The 2025 premiums for the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHB) are set to increase sharply for the third year in a row. Federal employees and retirees can expect to pay 13.5% more next year on average for their portion of the 2025 FEHB premiums. In 2024, the average increase was 7.7% and in 2023 it was 8.7%.
Plans under Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) are among the most popular health insurance plans within FEHB. With the 2024 Open Season quickly approaching, I put together some data on the nationwide BCBS plans that I hope will be useful for federal employees and retirees as they weigh their health insurance plan choices for next year.
Note that all data are based on the enrollee’s share of the 2025 FEHB premiums for the nationwide BCBS plans. Of these plans, there are three options (Basic, Standard, and FEP Blue Focus) and three enrollment types (Self, Self & Family, and Self Plus One). There are nine total plan offerings.
Which Nationwide BCBS Premiums Increased the Most?
The BCBS Basic option had the largest average increase for the enrollee’s share of the 2025 FEHB premiums. It increased 15.7% from 2024 to 2025. The Standard option did not fare much better; it increased 14.6%.
All the enrollment types experienced double-digit increases over last year. The self enrollment type was the largest at 15%, self and family was 13.6%, and self plus one was 13.1%.
The table below lists the average increases for each enrollment type and plan option.
| Enrollment Type | Average Increase | Option | Average Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Self | 15.01% | Basic | 15.74% |
| Self & Family | 13.63% | FEP Blue Focus | 7.00% |
| Self Plus One | 13.13% | Standard | 14.60% |
Individual 2025 BCBS Nationwide FEHB Plans
The tables that follow look at the plans individually, broken out by enrollment type.
Self
| Plan | Type | 2024 Monthly Premium | 2025 Monthly Premium | Average Increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | Self | $207.44 | $245.18 | 18.19% |
| FEP Blue Focus | Self | $119.83 | $128.21 | 6.99% |
| Standard | Self | $326.71 | $378.76 | 15.93% |
Self & Family
| Plan | Type | 2024 Monthly Premium | 2025 Monthly Premium | Average Increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | Self & Family | $568.96 | $657.82 | 15.62% |
| FEP Blue Focus | Self & Family | $283.32 | $303.17 | 7.01% |
| Standard | Self & Family | $803.14 | $920.07 | 14.56% |
Self Plus One
| Plan | Type | 2024 Monthly Premium | 2025 Monthly Premium | Average Increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | Self Plus One | $517.03 | $593.97 | 14.88% |
| FEP Blue Focus | Self Plus One | $257.58 | $275.63 | 7.01% |
| Standard | Self Plus One | $729.82 | $832.31 | 14.04% |
More information about these health insurance plans can be found on the BCBS Federal Employee Program (FEP) website. The Office of Personnel Management website lists the 2025 FEHB premiums.
When is the 2024 Open Season?
Open Season runs from November 11 – December 9, 2024. Federal employees and retirees will have the opportunity to choose their federal benefits for the 2025 plan year for health, dental, vision, and flexible spending account benefits during this time.
