Last Updated: November 8, 2026 Reading Time: 8 min

MHBP's Consumer Option, its high deductible plan with a health savings account, ends after 2026. If you're in it and do nothing during Open Season, which runs November 9 to December 14, 2026, you land in a plan that isn't an HDHP and puts nothing in your HSA.

People in the r/fednews Open Season threads keep asking where HSA users should go now. Here's what each realistic option costs in 2027, which ones keep you HSA-eligible, and what happens to the money already in your account.

What Doing Nothing Gets You

When an option is discontinued and an employee doesn't change, the rule depends on what's left: with one remaining option, the default is that option; with two or more, it's the lowest-cost remaining option that isn't a high deductible plan. For FEHB's MHBP Consumer that's MHBP Standard (OPM 2027 Open Season Highlights; 5 C.F.R. § 890.301). Retirees follow the same rule.

If you do nothing You land in HDHP? 2027 employee share per biweekly pay period (Self / Self Plus One / Family)
FEHB (non-postal) employee in MHBP Consumer MHBP Standard No $153.11 / $442.77 / $400.78
FEHB retiree in MHBP Consumer MHBP Standard No $331.74 / $959.34 / $868.35 per month
PSHB (postal) employee or retiree in MHBP Consumer MHBP Value No see our PSHB guide

MHBP Standard's premium also jumps for 2027, more than doubling for Self Plus One. Keeping an HSA-eligible plan takes an active choice by December 14. New coverage starts January 10 for most employees and January 1 for retirees and PSHB.

The 2027 Options for HSA Users, Compared

In-network figures, non-postal employee share. Premiums are per biweekly pay period.

Plan HSA-eligible? Premium (Self / Self Plus One / Family) HSA deposit per year Deductible In-network out-of-pocket max Office visit after deductible
GEHA HDHP Yes $81.62 / $175.47 / $215.63 about $1,000 / $2,000 $1,800 / $3,600 $6,000 / $12,000 5%
Aetna HealthFund HDHP Yes, if you live or work in its service area $178.01 / $378.76 / $325.35 $800 / $1,600 $2,000 / $4,000 $7,500 / $15,000 15%
FEP Blue Focus No $74.16 / $159.43 / $175.35 none $1,000 per person $11,000 Self Only n/a
Aetna Direct No $92.31 / $202.46 / $232.81 none (a $900 / $1,800 Medical Fund instead) n/a n/a n/a
MHBP Standard (the default) No $153.11 / $442.77 / $400.78 none n/a n/a n/a
MHBP Consumer, 2026, for reference Yes $95.99 / $212.42 / $223.04 $1,200 / $2,400 $2,000 / $4,000 $6,500 / $13,000 $15 copay

Where a deductible or cap shows two figures, the second applies to Self Plus One and Self and Family. Some areas also have regional HDHPs; search OPM's plan comparison by ZIP code.

GEHA HDHP: The Closest Replacement

GEHA HDHP is open to any FEHB-eligible employee or retiree, with no service-area test. GEHA deposits $83.33 a month (about $1,000 a year) for Self Only, or $166.66 a month (about $2,000) for Self Plus One or Family, for each month you're HSA-eligible (GEHA HDHP brochure, RI 71-014).

The Reddit claim about 5% coinsurance checks out for office visits. After the deductible, a GEHA HDHP in-network office visit costs 5% of GEHA's allowance. MHBP Consumer charged a $15 copay. We didn't check every other service line by line.

Two things to check before switching:

  • The network is different. GEHA uses UnitedHealthcare's network, not MHBP's Aetna network. Check every doctor before you switch.
  • The deposit is smaller than Consumer's. Consumer put $1,200 or $2,400 into your HSA. GEHA's is about $1,000 or $2,000.

What you'd pay in premiums after the deposit

Premium times 26, minus the plan's annual HSA deposit ($1,000 / $2,000 for GEHA, $800 / $1,600 for Aetna, $1,200 / $2,400 for 2026 Consumer). This is premium only, before any care costs.

Plan Self Only Self Plus One Self and Family
GEHA HDHP, 2027 $1,122.12 $2,562.22 $3,606.38
MHBP Consumer, 2026 $1,295.74 $3,122.92 $3,399.04
Aetna HealthFund HDHP, 2027 $3,828.26 $8,247.76 $6,859.10
FEP Blue Focus, 2027 (no deposit) $1,928.16 $4,145.18 $4,559.10
MHBP Standard, 2027 (no deposit) $3,980.86 $11,512.02 $10,420.28

After its HSA deposit, GEHA HDHP Self Only costs about $1,122 a year in premiums, less than Consumer did in 2026. Self and Family costs about $207 more, because GEHA deposits $2,000 where Consumer deposited $2,400.

Why Blue Focus and Aetna Direct Don't Work for an HSA

FEP Blue Focus has the lowest premium of these, $74.16 Self Only, but that buys no HSA eligibility. To count as an HDHP in 2027, a plan needs at least a $1,750 / $3,500 deductible and an out-of-pocket cap no higher than $8,700 / $17,400 (IRS Rev. Proc. 2026-24). Blue Focus's deductible is too low and its out-of-pocket cap too high to meet that definition.

Aetna Direct is a consumer-driven plan with a $900 / $1,800 Medical Fund, not an HSA plan. It won't keep you HSA-eligible, and the Medical Fund isn't yours to keep if you leave. We compared it in detail for MHBP and FSBP switchers.

What Happens to the HSA You Already Have

You keep it. Your HSA money stays yours when Consumer ends, whatever plan you pick. The balance is nonforfeitable and portable (26 U.S.C. § 223; IRS Publication 969).

You can keep spending it. You can keep spending the HSA tax-free on qualified medical costs in 2027, even in months that add no new contribution room.

New contribution room only builds in HDHP months. HSA eligibility is checked month by month, as of the first day of each month. Move to MHBP Standard, Blue Focus or Aetna Direct and your HSA stays open, but those months generally add no new contribution room. You can still fund unused room from earlier eligible months, such as your 2026 months in Consumer, up to the contribution deadline (IRS Publication 969). Separately, the last-month rule can allow a full-year limit for someone who is HSA-eligible on December 1, if they meet its testing-period requirements; check it on its own terms, apart from any plan's January deposit.

How much you can add in 2027. The plan's deposit counts against your IRS limit, so subtract it to find how much you can add yourself. In GEHA HDHP you can add about $3,500 (Self Only) or $7,000 (two or more) of your own in 2027; in Aetna's HDHP, $3,700 or $7,400. If you turn 55 by the end of the year, the catch-up can add up to $1,000. For married couples who are both HSA-eligible, the family limit is shared, so reduce these amounts for contributions to either spouse's HSA, including plan deposits. Those figures assume you're HSA-eligible all 12 months; if your new HDHP coverage starts January 10, ask the plan how January is handled.

Watch your FSAFEDS election. A regular health care FSA generally ends HSA eligibility. If you want a health FSA alongside your HSA, choose the Limited Expense FSA; you can also skip health FSA coverage. See our FSAFEDS Open Season checklist.

Retirees on Medicare: Medicare-covered months create no new HSA contribution room. Retirees can still fund unused room from earlier eligible months by the applicable contribution deadline. For them GEHA gives an HRA instead.

Compare Your Own Plans Before December 14

Open the FEHB Plan Comparison tool, pick GEHA HDHP, Blue Focus and the other plans you're weighing with your enrollment type, and it shows the 2027 premiums side by side, per paycheck and per year. Then add your own expected care costs, since the deductible and coinsurance matter more than the premium for anyone who uses a lot of care.

For the full HSA rules, see our federal employee HSA guide, and for every plan's 2027 premium move, the State of FEHB 2027.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if I'm in MHBP Consumer and do nothing during Open Season?

If you're in FEHB's MHBP Consumer and don't pick a plan by December 14, OPM moves you to MHBP Standard. Postal employees and retirees in PSHB's MHBP Consumer move to MHBP Value instead. Neither is a high deductible plan, so neither carries an HSA deposit or keeps you HSA-eligible.

Is FEP Blue Focus HSA-eligible?

No. Its 2027 deductible is too low and its out-of-pocket cap too high to meet the IRS definition of a high deductible health plan. Months in it add no new HSA contribution room.

What is the closest replacement for MHBP Consumer?

GEHA HDHP is the only nationwide fee-for-service HDHP left for 2027. It deposits about $1,000 or $2,000 a year in your HSA and uses UnitedHealthcare's network, so check your doctors first.

Does GEHA HDHP really charge 5% coinsurance?

For in-network office visits after the deductible, yes: 5% of GEHA's allowance. We didn't check every other service line by line.

What happens to my HSA if I switch to a non-HDHP plan?

You keep the account and can keep spending it tax-free on qualified medical costs. Months you're not in an HDHP generally add no new contribution room, though you can still fund unused room from earlier eligible months by the contribution deadline.

What are the 2027 HSA contribution limits?

$4,500 for self-only coverage and $9,000 for family coverage, counting the plan's own deposit. If you turn 55 by year-end, you can add up to $1,000 more.

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