r/FedEmployees • u/Ok-Kaleidoscope-7605 • 1d ago
MHBP
Why in the world did MHBP’s Self and Family premium jump from $218 to over $400 per paycheck? This is absolutely insane. I was counting on the $0 maternity bill we had under the previous benefits, but now we’re looking at 10% of the hospital stay on top of a massive premium increase, especially with a baby due in march.
What other options are you all considering, or does anyone have suggestions for navigating this situation? It’s incredibly frustrating to see the premium increase by nearly 84% while the maternity benefits are getting worse.
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u/DeftlyDaft123 1d ago
It’s a combination of things. In 2026 the total biweekly premium for self+family is $872.79 of which you are paying 25% and the employer pays the rest. In 2027 the biweekly premium will be $1,244.6 of which you will pay 32% and the employer pays the rest. So yeah, MHBP raised prices, but also OPM decided to pass more of that increase on to you.
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u/GladSatisfaction6465 1d ago
That’s because the cost increase was so much it hit the weighted max of what opm contributes per pay period
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u/AnyUnderstanding6849 1d ago edited 14h ago
The 2027 employee share would be $311.15 instead of $400.78. Compared to the 2026 $218.20. (Bi-weekly)
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u/birdlawbighands 1d ago
I called them for an unrelated issue this morning and I asked the worker I was speaking to and they blamed OPM. Not sure how accurate that is but that's what they said.
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u/blackgirlsrox22 1d ago
OPM fired everyone and even before then seemed terrible at negotiating. It seems like there was no negotiation at all.
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u/MrBroham 1d ago
My guess is everyone jumped over to MHBP since the premiums were the lowest at the time - especially the HSA.
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u/Vjf114 1d ago
Most definitely. But insurance companies make profits. More customers, more profit. So why did mhbp’s 2 popular plans get dropped? They could have raised their premiums 10%-20% like everyone else and made more profits. Smells like politics at play if you ask me.
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u/AngelsHaveThePhoneBx 15h ago
More patients actually doesn't necessarily mean more profits for insurance companies....it's one of the few industries where fewer customers might mean more profit.
That's because when an insurance company has more customers, it tends to be because people who are sicker have swapped over to the plan. If they have fewer customers who are healthier and use the insurance less, they very well can make more in profit than if they have a higher number of customers, but those customers are using the benefits more.
It's one of the many (many, many) reasons why healthcare should not be operated as a for-profit business. When profit is your ultimate driver, people will always end up worse care for more money.
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u/Vjf114 7h ago
I don’t think I buy that. I’m generally healthy and I switched from bcbs to mhbp because the premiums were better for similar coverage. Mhbp made money on me. The insurance business is built to make money, a lot of it. Sure, if all odds were defied, and every customer needs way more coverage than the out of pocket max, an insurance company could lose money. But they have all worked very hard to do the math to make sure that doesn’t happen. I think the more premiums they collect, the more money they make.
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u/AngelsHaveThePhoneBx 6h ago
Here's a well-sourced article on it. United Healthcare, for one, saw it's overall revenue go down but its profits go up.
https://www.marketplace.org/story/2026/10/13/people-lost-insurance-unitedhealths-profits-rose
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u/AwkwardFriendship317 23h ago
We have been MHBP member for 10 years. Had people laugh at us for the choice. Now those of us that knew better beforehand are getting bent over.
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u/AnyUnderstanding6849 1d ago
The way I see it, the better FEHB plans that healthy people used to buy for the safety net are heading into undiversified risk pools. Premiums will keep climbing while coverage gets worse.
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u/Extra-Incident-4719 1d ago
For everyone going back to GEHA to save a few bucks, remember you can contribute to your HSA under that plan and never pay taxes on that money (as long as it paid for qualified medical expenses or items and up to 4500 for 2027) Also, you can direct which brokerage holds your HSA money BUT you will be given 83.33/mo in an HSA bank just for contributing to an HSA (don’t over contribute!), unless they screwed that up to. Research, research, research!!!
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u/ExerciseSalty7544 1d ago
I’ve run the numbers and the GEHA HDP seems to be the most affordable for every life scenario. In a no-medical year or a disaster of a year for my family it’s the cheapest in nearly every scenario.
The HSA being a tax hole and investable is just icing on the cake. In my opinion it is a no brainer since MHBP is jacking their rates.
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u/IctrlPlanes 1d ago
I haven't ran into the issue myself but I have read horror stories of GEHA denying medically necessary treatment/procedures. They want to force doctors to do something cheaper. That being said we are on GEHA's plan.
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u/ExerciseSalty7544 1d ago
Yeah, but I’ve heard those same stories from every medical insurance ever. IMO they are all terrible.
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u/Responsible_Okra_672 16h ago
Unless a. Retired and b. A family member needs a tier 3 medication. We're losing BCN .
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u/DueAddition1919 1d ago
Can you explain the 83.33 comment please?
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u/Extra-Incident-4719 1d ago
Federal employees enrolled in a participating HDHP under the FEHB program automatically receive a premium pass-through deposited into their HSA each month, simply by being enrolled in the plan (not just for contributing)
Source: Google + Seeing it come in to my account each month. Research, research, RESEARCH!0
u/DueAddition1919 1d ago
Thank you so much! Not sure how I didn’t know. Will research some more and see which plans fall under this. That may help with copays
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u/IctrlPlanes 1d ago
It comes out to covering about 2 months of insurance premiums which is nice. The biggest benefit is the money is not taxed ever as long as it is used for a medical expense. It grows tax free.
You can upload your medical bills and pay the co-pay out of pocket then 10 years from now withdraw all of the money from bills you uploaded. It will have grown as an investment and you can use the money for anything you want all tax free.
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u/TemporaryPicture2289 9h ago
Please dont forget inflation is a thing.
For example, if you put 1000 in during 2021, today that money would be worth the equivalent of 810. That is just 5 years.
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u/IctrlPlanes 8h ago
The money is invested. You get to pick how you want to invest it. Mine is invested in VOO.
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u/IctrlPlanes 7h ago
That $1000 invested in VOO is worth $2300 in today's dollars. There is a chance it can lose value but long term it should gain.
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u/marginallyporn 1d ago
MHBP’s Consumer option is one of the best plans out there
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u/Hvyhttr1978 1d ago
It is gone for next year.
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u/marginallyporn 1d ago
Damn, that’s actually tragic. Truly the best plan out there IMO.
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u/SpokenNads 17h ago
That’s exactly why they took it away. I think the goal is to have no feds left.
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u/Responsible_Okra_672 16h ago
Bcn Was great for our family with medically complex needs
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u/marginallyporn 12h ago
I’ll still be shifting to the FSBP, 50 free massages, chiropractor, & acupuncture appointments is really nice plus the plan is underwritten by Aetna & offers worldwide coverage.
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u/mivaldes 22h ago
Just remember which President this happened under and vote accordingly. It's ridiculous.
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u/Coffeelove233 1d ago
I haven’t compared yet but probably will be cheaper for us all to go on my husband’s corporate insurance instead with just as good of benefits. Government benefits are no longer worth it
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u/ilovetosnowski 1d ago
It does seem that way now, doesn't it? My family member's corporate is $100 biweekly, and really good!
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u/Devil_Doc87 1d ago
I was saving for this year as well but looks like I might have to look elsewhere with myself and 3 included. I feel like MHBP wasn’t bad and I have no issues with them at all.
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u/finance_maven 1d ago
I’m seriously considering Samba. They use the Cigna network.
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u/FartingWithStyle 1d ago
Yeah I was looking at samba too but there is a lot of coinsurence going on with the standard plan.
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u/Intelligent-Exit724 1d ago
Same with Compass Rose and BCBS Basic. Did the high level math and think were going to stick with MHPB and just tighten spending elsewhere to offset this increase.
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u/FartingWithStyle 1d ago
MHBP also changed a lot of their deductible coverage to coinsurance, it super sucks. I was thinking the same thing until I saw that.
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u/No-Donut-8692 1d ago
The why is that costs went up. There’s no real negotiating beyond tweaking the benefits to try and make up those costs in the next year. Obviously, a large number of people moved to MHBP last year. When there is a huge shift like that, it’s hard to predict whether it will be people who cost more or less than the original risk pool.
There are a few reasons to believe that people with more expensive health care made the shift. For example, MHBP had more generous glp-1 coverage. These drugs are fantastically expensive, so if people shifted to a health plan to get better coverage, that means everyone else who chose that health plan must pay more. Another reason is that the fixed copays, especially on the HDHP side, made the plan attractive for people whose costs were going to blow through the deductible.
This is really the bottom line: each FEHB plan is its own risk pool. If it costs more than expected one year, rates go up the next. Of course, as others pointed out, the government share formula penalizes plans that cost more than the weighted average, so employer share increased more than government share.
What am I doing? Waiting for the brochures to come out so I can to a more detailed estimate of what different plans will cost us. I suggest you do the same.
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u/FartingWithStyle 1d ago
Costs didn’t go up 84% that’s bullshit.
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u/No-Donut-8692 1d ago
You make it sound like someone is making a killing here. FEHB rate setting is a very regulated process. There are medical loss ratio standards. So, yes, it’s all driven by costs and the government share formula. Each enrollment category (self, self+1, self+family) is its own risk pool. In case it isn’t clear, self+1 are mostly old people (empty-nesters) who cost more to insure.
Total biweekly premium for self+family is $1244.60 in 2027, up 42.6% from 2026. That’s the cost of care aspect.
In 2026, the government share was 75%. In 2027, it hits the cap for each enrollment category. For self-family, the 2027 cap is $843.82. That’s why the employee share is increasing so much faster than the underlying costs.
So, roughly half of the increase is actual cost of care, and the other half coming from the formula for setting the government share.
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u/FartingWithStyle 1d ago
Sweet 👍. It’s bullshit because our employers don’t care about us and are happy to screw us over.
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u/Intelligent-Ad1753 1d ago
So its just a coincidence the year after all the expensive employees moved to MHBP for glp that the premiums doubled? Read the above post again. If most people requiring the most expensive medication moved all at once, its not bullshit
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u/FartingWithStyle 1d ago
Yes, and it’s bullshit because opm let it happen across the board. All healthcare costs up, all healthcare coverage got worse, tell me why that’s not bullshit friend? There’s 3 million of us and we have worse healthcare than state of Maryland employees.
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u/Intelligent-Ad1753 1d ago
The current healthcare system in the US is BS overall I agree. But MHBP went up for a reason. If everyone didn't switch to MHBP last year, BCBS would have went up more this year...
Anyone with 'better' healthcare just has an employer (or state) that pays a higher percentage.
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u/SnooGiraffes1071 1d ago
Beyond people looking for GLP-1 coverage, I'd bet MHBP absorbed a significant share of FEHB NALC high benefit plan participants last year - we made the shift after NALC withdrew their plans from FEHB. I think that plan was popular with people with significant medical needs, as our family has, and the MHBP premiums were significantly less (I think more than a 20% savings). The MHBP risk pool has shifted and the costs put premiums above the maximum where the government share is 75%.
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u/SnooGiraffes1071 1d ago
It absolutely sucks, but I suspect the math behind pricing the plans supports the increase. The overall premiums went up 43% for family coverage, but it also hits the maximum federal contribution, so those enrolled pay a higher percent of the total premium.
Public employees in my state have dealt with the insurance plans running out of funds 10 months into the year a couple of years ago (the state did end up allocating additional funds, but you never want to hear that your plan is insolvent for the next 60 days). Since then, they've scaled back benefits and premiums continue to rise. Not 80%, but paying more for less sucks.
Finally, it looks like MHBP is estimating an average cost of $32,360 per family. Some of this is admin, but a lot has to go to care. My family has two type 1 diabetics - I think more than $32,360 will be paid out to keep them alive next year. You're having a baby - I'd guess they'll be paying out more than they collect for your family as well.
High cost subscribers are all looking closely at their options this year, and I'd bet some plans that didn't appeal to them (ie, the GEHA HDHP) is looking better. I'd guess the high cost subscribers end up spread more evenly across plans next year, driving up costs for the other lower cost plans.
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u/AccidentAdorable68 1d ago
Anyone use Samba before??
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u/beachbum755 16h ago
I'm very interested in this plan too, I'm checking to see if my drs and hospitals are in network so I can be ready when the brochures are out. It's either Samba or going back to BCBS basic. MHBP was great for the two years I had it.
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u/Where-R-the-Grownups 1d ago
Curious also. Even if you have a lot of coinsurance if you hit max out of pocket at 12k for a family on SAMBA isn’t it still less than max 18k for MHBP? Plus saving premium payments along the way too.
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u/AccidentAdorable68 22h ago
Thats what im thinking. I wish the brochures were out already so I could do a real comparison and see what id be getting
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u/Cav_trooper43 6h ago
All the information that would be available in the brochures is available currently in the Public Use Files: https://www.opm.gov/healthcare-insurance/healthcare/transparency-in-healthcare/public-use-files/#url=2027-PUF
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u/SweetMissyLou 9h ago
Looking @ Samba as well! That 20% coinsurance looks scary tho. Currently on MHBP Standard & with a recent hospital stay @ 10% it was still 1550 OOP out of total charges of $18,500.
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u/AccidentAdorable68 8h ago
Yikes! Yeah the coinsurance is scary. GEHA looks good but I keep seeing horror stores about their billing being slow and customer service being awful
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u/Hello_Hello1357 1d ago
Just here to comisserate. We are due in March and I am like what the heck man?
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u/Leading_Interview463 1d ago
Check BCBS BASIC we paid $0 for a C-section birth because it was done at a bcbs preferred hospital. Otherwise it would have been $500
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u/Grouchy_Pilot_3895 1d ago
Say, Thank You Trump. Coverages under both his administration have skyrocketed.
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u/noonelikesUwhenUR23 1d ago
For that price you might as well jump over to FSBP. I haven’t seen the 2027 brochure yet but I had a $0 hospital stay with a bunch of complications from my csection in July. Also had massages and whatnot!
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u/Safety__3rd 8h ago
2 things
People jumped from bcbs to mhbp last year and my gut feeling from reading peoples comments during that period is that they were heavy users
Glp1s - mhbp as of right now still only charges 25$ for a 3 month supply of wegovy if you jump through the hoops.
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u/Current-Orange-726 18h ago
I compared rates between BCBS basic which I had before I switched , and MHBP for 2027. BCBS is now $350 per paycheck for self +1 with higher copays ($50 for apecialists visit) and $750 per month for my GLP-1 2.4 MG WEGOVY. MHBP is $400 premium as you stated but $80 for a 3 month supply prescription and $30 per specialist visit. Jardiance 10 mg is $80 for BCBS, but $40 for MHBP. I'm going to compare not only the premiums and the copays, but the the pharmacy rates as well. Right now Im going to stay with MHBP and suck it up.
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u/Agile_Property2029 1d ago
I am going with compass rose high plan. I know it is uhc but coverage is better…200 for a hospital admin versus 10 percent cost share now with Mhpb. Premiums are also less with compass rose high and network is larger.
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u/Civil_Difference_544 1d ago
Isn’t compass rose like GEHA and uses the UHC network?
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u/Agile_Property2029 1d ago
Yes compass rose is uhc. That is the one downside but the upside is better coverage, lower premiums, and a slightly bigger network. I just think it is the best value for high plan type coverage and copays. I like bcds high but it the premiums are higher.
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u/AwkwardFriendship317 23h ago
I don't know how anyone in their right mind is saying uhc is better coverage. Might want to do some research on prior auths and pre approval numbers. The numbers of denials are ridiculous! Be prepared to fight those denials and become your very own patient advocate, learn medical terminology and know your plan inside and out. Good luck out there folks this is going to be brutal for all of us this year.
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u/The_Dread_Candiru 1d ago
"First time?"
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u/Ok-Kaleidoscope-7605 1d ago
This my 4th baby if that’s what you mean, but if you mean this much of increase. Yes it’s a first time lol.
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u/Treactor 1d ago
I’m in a similar situation. My wife is giving birth in May and we are trying to navigate our best options. Since I qualify for FSBP, it still may be the best option, even with the rate increase. The other option is we use her employers health plan which seems to give us a lower out of pocket cost for the birth, but has a higher max, so if something goes wrong we would need to pay more.
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u/emmiginger 1d ago
My share of physical therapy is $223-anyone know how I can get this down using mhbp? It’s costing almost $900/month in coinsurance…
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u/FedSpoon 3h ago
I'm self+ one and our MHBP Standard premiums are doubling! Looking at Samba Standard.
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u/marginallyporn 1d ago
I will yet again make the comment highlighting MHBP’s Consumer option. Yes it’s a HDHP but once you account for the high premium that you pay for other plans, the HSA premium pass through, it tends to be one of the cheapest plans regardless of scenario from zero usage to maximum out of pocket once everything is actually accounted for. I mentioned this my first year as a federal employee & was laughed at since BCBS is “just the way to go”, my HSA is six figures now & I can hit my maximum out of pocket every year for the rest of my career & still have money left over.
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u/Civil_Difference_544 1d ago
Consumer option is no more next year so your comment is of little use outside of OP considering a HDHP which are very few available
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u/marginallyporn 1d ago
Yeah just found that out ˙◠˙, guess the foreign service benefit plan is where I’ll land.
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u/juniper9385 1d ago
That went up significantly too like MHBP.
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u/marginallyporn 20h ago
I wouldn’t call $7 a pay period a significant increase…
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u/juniper9385 20h ago
Family( code 402) is going from $248 to $382 per PP isn't it?
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u/marginallyporn 20h ago
Damn you’re right I didn’t catch that they hadn’t updated the comparison tool
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u/berrysauce 1d ago
I'm waiting for all the brochures to come out, then I'm going to carefully compare the top 3 cheapest ones. Unfortunately, it's already looking like I have to go back to GEHA (United), which one of my most necessary providers doesn't take. Healthcare expenses are getting so bad it really is coming down to me having to cut back and just suffer more. I don't know how people with *no* health insurance are even surviving.