When an employer or union contracts for a Medicare Advantage plan for its retirees, Medicare allows them to enroll the retirees automatically. In 2021, the Center for Medicare Advocacy wrote about the increasing automatic enrollment of retired Medicare beneficiaries into Medicare Advantage plans by their former employers or unions in place of traditional (or original) Medicare. These plans, known as EGWPs (Employer Group Waiver Plans), were the subject of increasing scrutiny, including from New York City municipal retirees who were contesting the City’s adoption of one. We analyzed the legal authority for these plans and how automatic enrollment is contrary to the Medicare statute’s protection of choice. We are now exploring how this enrollment trend has progressed and how it continues to affect beneficiaries.
- Read the full Issue Brief at medicareadvocacy.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/EGWP-Issue-Brief-3-2026.pdf