Every year from mid-November to mid-December, federal health insurance plans offer open enrollment, also known as open season. This open season gives beneficiaries enrolled in these insurance plans a chance to make changes to their annual contracted coverage.
The 2024 open season for coverage in 2025 is Nov. 11-Dec. 9.
During open season, military retirees, active-duty family members and those enrolled in Tricare Reserve Select may purchase or make changes to their dental and vision insurance, with the Federal Employee Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP).
FEDVIP allows military retirees to purchase dental coverage and active-duty families and those enrolled in Tricare Reserve Select to purchase vision coverage.
Tricare also offers an open season about the same time, when those covered by the military's insurance plan are eligible to change their coverage.
Related: Tricare Open Season
Outside of open season, you can make health insurance changes only if you experience a qualifying life event such as moving to a new area or changing your number of dependents.
FEDVIP in 2025
In 2025, FEDVIP enrollees will see increases or decreases in premiums for dental and vision insurance from the current year's rates depending on their chosen plans.
Military families and retirees will again be able to choose from between 12 dental and five vision insurance carriers, depending on their location. Carriers usually offer both standard- and high-coverage plans, giving beneficiaries numerous options. Most plans have different reimbursement levels as well as coverage options available for single, married with one dependent, or family coverage levels.
Changes in dental premiums for 2025 range from decreases -- the steepest at about 2.6% for United Healthcare's high-coverage, following a decrease in 2024 as well -- to EmblemHealth's 13.6% increase for its high coverage, following a previous double-digit increase in 2024.
The highest-cost plan with the biggest increase, Humana Dental's high coverage for a family in Region 5, rose by $34 a month. Most plans went up by a few to several dollars a month.
Several carriers raised premiums for standard dental coverage 3% or more, including Aetna (about 7.1%), Blue Cross Blue Shield (3.2%), Delta Dental (5.1%), EmblemHealth (4.3%), GEHA (3.2%), HealthPartners (7.9%), Humana Dental (3.1%), United Concordia (5.1%) and United Healthcare (2.6%).
In vision coverage, only the MetLife high-coverage plan went up substantially (6.0%). MetLife's high option dropped 5.5%, while the others increased by less than a percentage point to about 3.0%.
If you're currently enrolled in a FEDVIP plan and don't want to make any changes to your coverage, there is nothing you need to do to remain in your current plan. Your coverage will remain the same in the upcoming year.
You can compare available plans on the Federal Employee Benefit portal, BENEFEDS.
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