FEHB Medicare Advantage, 2027
Part B credits, and no referrals.
Open Season runs November 9 to December 14. Plans and amounts below.
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1. How a linked plan works
Several FEHB carriers offer their own Medicare Advantage PPO to retirees with Medicare Part A and Part B. You stay in your FEHB plan and keep paying its premium. You add the carrier’s Medicare Advantage plan on top, at no extra premium.
In return you usually get two things: a monthly credit toward your Medicare Part B premium, and little or no cost for covered medical care. Aetna’s 2027 plan, for example, has a $0 deductible and 0% for doctor visits, specialists and hospital stays. Drug costs are capped at $2,400 for 2027.
2. 2027 Part B credits by plan
Monthly, per enrolled person, from each carrier’s retiree page in November 2026.
| FEHB plan | Part B credit | Year shown |
|---|---|---|
| Aetna Advantage | $100 | 2027 |
| GEHA High | $100 | 2027 |
| GEHA Standard | $75 | 2027 |
| APWU Health Plan | $100 | 2027 |
| UnitedHealthcare FEHB plans (not the HDHP) | $150 | Not stated |
| Compass Rose High | $125 | Not stated |
| SAMBA High / Standard | $100 / $75 | Not stated |
| MHBP Standard | $75 | Not stated |
Where the year isn’t stated, confirm the amount with the plan before you count on it. Blue Cross (FEP Blue) doesn’t offer a linked Medicare Advantage plan; it has its own Part D plan instead, explained in Blue Cross MPDP. Some Kaiser plans pay your full Part B premium, but only in their regions and only with Kaiser providers; check your region’s plan.
The credit is applied where your Part B premium is paid: to your Social Security payment, your quarterly Medicare bill, or your annuity. The 2027 Part B premium isn’t announced yet; the Medicare trustees projected $209.50 a month. Last year’s plans are in the 2026 Part B givebacks.
3. Networks and referrals
- No referrals. The UnitedHealthcare-run PPOs (GEHA, APWU, SAMBA, Compass Rose and UHC’s own FEHB plans) say no referrals are required.
- Out of network. Aetna’s PPO pays the same in or out of network, if the provider accepts Medicare and agrees to bill the plan.
- The catch: out-of-network providers don’t have to treat you, except in an emergency. Ask your doctors before you switch.
4. How to enroll
- Step 1: be in the qualifying FEHB plan. If you need to switch plans, do it in Open Season through OPM, at 1-888-767-6738 or online.
- Step 2: after the switch is confirmed, call the carrier’s Medicare Advantage line to join. It’s a separate step, not part of the Open Season change.
- Keep paying Part B. If you stop, you’re dropped from the Medicare Advantage plan.
5. Suspend FEHB or keep it?
A linked plan means you keep FEHB and add Medicare Advantage on top. A standalone Medicare Advantage plan from the open market means suspending FEHB.
- Keep FEHB with a linked plan: you still pay the FEHB premium, but you get the Part B credit, $0 or low medical costs, and an easy way back to regular FEHB.
- Suspend for a standalone plan: no FEHB premium, but no FEHB backup. Your family loses FEHB too. You can come back only at Open Season, or within the window after losing the Medicare Advantage coverage.
- Never cancel. A retiree who cancels FEHB generally can’t get it back.
The mechanics are in suspending FEHB for Medicare Advantage. Compare the premiums with Warrior Insure’s FEHB premium estimator. Still working? Federal Warrior’s FERS pension estimator projects the annuity your premiums come out of. Have VA care too? Warrior Disability’s calculator adds up VA pay.
6. Frequently asked questions
What is an FEHB-linked Medicare Advantage plan?
A Medicare Advantage PPO offered by your FEHB carrier to retirees who have Medicare Part A and Part B. You stay in your FEHB plan, join the carrier’s Medicare Advantage plan as a second step, and usually get a monthly credit toward your Part B premium.
Which FEHB plans pay toward Part B in 2027?
Confirmed for 2027 on carrier pages: Aetna Advantage, $100 a month; GEHA High, $100; GEHA Standard, $75; and the APWU Health Plan, $100. UnitedHealthcare’s FEHB plans list $150, Compass Rose $125, SAMBA $100 for High and $75 for Standard, and MHBP Standard $75, but those pages don’t state the year, so confirm with the plan.
Do FEHB Medicare Advantage plans need referrals?
The UnitedHealthcare-run PPOs, including GEHA, APWU, SAMBA, Compass Rose and UHC’s own FEHB plans, say no referrals are required. Aetna’s PPO lets you see any provider who accepts Medicare and agrees to bill the plan, at the same cost in or out of network.
Do I keep FEHB if I join my plan’s Medicare Advantage plan?
Yes. You stay enrolled in your FEHB plan and keep paying its premium. If you leave the Medicare Advantage plan, you still have FEHB with Original Medicare.
Should I suspend FEHB for a standalone Medicare Advantage plan instead?
You’d stop paying the FEHB premium, but you lose FEHB as a backup, your family loses FEHB too, and you can come back only at Open Season or if you lose the Medicare Advantage coverage. Never cancel FEHB; a retiree who cancels generally can’t return.
What is the 2027 Medicare Part B premium?
Medicare hasn’t announced it yet; it usually does in mid-November. The 2026 Medicare trustees projected $209.50 a month, up from $202.90 in 2026.
- Aetna, Medicare Advantage PPO for federal retirees (2027)
- UnitedHealthcare, GEHA Medicare Advantage (2027 materials)
- UnitedHealthcare, APWU Health Plan Medicare Advantage (2027 materials)
- UnitedHealthcare, UHC FEHB retiree Medicare Advantage
- UnitedHealthcare, Compass Rose Medicare Advantage
- UnitedHealthcare, SAMBA Medicare Advantage
- MHBP, retiree plan details
- GEHA, Medicare Advantage
- OPM, FEHB and Medicare
- OPM, Open Season highlights for plan year 2027
Amounts from carrier pages as of November 2, 2026. Confirm with the plan before you enroll. Not insurance advice.