Healthcare Affordability Series Part 7: How a Household with Two Federal Employees Can Save On Their FEHB Premiums By Enrolling Self-Only
If both spouses in your household are federal employees or retirees, how you enroll in FEHB can either cost or save you some serious money.
The premium is one expense you're guaranteed to pay, so it's worth optimizing. If you have dependent children, self-&-family is your only option. But if it's just the two of you, enrolling separately as self-only in the same plan will often be cheaper than self-plus-one or self-&-family. Let's break down exactly how much you could save, and the one scenario where this strategy backfires.
How much can you save?
In 88% of plans offered in 2026, enrolling both spouses in self-only in the same FEHB plan is less expensive than either self-plus-one or self-&-family. The median savings across all FEHB plans was $27 bi-weekly, but certain plans offer much more.
Here are the highest premium savings available using this strategy:
The plan with where you’ll save the most using this strategy is Aetna Open Access High (JC), which produces $351.30 in bi-weekly savings, totaling $9,134/year.
However, this approach doesn’t always work. There are 18 plans where two self-only enrollments cost the same or more than self-plus-one or self-&-family.
When Does This Strategy Not Make Sense?
As we mentioned earlier, if you have dependent children, you’ll need to continue with self-&-family enrollment. The other scenario where this strategy doesn’t make sense is if one spouse is retired and the other is still working. Once you’re retired and receiving an annuity, you’ll no longer pay your FEHB premium pre-tax. Your health insurance should transfer to the spouse who’s still working so you receive the benefit of paying the premium pre-tax, which will often be worth more than the savings from two self-only enrollments.
In Summary
As healthcare costs continue to climb, federal employees and retirees can't afford to leave savings on the table. For couples where both spouses are federal employees, enrolling as self-only in the same plan rather than self-plus-one or self-&-family can meaningfully lower your combined premiums without decreasing your health benefits. Take a close look at your options this Open Season; the right enrollment strategy could save your household real money.
