The Office of Personnel Management has released the 2022 FEHB premiums for insurance plans under the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) program.
2022 FEHB Premiums
The share of FEHB premiums paid by federal employees and retirees will increase by an average of 3.8% in 2022.
According to OPM, the overall price increase on the average total premiums for non-Postal federal employees and retirees under FEHB will increase by 2.4% in 2022. OPM noted that this is the second lowest premium increase in the last 24 years for healthcare premiums which may be some welcome news after the premiums jumped by 3.6% in 2021 and 4% in 2020. However, for those keeping score, 2019 actually saw a smaller increase when premiums went up on average by only 1.3%.
Federal retirees in particular may find this news to be more of a relief with the cost of living adjustment (COLA) expected to be around 6% in 2022 thanks to rising inflation. The 2022 COLA will be announced in October when the key CPI data are released. FedSmith will have an article at that time letting our readers know what the final 2022 COLA will be.
Update: The 2022 COLA has been announced at 5.9%. For more information, see our article 2022 COLA: 5.9%; Largest in 40 Years.
By way of comparison, current federal employees are on track to receive a 2.7% average pay raise as of the latest activity on the annual pay raise process.
There are 275 health plan choices under FEHB for 2022. OPM asked FEHB carriers to focus on COVID-19, mental health, and substance use disorder service in response to the opioid epidemic.
Full sets of rate charts for all health insurance programs outlining the 2022 FEHB premiums can be found on OPM’s website.
2022 FEDVIP Premiums
2022 premiums for the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP) will increase by 0.81% on average for dental plans and 0.95% for vision plans.
FEDVIP features 23 dental plan options and 10 vision plan options in 2022.
All of the 2022 FEDVIP premiums can be found on OPM’s website.
“Quality health insurance has never been more important, and OPM is ensuring all eligible enrollees have the information they need to make informed decisions about their coverage,” said Kiran Ahuja, Director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. “The global pandemic underscores the responsibility an employer has to provide their workforce with quality, affordable, and dependable health care options. As the largest employer in the United States, the federal government is proud to lead by example with a wide choice of health insurance plans from the FEHB and FEDVIP that deliver the quality coverage every employee deserves.”
