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Federal health insurance premiums to see another large spike in 2026

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4 months ago

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Federal employees and annuitants are heading for yet another year of large increases to their health insurance premiums, in both the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) program and the Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB) program.

The Office of Personnel Management announced Thursday that FEHB participants will pay an average of 12.3% more toward their insurance premiums starting in January 2026 — or in dollars, an average of $26.40 more per pay period.

The upcoming 12.3% premium spike follows multiple large premium increases over the last few years for FEHB enrollees. Federal employees saw an average of a 13.5% increase for the 2025 plan year — the largest year-over-year increase in well over a decade. Feds also saw a 7.7% jump in 2024, and an 8.7% increase in 2023.

Graph created by Federal News Network using Office of Personnel Management data from 2015-present.

The PSHB program, which is open to more than 2 million USPS employees, annuitants and family members, is also set for a large premium increase for 2026. Enrollees in PSHB will be paying 11.3% more, on average, toward their 2026 premiums. In dollars, that’s about $21.51 more per pay period.

The federal government covers about 75% of a participant’s premium — and no more than 72% of the weighted average of the previous year’s federal health insurance premiums.

When accounting for the government’s share of FEHB costs, which is increasing by about 9.2%, premiums will rise by 10.2% overall. PSHB premiums are increasing by 9% overall, when including the government’s portion of the cost, which is going up by 8%.

Open Season during a shutdown

For this year’s announcement, federal employees are facing more uncertainty than usual. The upcoming premium increases for the government’s health insurance programs are compounded by the current shutdown, as well as the possibility of missing paychecks if the lapse in appropriations drags on.

If a shutdown extends into November, OPM has said Open Season would still go on as normal. Health benefits for federal and postal enrollees continue throughout the shutdown, but premium payments are paused for the duration of the shutdown.

Additionally, participants in FEHB, PSHB and the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP) — regardless of whether they are furloughed, excepted or exempt — can still make changes to their plan options during Open Season, even in the case of a shutdown. OPM finances those programs through a trust fund, rather than appropriations, meaning the funding is not expected to be interrupted.

But at the same time, OPM is now managing the FEHB and PSHB programs with significantly less staffing than in previous years. Due to the Trump administration’s overhauls to the federal workforce, the agency is on track to lose 1,000 employees, or about one-third of its total workforce, by the end of the calendar year.

OPM’s healthcare and insurance office, which manages FEHB, PSHB, FEDVIP and other insurance programs, has lost a total of 80 employees this year through retirements, attrition, the deferred resignation program (DRP) and probationary terminations.

Over the summer, OPM’s inspector general office warned that those staffing shortages, coupled with funding issues, put the PSHB’s central enrollment platform at risk of an operational failure. All PSHB participants must use the online platform to access their benefits and make changes to their health insurance options during Open Season.

A separate Government Accountability Office report earlier this year also found that recent OPM staffing vacancies led to a suspension of fraud risk assessments in the FEHB program.

Looking ahead to 2026

Premium rates for federal health insurance programs inevitably increase to some extent each year. Though the premium increases for enrollees average to 12.3% and 11.3% for 2026, some plan options will have smaller cost increases, while others will have bigger ones.

The large premium increase for federal health insurance also contrasts with the 1% federal pay raise President Donald Trump is proposing for most General Schedule employees in 2026.

OPM Associate Director of Healthcare and Insurance Shane Stevens noted that the premium increases aren’t as large as they were for 2025, which shows “some positive movement.”

“All that being said, we recognize that increasing health care expenses at this clip is not a sustainable path,” Stevens said in a blog post Thursday. “As we assess the overall health vs. expense equation across the US, we find an alarming trend.”

Stevens said OPM is looking to address the rising costs by cracking down on waste, fraud and abuse in the programs, as well as moving toward “a more proactive, preventive health-first orientation.”

“None of these initiatives of course will happen overnight,” Stevens said. “But, we are committed to improving the quality of life and quality of care for our members while also ensuring that healthcare remains accessible and affordable for those who work (or have worked) for the American people.”

OPM’s announcement Thursday comes about a month ahead of Open Season, the time of year that FEHB and PSHB enrollees can update their federal health insurance options for plan year 2026. This year’s Open Season runs from Nov. 10 to Dec. 8.

Any changes made during Open Season will take effect when plan year 2026 officially starts on Jan. 1. More information and resources are available on OPM’s website for both FEHB and PSHB participants.

The post Federal health insurance premiums to see another large spike in 2026 first appeared on Federal News Network.

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Mainstream Media in Disbelief as Trump DOUBLES Expected Jobs Numbers – President Trump Takes Victory Lap After Adding 130,000 Jobs to US Economy

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2 hours ago

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February 12, 2026

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US jobs numbers for February far exceeded expectations to start 2026.

President Trump doubled expectations adding 130,000 jobs when only 55,000 was expected.

The unemployment rate also decreased from 4.4% to 4.3% according to CNBC

President Trump: Just in: GREAT JOBS NUMBERS, FAR GREATER THAN EXPECTED! The United States of America should be paying MUCH LESS on its Borrowings (BONDS!). We are again the strongest Country in the World, and should therefore be paying the LOWEST INTEREST RATE, by far. This would be an INTEREST COST SAVINGS OF AT LEAST ONE TRILLION DOLLARS PER YEAR – BALANCED BUDGET, PLUS. WOW! The Golden Age of America is upon us!!! President DJT

From the president’s Truth Social account:
Tweet by Donald Trump discussing US job numbers, borrowing costs, interest rates, and a balanced budget, emphasizing America's strength and economic potential.

At what point can the American people sue the Federal Reserve Chief for his dereliction of duty? Jerome Powell is now costing every American untold amounts of money by refusing to do his job!

CNBC host Rick Santelli reacted positively:

Even CNN was forced to share the good economic news.

The post Mainstream Media in Disbelief as Trump DOUBLES Expected Jobs Numbers – President Trump Takes Victory Lap After Adding 130,000 Jobs to US Economy appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Democrat Rep. Nadler Has to be Woken Up by Staffer During Bondi Hearing (VIDEO)

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2 hours ago

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February 12, 2026

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A diverse group of lawmakers engaged in a congressional hearing, with individuals focused on their devices and discussions in a formal setting.

Democrat Rep. Jerrold Nadler (NY) had to be woken up by a staffer on Wednesday morning during a congressional hearing.

US Attorney General Pam Bondi testified at a House Judiciary Committee hearing on the Epstein files, fatal shootings of two anti-ICE agitators and more.

Nadler fell asleep just minutes into Wednesday’s hearing.

A staffer walked over to Nadler and woke him up.

WATCH:

Later on during the hearing, Nadler and Bondi got into a shouting match over Jeffrey Epstein’s co-conspirators.

“How many [co-conspirators] have you indicted?” Nadler asked Bondi.

“Excuse me! I’m going to answer!” Bondi said.

“Answer my question!” Nadler demanded.

“I’m gonna answer the question the way I want to answer the question. Your theatrics are ridiculous,” Bondi said.

“Chairman Jordan, I’m not gonna get into the gutter with these people,” Bondi said.

Bondi and Nadler continued to talk over each other until Chairman Jim Jordan intervened.

WATCH:

The post Democrat Rep. Nadler Has to be Woken Up by Staffer During Bondi Hearing (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Possible Trans Attack?- ‘Gunperson’ Wearing Dress Kills 9 and Injuries at Least 25 Others at Canadian School

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3 hours ago

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February 12, 2026

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Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license./ Author: Dickelbers

According to the Tumbler Ridge Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), a mass shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in British Columbia left nine dead and at least 25 more injured.

According to police, the sole suspect, described as a “gunperson’ wearing a dress, was found dead inside the school from “a self-inflicted injury.”

Per CNN:

Police found six people dead and dozens injured when they arrived at the high school in Tumbler Ridge, a town of just 2,400 people in northeast British Columbia, early on Tuesday afternoon. Another person died en route to hospital, police said.

The alleged shooter, who was found dead at the school with a self-inflicted injury, is believed to have killed two more people, whose bodies were discovered at a home in the township

Two victims were airlifted from the school to hospital with serious or life-threatening injuries. And about 25 other people were also being treated at a local medical center, police said.

Fox News reported that Superintendent Ken Floyd, North District Commander, said in a statement,  “This was a rapidly evolving and dynamic situation, and the swift cooperation from the school, first responders, and the community played a critical role in our response.”

“Our thoughts are with the families, loved ones, and all those impacted by this tragic incident. This has been an incredibly difficult and emotional day for our community, and we are grateful for the cooperation shown as officers continue their work to advance the investigation.”

Juno News, an independent outlet in Canada, claims to have spoken with someone connected to the suspected shooter’s family who says the suspect was trans and used “she/her” pronouns, but authorities have not confirmed the claim.

The Guardian reported that the police have identified the shooter, but didn’t publicly release their identity due to the integrity of the investigation.

The shooter’s identity, any potential connections to groups, and motivations remain under investigation.

The post Possible Trans Attack?- ‘Gunperson’ Wearing Dress Kills 9 and Injuries at Least 25 Others at Canadian School appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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