A federal worker with SAMBA High Option family coverage will pay $742.68 every two weeks in 2027, up from $544.05 this year. That is $198.63 more per pay period, a 37% jump, and the largest dollar increase of any plan on the list of steepest FEHB increases. The window to switch plans runs Nov. 9 to Dec. 14.
The average enrollee in the Federal Employees Health Benefits program will pay 10.9% more. SAMBA High’s family rate is rising more than three times as fast.
What $198.63 more per pay period adds up to
Over a full year of 26 pay periods, the new rate comes to $19,309.68 for family coverage, against $14,145.30 now. The difference is $5,164.38. Those numbers come from FedSmith’s table of 2027 FEHB premiums, which reports the non-postal enrollee share the Office of Personnel Management published for the Self and Family enrollment type.
Retirees do not pay biweekly. Annuitants are billed monthly, so a retired SAMBA High member sees a different figure on the annuity statement, and the table FedSmith publishes does not list it. SAMBA’s own site describes the plan as a not-for-profit federal employee benefit association that serves employees, annuitants and their families.
Why SAMBA’s family rate rose 37% when the average is 10.9%
OPM, the agency that runs the program, says in its 2027 open season highlights that the average enrollee share rises 10.9% while the government’s contribution rises 8.6%. Whatever a plan charges above the government’s capped share lands on the enrollee. A plan whose total price climbs faster than the cap passes nearly all of the extra cost along.
The government pays the lesser of 72% of the program-wide average premium or 75% of a plan’s own premium. OPM’s premium page puts the 2027 maximum government share for family coverage at $843.82 every two weeks.
FedSmith’s example is MHBP Standard, whose total family premium rises 43% while the enrollee share rises 84%. In that case the government’s share barely moves and the enrollee absorbs the rest.
Which federal health plan is a worker or retiree in, and is it one of the big increases? Anyone in SAMBA High or another plan on the steepest-increase list needs the new rate for their own enrollment type, whether Self Only, Self Plus One or Self and Family, before open season starts on Nov. 9. That figure is what to hold up against two or three alternatives, because the 37% jump is specific to family coverage in this one plan.
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The rise follows two years of double-digit increases. Federal News Network reports the average FEHB enrollee share rose 12.3% for 2026 and 13.5% for 2025. Including the government’s share, FEHB rates rise 9.3% for 2027, and the program offers 118 plans from 45 carriers.
The eight steepest family increases
SAMBA High is one of eight options FedSmith lists with the sharpest rises in the enrollee share for family coverage, all measured biweekly. MHBP Standard goes from $218.20 to $400.78, up 84%. The Foreign Service Benefit Plan High option goes from $248.27 to $382.65, up 54%.
The APWU Health Plan High option rises from $337.72 to $461.61, up 37%. Baylor Scott & White Standard in Texas rises 32%, from $254.52 to $335.46. GEHA Elevate Plus goes from $496.12 to $634.19, up 28%.
Two regional plans round out the list. Western Health Advantage High in California rises 23%, to $357.67, and Aetna Open Access Basic in the Capital Region of DC, Maryland and Virginia rises 22%, to $299.36.
Postal workers face a separate rate table
Postal employees and retirees are in a different program, the Postal Service Health Benefits plans, and their rates differ. OPM says the average PSHB enrollee share rises 8.2% in 2027. In FedSmith’s postal table, APWU Health Plan High family coverage rises 30% to $358.28 every two weeks, against $461.61 in the non-postal table.
MHBP Standard is also the steepest postal rise, up 74% to $372.83. A postal worker who sees a number that does not match the figures above is probably looking at the right table for their own plan.
What federal employees can do before Dec. 14
The federal benefits open season for plan year 2027 runs from November 9 through December 14, according to OPM. The Federal News Network quoted Matthew Kiley, OPM’s associate director for healthcare and insurance, as saying, “Open Season is the time to look beyond your current plan and make sure your coverage still works for you.” Reporter Drew Friedman wrote that the 2027 increases are driven by rising prices for inpatient, physician, outpatient and surgical services and by prescription drug spending, including GLP-1 drugs.
Not every plan is more expensive. FedSmith counts 118 FEHB plan options, and the family enrollee share falls in 21 of them and stays the same in five. The cheapest nationwide family rate is Compass Rose Standard at $165.69 every two weeks, and Blue Cross FEP Blue Focus is next at $175.35.
Lower premiums often come with higher deductibles, FedSmith cautions, so a rate comparison is only a first step. It also warns that Self Plus One can cost more than Self and Family in some plans, and a worker choosing for a couple should check both.
Will SAMBA High still be worth $742.68 every two weeks?
William Shackelford, national president of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, told Federal News Network the increases “will cause sticker shock for federal and postal employees and retirees.” Coverage chosen in open season takes effect Jan. 10, 2027 for FEHB plans, according to OPM, so the decision made by Dec. 14 sets the biweekly bill for the whole year. Whether SAMBA High’s benefits justify $742.68 every two weeks is the question each member has to settle by then.
Is your federal health plan one of the 2027 jumps?
A premium that climbs $198.63 every pay period lands on a household budget that has other bills too, and no one sends a notice about the programs built to help with health costs. Many of those programs are opt-in and carry income limits, so people who never apply never receive them.
This is the turn from the plan rate to the household around it. The Benefits Checklist scans 11 benefit programs retirees most often miss and sets out the 2026 income limits for each. Part 2 covers Medicare Savings Programs, which help with Medicare premiums for people whose income falls under the limit.
Check 11 benefit programs against the 2026 income limits with the Benefits Checklist →
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This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
Warren Cohen is a finance writer based in Phoenix, Arizona, covering personal finance topics including credit, banking, and beginner investing. He earned his degree in business administration from Arizona State University and began his career working in consumer finance, where he gained direct experience with lending and credit systems. He now writes for personal finance websites and fintech platforms, focusing on clear, practical content that helps readers make informed financial decisions.
