Open Season 2025 Kicks Off With Federal Benefits Changes
Open Season 2025 Kicks Off with Federal Benefits Changes
The Federal Benefits Open Season 2025 runs from November 10, 2025 through December 8, 2025, giving federal and postal employees, annuitants, and eligible family members a single window to enroll, change, or cancel their health, dental, vision, and flexible spending coverage for 2026. For the first time, several longstanding FEHB and FEDVIP plans are exiting the program, which means some enrollees will be automatically moved if they do not make a new election during this period.
FEHB carriers now offer 132 plan options across 47 participating health carriers, with average premium growth of about 4.1 percent compared with 2025, according to OPM's 2025 Open Season highlights. PSHB carriers offer 75 plan options across 17 companies, while FEDVIP includes 21 dental options from 11 carriers and 10 vision options from 5 carriers in 2026.
Key Dates and Deadlines
- November 10, 2025: Federal Benefits Open Season officially begins for FEHB, PSHB, FEDVIP, and FSAFEDS elections.
- December 8, 2025: Last day to enroll or change health, dental, vision, and FSAFEDS coverage; elections are effective January 1, 2026.
- Mid-January 2026: BENEFEDS and related systems typically confirm FEDVIP and FSAFEDS elections following the close of open season.
Open season windows are calendar-year aligned, meaning changes made now impact all calendar year 2026 coverage, not just the remaining months of 2025. Employees who do not take any action will generally retain their current coverage but will be subject to any revised premium rates and updated plan terms for 2026.
Major Benefit Changes for 2026
For enrollees in the terminated FEHB plans, OPM has designated the GEHA Benefit Plan - High Option as the default "lowest-cost nationwide" plan for 2026 if no new election is made. Employees in these plans were identified via agency-level queries distributed to servicing personnel offices by OPM, and SPOs are required to process transfers into the GEHA plan if employees do not act during open season.
On the dental and vision side, FEDVIP enrollees in the exiting HealthPartners Dental plan in certain Midwest states (Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin) must manually select a new plan if they wish to keep dental coverage; they will not be auto-assigned a replacement. Vision and dental premiums across FEDVIP rose modestly, with typical 2026 vision increases of 3-4 percent and dental increases of roughly 2-3 percent agency-wide, according to internal premium-rate summaries cited by several agencies.
For the FSAFEDS flexible spending accounts, employees can roll over up to $660 from 2025 into 2026, up from $640 in the prior year, provided they re-enroll in the program during open season. This cap is designed to harmonize with the IRS's annual FSA contribution and rollover limits, with about eighty-one percent of eligible employees using at least partial rollover in 2024-2025, according to OPM-cited benefit-usage statistics.
How to Navigate the 2025 Open Season
To actively participate in 2025 Open Season, federal employees must log into their designated enrollment channels-typically via Employee Express, My EPP (Employee Personal Page), or FedHR Navigator for retirement-related cases-by the December 8 cutoff. These platforms pre-populate current plan data, allowing employees to compare premiums, deductibles, coinsurance, and network scope side by side before changing elections.
- Review your current FEHB, PSHB, and FEDVIP coverage, noting any outgoing or reduced-coverage plans.
- Compare at least three alternative plans using OPM's online plan comparison tools and your agency's benefit portal.
- Update your health, dental, and vision elections through the designated system, ensuring your changes are submitted before 11:59 p.m. on December 8, 2025.
- Re-enroll in FSAFEDS if you wish to maintain a health care or dependent care FSA, specifying your annual contribution and rollover amount.
- Confirm receipt of your new election via email confirmation or system status messages in early January 2026.
For those unsure of where to start, agencies often host virtual benefits fairs or "live carrier chat days" during open season, where employees can ask questions directly of plan representatives in real time.
Illustrative 2026 Plan Comparison Table
The table below illustrates a simplified example of how enrollees might compare three FEHB health plan options for 2026, using realistic premium ranges and key metrics.
| Plan Type (Illustrative) | Employee Monthly Premium (2026) | Individual Deductible | Coinsurance After Deductible | Network Coverage Scope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High-Option National HMO | $195 | $750 | 20% | Nationwide, geographically limited urban centers |
| Mid-Tier PPO | $165 | $1,200 | 20% | Most metropolitan areas; some rural gaps |
| Low-Cost Nationwide HMO (GEHA-like) | $140 | $1,500 | 30% | Nationwide, limited rural providers |
Note that these figures are illustrative averages based on OPM's 2025-2026 premium and cost-sharing summaries; actual values vary by carrier, plan design, and location.
FAQs About 2025 Open Season
Practical Tips for Maximizing 2025 Open Season
To get the most value out of 2025 Open Season, employees should treat it as a financial planning exercise, not just a compliance step. Agencies often publish customized benefit guides summarizing local plan availability, premium changes, and top-used providers, which can shorten research time by 30-40 percent compared with using generic plan brochures alone.
For households with chronic conditions or high-cost medications, it is critical to verify 2026 pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and specialty-drug tiers, since some plans shifted from three-tier to four-tier formularies in 2026. Employees should also cross-check telehealth and mental health coverage limits, as several FEHB carriers expanded virtual-care access in 2026 while tightening in-network requirements for certain specialties.
In short, 2025 Open Season is not just about preserving coverage; it is a structured opportunity to realign health, dental, and financial benefits with evolving household needs, cost constraints, and provider preferences for the full 2026 calendar year. By acting before the December 8 deadline and leveraging plan-comparison tools, employees can reduce both premiums and out-of-pocket spending over the coming year.
Key concerns and solutions for Federal Benefits Changes 2025 Open Season
What's New in 2025 Open Season?
In 2025, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) introduced notable structural changes to how Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) and Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP) interact during open season. OPM announced that six FEHB plans, one Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB) plan, and one FEDVIP dental plan will no longer be available in 2026, forcing affected enrollees to choose a new option or accept auto-enrollment into a designated "lowest-cost" plan.
What exactly is Federal Benefits Open Season 2025?
Federal Benefits Open Season 2025 is the annual window from November 10 to December 8, 2025 during which federal and postal employees can enroll, change, or cancel their health, dental, vision, and flexible spending account coverage for 2026. It applies to FEHB, PSHB, FEDVIP, and FSAFEDS programs and is coordinated by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) in partnership with individual agencies.
Who is eligible to participate in 2025 Open Season?
Federal employees and postal workers who are currently enrolled in or eligible for FEHB, PSHB, FEDVIP, or FSAFEDS can participate in 2025 Open Season. This also includes annuitants-retirees who carry FEHB or FEDVIP coverage-though some retirement-specific procedures apply when changing elections close to a December 31 retirement date.
What happens if I do nothing during 2025 Open Season?
For most enrollees, taking no action means your current FEHB, PSHB, or FEDVIP coverage continues into 2026 under the same plan, with updated premium rates and plan terms. However, if you are in a terminating FEHB plan, OPM mandates automatic transfer into the GEHA Benefit Plan - High Option unless you make a new election.
Can I keep my same health plan if it's still available?
Yes, you can retain your current FEHB or PSHB plan even if you make no changes during 2025 Open Season, as long as the plan remains in the program for 2026. Your premiums and cost-sharing may still change, so it is advisable to review the updated plan materials before deciding to keep your existing coverage.
Are there changes to FSAFEDS in 2025 Open Season?
In 2025, employees can roll over up to $660 from 2025 into 2026, an increase from the prior year's $640 cap, contingent on re-enrolling in FSAFEDS during the open season window. Unlike FEHB and FEDVIP, FSAFEDS requires a new annual election each year, so failing to enroll or re-enroll means you will not have an FSA in 2026.
How do I know if my current plan is being terminated?
OPM's BAL 25-401 and related agency notices list all terminating FEHB, PSHB, and FEDVIP plans and the effective dates for 2026. Agencies often run internal queries to identify employees in those plans and send targeted notifications, and carrier materials on the FEHB plan comparison site flag "not available in 2026" where applicable.
What if I'm retiring on December 31, 2025?
Retirees whose retirement effective date is December 31, 2025 may still use 2025 Open Season to make health benefits elections for 2026 coverage, as long as the request is completed by December 8, 2025. Retirees must submit a SF 2809 Health Benefits Election Form as part of their retirement application and ensure the election is processed in the agency's system before the deadline.
What's the impact of GEHA-as-default enrollment for affected employees?
For employees in terminating FEHB plans who do not select a new option, OPM assigns the GEHA Benefit Plan - High Option as the automatic "lowest-cost" default, subject to the same network and cost-sharing rules as other FEHB plans. This change affects approximately 17,000-19,000 enrollees nationally according to OPM-cited internal estimates, with most being moved from mid-cost regional plans to the GEHA national product.
How should I approach plan selection for 2026?
Experts recommend basing 2026 plan selection on three factors: expected annual medical expenses, preferred provider access, and whether your household qualifies for subsidized coverage or special pharmacy benefits. Employees should compare total out-of-pocket costs-premiums plus deductibles plus estimated coinsurance-rather than focusing only on monthly premium, and test network adequacy by checking if their primary doctors and hospitals appear in the plan's directory.