Last Updated: October 19, 2026 Reading Time: 8 min

If your FEHB plan is discontinued for 2027, you generally keep coverage. But if you don't pick a plan by December 14, 2026, OPM usually picks one for you, and it may not be the one you'd choose. Presbyterian members in the dropped New Mexico counties are the exception: nothing moves them. The headline list of nine exiting plans also misses several groups of people who have to act. Here's how to find out whether your plan is ending, where you land if you do nothing, and what to check before Open Season closes.

Find Your Code: Which FEHB Plans Are Discontinued for 2027

Your enrollment code is on your Leave and Earnings Statement or annuity statement. Match your full three-character code, because a two-character prefix doesn't always tell options apart. The last character is your enrollment type (Self Only, Self Plus One, or Self and Family). Match yours against this table, built from OPM's FEHB significant events tables for plan year 2027.

Plan and option Codes Where If you do nothing
Independent Health Standard C54, C55, C56 8 western New York counties Compass Rose Standard
Independent Health HDHP QA4, QA5, QA6 8 western New York counties Compass Rose Standard
Blue Care Network of Michigan Southeast High LX1, LX2, LX3 Lenawee, Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, Washtenaw and Wayne counties Compass Rose Standard
UnitedHealthcare Choice Primary West High VD1, VD2, VD3 Phoenix and Tucson areas, all of Nevada, Oregon, Washington Compass Rose Standard
UnitedHealthcare Choice Plus Primary West High WF1, WF2, WF3 Phoenix and Tucson areas, all of Nevada, Oregon, Washington Compass Rose Standard (stays open in PSHB for postal enrollees)
Health Net of California Northern High LB1, LB2, LB3 Northern California Compass Rose Standard
Health Net of California Southern High, Standard, Basic LP1, LP2, LP3, P64, P65, P66, P61, P62, P63 Southern California Compass Rose Standard
UnitedHealthcare HDHP, code LS LS1, LS2, LS3 Statewide in AL, AR, FL, LA, MS, NC, TN Compass Rose Standard
UnitedHealthcare HDHP, code LU LU1, LU2, LU3 Phoenix and Tucson areas, CO, NV, OR, WA Compass Rose Standard
MHBP Value 414, 415, 416 Nationwide MHBP Standard (454, 455, 456)
MHBP Consumer 481, 482, 483 Nationwide MHBP Standard (454, 455, 456)
Presbyterian Health Plan (High, Standard, Wellness) P2 and PS codes 28 New Mexico counties being dropped No move. You keep the plan with emergency-only care where you live
UnitedHealthcare Choice Plus High Y81, Y82, Y83 Listed states Moved automatically to the plan's code AS
UnitedHealthcare Choice Plus Advanced Value L91, L92, L93 Listed states Moved automatically to the plan's code AS

Two notes on the table. OPM's tables label the Blue Care Network row "Southwest Region," but the counties are in southeast Michigan and OPM's highlights call it "Southeast High," so go by codes LX1 to LX3. And the UnitedHealthcare HDHP rows end those codes only in the areas listed. OPM's tables don't say whether the HDHP continues elsewhere, so check your own code.

The nine plan options in the first seven rows above match what OPM's Open Season highlights list as plans "not available in 2027." The UnitedHealthcare HDHP, MHBP, Presbyterian and Choice Plus rows come from the detailed tables, which most coverage of the exits has skipped. If you're on MHBP, our MHBP 2027 guide covers the premium side of that change.

What Happens If You Don't Pick a Plan: Three Different Default Rules

When an FEHB plan is discontinued at the end of the year, federal rules make Open Season your window to choose. Under 5 C.F.R. § 890.301(i)(4)(i), "the employee must change the enrollment during the open season, unless OPM establishes a different time." OPM's 2027 materials announce no different time.

What happens if you skip it depends on what's ending.

1. Your whole plan is leaving FEHB. Under § 890.301(i)(4)(ii), you're enrolled in "the lowest-cost nationwide plan option." For 2027, OPM named Compass Rose Health Plan Standard. That applies to the Independent Health, Blue Care Network, UnitedHealthcare West and Health Net rows above. OPM's tables send the UnitedHealthcare HDHP codes LS and LU to the same Compass Rose default, although that is a code termination rather than a whole-plan exit.

2. Only your option is ending. Under § 890.301(i)(4)(iii), you move to "the remaining option of the plan," or, if two or more options remain, the lowest-cost remaining option that isn't a high-deductible plan. For the MHBP options ending in 2027, OPM's tables name MHBP Standard, not Compass Rose.

3. Your plan is shrinking its service area but keeping your code. Presbyterian Health Plan in New Mexico is dropping 28 counties, and OPM won't move you. In OPM's words, enrollees in the dropped areas who don't change plans "will only have emergency services where they live." To get full benefits in 2027 you'd have to travel to the plan's remaining service area. If you live in one of those counties, this is the default that can hurt the most, because nothing happens automatically.

The 28 dropped counties are Catron, Chaves, Cibola, Colfax, Curry, De Baca, Dona Ana, Eddy, Grant, Guadalupe, Harding, Hidalgo, Lea, Lincoln, Los Alamos, Luna, McKinley, Mora, Otero, Quay, Rio Arriba, Roosevelt, San Juan, San Miguel, Sierra, Socorro, Taos and Union.

A fourth group doesn't need to act to stay covered. UnitedHealthcare Choice Plus High (code Y8) and Choice Plus Advanced Value (code L9) are being merged into the plan's existing 2027 code AS. OPM tells agencies to make sure "the payroll office automatically moves enrollees into the FEHB plan's 2027 codes unless the enrollees select another FEHB plan during Open Season." You'll still want to compare the AS code's 2027 premium and benefits with your other options.

What Compass Rose Standard Will Cost You in 2027

OPM picks the default plan on the lowest enrollee share for a Self Only enrollment among nationwide options, per 5 C.F.R. § 890.301(n). That makes it the lowest-cost nationwide option for a single person under the rule. The test looks at Self Only cost, not networks, drug coverage or family costs.

Here's what a non-postal employee pays for Compass Rose Standard in 2027, from OPM's 2027 fee-for-service premium workbook:

Enrollment type 2027 biweekly employee share Change from 2026
Self Only $69.04 +$7.40
Self Plus One $151.89 +$16.28
Self and Family $165.69 +$17.75

OPM named it the lowest-cost nationwide option for 2027. Whether Compass Rose is a good deal for you depends on the network and drug coverage you'd be giving up. Before you let the default stand, look up your current plan and Compass Rose Standard in the FEHB Premium Calculator, which covers regional plans by ZIP code. If you're weighing nationwide plans, our FEHB Plan Comparison tool adds expected out-of-pocket costs to premiums, but it doesn't list Compass Rose or regional HMOs.

Retirees, Postal Workers and GEHA High: Who Else This Touches

Annuitants follow the same default rule. Under 5 C.F.R. § 890.306(l)(4)(ii), a retiree whose plan "discontinues all of its existing options" and who doesn't change enrollment "is deemed to have enrolled in the lowest-cost nationwide plan option." If your annuity is too small to cover the new premium, a separate rule applies, so call OPM Retirement Services.

Postal enrollees have their own list and their own default. OPM's PSHB significant events tables end three things for 2027:

  • UnitedHealthcare Choice Plus Primary Postal East High (codes JYA, JYB, JYC) leaves PSHB. Non-choosers go to FEP Blue Focus, the lowest-cost nationwide PSHB option.
  • GEHA High (37A, 37B, 37C) ends in PSHB. Non-choosers go to GEHA Standard (37D, 37E, 37F).
  • MHBP Consumer (74A, 74B, 74C) ends in PSHB. Non-choosers go to MHBP Value (73A, 73B, 73C).

GEHA High isn't ending in FEHB. OPM's FEHB tables list no GEHA change, so the GEHA High exit applies only to postal enrollees. Our PSHB guide and the PSHB Part B calculator cover the postal side.

No new plans are joining FEHB for 2027. OPM's tables show none. Sharp Health Plan in San Diego County adds a Basic option. FEHB will offer 118 plan options from 45 carriers in 2027.

Your FEHB Plan Exit Checklist Before December 14

  • Find your enrollment code on your Leave and Earnings Statement or annuity statement and check it against the table above.
  • Know your default. Compass Rose Standard, MHBP Standard, an automatic code move, or no move at all for Presbyterian's dropped counties.
  • Compare before you land somewhere by default. Check premiums, deductibles and networks. 2027 brochures and OPM's plan comparison tool go live in early November.
  • Check your prescriptions against the replacement plan's formulary.
  • Mark the dates. Open Season runs November 9 through December 14, 2026. Changes take effect January 10, 2027 for most non-postal employees, January 24, 2027 for compensationers, and January 1, 2027 for annuitants and postal enrollees.
  • Near retirement? Our 5-year rule myths guide covers how a plan change interacts with keeping FEHB in retirement.

Last year's exits, briefly. For 2026, eight FEHB plan options left the program, including NALC Health Benefit Plan, and non-choosers were moved to GEHA High. NALC left FEHB for non-postal enrollees but stayed in PSHB for postal workers and retirees. The 2027 default is different: Compass Rose Standard.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which FEHB plans are not offered in 2027?

OPM's Open Season highlights name nine FEHB plan options that end after 2026: Independent Health Standard and HDHP, Blue Care Network of Michigan Southeast High, UnitedHealthcare Choice Primary West High, UnitedHealthcare Choice Plus Primary West High, Health Net of California Northern High, and Health Net of California Southern Standard, Basic and High. OPM's significant events tables add more: UnitedHealthcare HDHP codes LS and LU in 12 states, MHBP's Value and Consumer options, and 28 Presbyterian counties in New Mexico.

What happens if I do nothing and my FEHB plan is leaving?

If your whole plan is leaving FEHB, OPM enrolls you in Compass Rose Health Plan Standard, which OPM named the lowest-cost nationwide plan option for 2027. If only your option is ending, you move to the plan's remaining option (or the lowest-cost remaining non-HDHP option if several remain), so MHBP Value and Consumer enrollees go to MHBP Standard. You stay covered under either default, but the Compass Rose default is picked on Self Only cost, not on what fits you. Presbyterian members in dropped counties aren't moved at all.

I'm in Presbyterian Health Plan in New Mexico. Will OPM move me?

No. If you live in one of the 28 counties Presbyterian is dropping and you don't change plans by December 14, 2026, you keep Presbyterian but only get emergency care where you live. For full benefits in 2027 you'd have to travel to the plan's remaining service area.

My UnitedHealthcare Choice Plus code is Y8 or L9. Do I need to act?

Not to stay covered. OPM's tables say payroll offices must automatically move Choice Plus High (Y8) and Choice Plus Advanced Value (L9) enrollees into the plan's 2027 code AS unless they pick another plan. Check the new code's 2027 premium and benefits before December 14.

I'm retired. Do the same default rules apply?

Yes. Under 5 C.F.R. § 890.306(l)(4)(ii), an annuitant whose plan drops all its options and who doesn't change enrollment is deemed enrolled in the lowest-cost nationwide plan option. If your annuity is too small to cover the new premium, a separate rule applies, so call OPM Retirement Services. Retirees' 2027 coverage starts January 1, 2027.

Is GEHA High going away?

Only in the postal program. OPM's PSHB tables end GEHA High for postal enrollees and move non-choosers to GEHA Standard. OPM's FEHB tables list no change for GEHA, so non-postal GEHA High enrollees aren't affected by this.

Sources: OPM FEHB Significant Events Tables, plan year 2027, OPM PSHB Significant Events Tables, plan year 2027, OPM Federal Benefits Open Season Highlights, 2027 plan year, OPM 2027 FEHB fee-for-service premiums, 5 C.F.R. § 890.301, 5 C.F.R. § 890.306.