OPM Names New Health Benefits Chief Ahead of Open Season
There’s new leadership at the Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) healthcare and insurance division with open season right around the corner and the agency dealing with staff reductions.
According to an internal memo obtained by GovExec, Matthew Kiley was hired as associate director of OPM’s healthcare and insurance division replacing Shane Stevens who voluntarily stepped down in May. Kiley’s first day on the job is September 8.
Kiley is the founder of the Weyhill Group, a management consulting firm in the Philadelphia area that services clients in financial services, healthcare, and insurance.
He previously served in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in the first Trump administration, where he worked on COVID-19 related matters, pricing and billing transparency, and other issues.
OPM Staffing Cuts
The transition comes as OPM’s overall headcount is down about 35 percent from December 2024 to March 2026, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office.
GAO noted that staffing reductions “have reduced institutional knowledge and operational capacity at the agency.”
And in the early summer, OPM offered employees in the healthcare and insurance division another chance to opt into the deferred resignation program (DRP) or take early retirement.
Employees who took the DRP went on paid administrative leave starting August 31, 2026, with official separation slated for March 1, 2027.
Open Season
Kiley takes his position about two months before Open Season starts– the annual period where employees select their health care plans and other benefits for the upcoming year.
For 2027, OPM is focusing on a prevention and wellness approach to cut costs saying that members of the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) and Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB) programs should place “emphasis on the physical and mental wellness of the whole person.”
Premium rates for 2027 have not yet been announced. OPM typically releases the new FEHB rates about a month before Open Season.
In 2026, enrollees in FEHB and PSHB paid an average of 12.3 percent and 11.3 percent more, respectively, toward their health insurance premiums.
Open Season for 2027 runs from Monday, November 9, 2026, to Monday, December 14, 2026.
