FEHB Open Season for Retirees: How to Change Plans After Retirement

When Open Season Happens and How to Participate

Federal Benefits Open Season runs annually from mid-November through mid-December (typically the Monday of the second full week in November through the Monday of the second full week in December). Changes take effect January 1 of the following year.

As a retiree, you manage Open Season changes through OPM's Services Online portal (servicesonline.opm.gov), not your former agency's HR system. You'll need your CSA claim number and Services Online login credentials. If you haven't set up an account, do it before Open Season opens — creating a new account during the rush can take days due to verification processing.

During Open Season, retirees can:

• Switch to a different FEHB plan (any plan available in your enrollment area)
• Change enrollment tier (Self Only, Self Plus One, Self and Family)
• Cancel FEHB coverage (irreversible — don't do this unless you've deliberately decided to leave FEHB permanently)

You cannot switch plans outside of Open Season unless you experience a qualifying life event (marriage, divorce, loss of other coverage, Medicare enrollment for the first time, or relocation to a new plan service area).

What to Compare When You Have Medicare

The comparison framework for Medicare-eligible retirees is fundamentally different from what active employees use. As an active employee, you evaluated deductibles, copays, network breadth, and out-of-pocket maximums. With Medicare primary, most of those factors become irrelevant because the FEHB plan waives its cost-sharing.

What matters instead:

Monthly premium. This is the primary differentiator. When two plans both provide $0 cost-sharing as secondary to Medicare, the cheaper plan saves you money every month with no coverage trade-off. Many retirees find they can downgrade from a High Option plan to a Basic or Standard plan and pay hundreds less per year with identical point-of-care costs.

Premium reimbursement features. Some plans offer HRAs (Health Reimbursement Arrangements) that reimburse a portion of Medicare Part B premiums or other out-of-pocket expenses. BCBS Basic and Aetna Direct both offer annual HRA pass-throughs that effectively reduce your net FEHB premium. Compare the HRA amount across plans — a plan with a slightly higher premium but an $800 HRA may cost less net than a plan with a lower premium and no HRA.

Prescription drug formulary. With the Part D EGWP integration, each plan's drug formulary determines what you pay for medications. If you take multiple prescriptions, compare tier placements across plans. A medication on Tier 2 (preferred brand) in one plan may be Tier 3 (non-preferred) in another, changing your copay significantly.

Dental and vision. These aren't covered by Medicare. Some FEHB plans include dental and vision benefits; others don't. If you need these, they may justify a slightly higher premium compared to a plan without them.

International coverage. Medicare doesn't cover care outside the US (with very limited exceptions). If you travel internationally, compare what each FEHB plan covers abroad. Some plans offer emergency-only international coverage; others provide broader benefits.

Common Open Season Moves for Medicare Retirees

Downgrading from High Option to Basic/Standard. The most common and highest-impact change. When Medicare is primary, both tiers typically provide $0 cost-sharing for covered services. The premium savings from downgrading can be $100–$300 per month.

Switching to a plan with an HRA. If your current plan doesn't reimburse Part B premiums, switching to one that does can offset $600–$900 of your annual Part B cost.

Moving from Self Plus One to two Self Only plans. When both spouses are Medicare-eligible, separate Self Only enrollments in different plans can sometimes be cheaper than a single Self Plus One enrollment. But this eliminates survivor FEHB protection — if one spouse dies, the other keeps only their own Self Only plan and can't inherit the deceased's coverage. Evaluate the survivor coverage implications carefully.

Re-enrolling after suspension. If you suspended FEHB to try Medicare Advantage or TRICARE, Open Season is your annual opportunity to return. You can choose any available FEHB plan — you're not limited to the plan you had before suspension.

What You Can't Change During Open Season

• Your Medicare enrollment. Medicare Open Enrollment (October 15–December 7) overlaps with but is separate from FEHB Open Season. Part B enrollment changes go through SSA, not OPM.
• Your survivor annuity election. The pension election on your retirement application is generally final after the first month of retirement. Open Season doesn't reopen it.
• Your FEGLI (life insurance) elections. FEGLI changes have their own rules and don't follow FEHB Open Season timing.

Where to Research Plans

OPM Plan Comparison Tool (opm.gov/healthcare-insurance): the official comparison portal. Filter by your enrollment area and compare premiums, benefits, and plan brochures side by side. The tool includes Medicare-specific benefit summaries for each plan.

Individual plan brochures: Every FEHB plan publishes a brochure with a dedicated Medicare coordination section. Download the brochures for your top 3–4 candidates and compare their "Benefits When You Are Enrolled in Medicare" tables.

Consumers' Checkbook Guide to Health Plans: An independent, non-profit comparison tool trusted by federal employees and retirees. Access costs approximately $14.95 per year.

The FEHB & Medicare Coordination Guide includes an Open Season decision worksheet for Medicare-eligible retirees, with plan-by-plan comparison tables and the premium math that shows whether a plan switch saves money.

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