 plan options. The PSHB Program has 17 participating carriers offering 75 plan options. FEDVIP will have 11 dental carriers offering 21 plan options and five vision carriers offering 10 plan options.
Six FEHB plans, one PSHB plan, and one FEDVIP plan will no longer be available. Enrollees in these plans should choose another plan this Open Season.
PLAN COMPARISONS
BCBS and GEHA offer two of the largest Fee-for-Service (FFS) plans, and comparisons follow for their Self Plus One and High options.
Check the 2026 FEHB premiums to determine how much your monthly or biweekly premiums will change next year. The following examples compare the FEHB Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) plans to the Government Employees Health Association (GEHA) Fee-for-Service (FFE) plans.
Premiums for the (BCBS) basic (113) plan and the (GEHA) Standard (316) Self Plus One plan follow:
- BCBS’s monthly premium increased $97.74 to $691.71, a 14.3% increase, while GEHA’s premium increased $29.93 to $404.11, a 7.5% increase. The annual increases are $1172.88 for BCBS Basic and $359.16 for GEHA Standard.
Premiums for (BCBS) Standard (105) and the (GEHA) High (312) Self and Family plan follow:
- BCBS Standard Self and Family option (105) monthly premiums increased $71.53 to $991.60. GEHA’s High Self and Family high option (312) monthly premium increased $352.53 to $1137.89. The annual increases are $868.36 for BCBS Standard and $4,230.36 for GEHA High option! Both plans include a Part B reimbursement for those enrolled in Medicare.
Several high-option FFS family plan premiums increased dramatically in 2026.
Medicare Advantage Plans (Heads Up for the Upcoming Open Season)
POSTAL SERVICE HEALTH BENEFITS (PSHB) PLAN COMPARISONS
Check the 2026 PSHB premiums to determine how much your monthly or biweekly premiums will change next year. The following examples compare the PSHB Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) plans to the Government Employees Health Association (GEHA) Fee-for-Service (FFE) plans.
Premiums for the BCBS Basic (33C) plan and the GEHA Standard (37F) Self Plus One plans follow:
- The monthly 2026 premium for the Self-Plus-One BCBS basic (33C) plan increased $71.18 to $679.99. The Government Employees’ Health Association (GEHA) Standard (37F) plan increased $48.49 to $394.90. The annual increases are $854.16 for BCBS Basic and $581.88 for GEHA Standard.
Premiums for the BCBS Standard (33E) and the GEHA High (37B) Self-Plus-Family plans follow:
- The Standard BCBS Self-Plus-Family option (33E) monthly premium will be $1,038.29, an increase of $94.86. GEHA’s High Self-Plus-Family option (37B) monthly premium will be $998.46, an increase of $207.159 from last year. The annual increases are $1,138.32 for BCBS Basic and $2,485.80 for GEHA Standard!
Check all plans’ 2026 premiums to confirm what you will be paying next year.
OPM published a resource page last year for Postal employees, annuitants, and family members to help them transition to their new PSHB health coverage. These resources provide extensive program information and will be updated with additional guidance as Open Season approaches.
COST FACTORS
Coverage for pediatric transgender surgeries or hormone treatments for gender transition will be excluded starting in Plan year 2026. Appropriate corresponding reductions in FEHB and PSHB premiums should be identified and included in benefit and rate proposals.
This policy applies to covered individuals under age 19. For these individuals, Carriers must exclude from coverage surgeries and hormone treatments, including but not limited to:
- Treatments prescribed for the purpose of delaying the onset or progression of normally timed puberty (including GnRH agonists)
- Use of androgen blockers, estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone to align an individual’s physical appearance with an identity that differs from his or her sex
- Surgical procedures used to align an individual’s physical appearance with an identity that differs from his or her sex.
- For individuals age 19 or above, Carriers may propose to cover, but are not required to cover, transgender surgeries or hormone treatments for gender transition.
Plans are no longer required to clarify or update specific obesity management benefits.
EXPLORE LOWER COST PLANS
With premiums rising at a feverish rate, this open season is a good time to explore lower-cost FEHB plans to offset high costs elsewhere. This is especially true for those with Medicare as their primary provider because FEHB plans will cover your copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles as the secondary provider.
There are numerous HMO and national FFS plans available for review, along with additional FEHB/PSHB-affiliated Medicare Advantage plans offered next year that may further reduce your costs.
Review each plan carefully to ensure it covers what you need at a cost you can afford. OPM’s Online Comparison Tool will help you evaluate and compare various provider plans.
