HPInc and HPE Benefits Enrollment for 2027 - Tips and Traps.

Based on member reports. Join forums: https://www.hpalumni.org  Not officially endorsed or supported. Question? Email us: hpalumni.info@gmail.com  (Updated Oct 29, 2026)  !Posted Oct 17

Group health plans are becoming extinct everywhere. What HPInc and HPE are doing.

Group plans are purchased from an insurance carrier or HMO by the employer. The retiree pays the employer. HPInc has been using group Medicare Advantage plans from UnitedHealthcare, Kaiser, and Tufts. Premiums reflect the cost of care only for the employer's retiree population -- and have been dramatically increasing for several years.

Publicly-available individual plans can be purchased through insurance sales agencies, directly from health systems (such as Kaiser), and from insurers (such as UnitedHealthcare.) More coverage choices are available. Premiums are based on the highly-competitive open market and across all customers of the insurer.

HPInc first offered subsidized open-market plans in 2017. Like HPInc and HPE, many companies have switched to open-market plans.

This is more cost-efficient for your former employer and for you.

In addition, you are able to choose a plan that better suits your personal situation.

What HPInc is doing.

No group Medicare plans are offered by HPInc for 2026 and onward. Group plans continue to be offered for non-Medicare-eligible retirees and dependents.

Subsidy for certain long-service HPInc, HPE, and DEC retirees. HPInc funds a special Retiree Reimbursement Account (RRA) to subsidize open-market individual Advantage and Medigap plans -- if they are bought from one specific nationwide insurance sales agency, Alight Retiree Health Solutions (AlightRHS.) This is tax-free for both the company and the retiree.

This is part of the "Pre-2003 Retiree Medical Program." Note: (Confusingly, "Pre-2003" refers to the year when HP changed retiree health plans, not your retirement year.) Details: https://www.hpalumni.org/Pre2003

Buying only a Medicare Part D Drug plan from AlightRHS -- without buying a Medigap plan from them -- will not result in an RRA allocation.

If you have an RRA due to your Advantage or Medigap purchase from AlightRHS, it can also be used for drug, dental, and vision (but not hearing) plans. RRA is separate from other tax-advantaged accounts -- HSA, FSA, or RMSA -- all of which are managed via your Benefits Center account.

If you qualify for Medicare but your covered family member does not, you must continue medical coverage through AlightRHS for your non-Medicare-eligible family member to continue HP group medical coverage.

(Note that no sales agency, including AlightRHS, carries all Medicare plans that may be available to you through other sales channels.)

Retirees and covered family members not yet eligible for Medicare, including surviving spouses. Refer to your current HPInc Enrollment Guide https://www.hpalumni.org/EnrollmentGuides

What HPE is doing.

No group plans -- Medicare or otherwise -- will be offered by HPE for 2026 and onward.

Instead, you need to transition to publicly-available individual plans. HPE is referring retirees to a specific nationwide insurance sales agency, Alight Retiree Health Solutions. (Note that no sales agency, including AlightRHS, carries all Medicare plans that may be available to you through other sales channels.)

There are many ways to select and buy Medicare policies -- aside from the AlightRHS sales agency.

Some HPE retirees who worked at HP before the 2015 split may qualify for the HPInc "Pre-2003" retiree medical program. (Confusingly, "Pre-2003" refers to the year when HP changed retiree health plans, not your retirement year.) HP: "May apply if you retired from HP before 2003, or if you were with HP on December 31, 2002, and retired at a later date with eligibility for the program (this typically meant retiring at age 55 or later with at least 15 years of qualifying service, having at least 62 age-plus-service 'points' as of December 31, 2005, and being within five years of qualifying as of June 30, 2007). This program generally does not apply if you joined HP through the Compaq or EDS acquisitions." Contact the HPInc Benefits Center. Agents at the HPE Benefits Center may not know about this. Details and how to appeal: hpalumni.org/Pre2003

If your coverage is not subsidized, there are many ways to select and buy Medicare policies -- aside from the AlightRHS sales agency.

To see all Medicare plans available in your county from any source -- go to the official Medicare Plan Finder, and enter your ZIP code and county. The genuine site: https://www.medicare.gov/plan-compare 

For Advantage and Drug plans, the site lists all plans offered in your county -- with plan details and Medicare's official "Star" quality rating. For Medigap plans -- which are available state-by-state -- the site lists all insurers who offer plans in your state. Some plans are limited to specific geographic areas or specific groups; some only sell direct or through a single agency.

Price, drug, and provider information on any site -- whether the official Plan Finder, a sales agency such as AlightRHS, or a insurer's website -- may be incorrect. Verify with primary sources.

For retirees and covered family members not yet eligible for Medicare, including surviving spouses, start at the federal marketplace https://www.healthcare.gov

SHIP article goes here  ????

--Curt Gowan, hpalumni.org website maintainer and Benefits Forum moderator

Does this affect me?

Step 1. Study the directions in the annual enrollment documents that were mailed to most retirees in October.

If you don't have a copy handy, download and read the enrollment materials from the independent HP Alumni website:

- HPInc -- "2026 Retiree Benefits Enrollment Guide" https://www.hpalumni.org/enroll-docs-HPInc 

- HPE letter and FAQ -- "A new approach to HPE retiree medical benefits for 2026" https://www.hpalumni.org/enroll-docs-hpe

Step 2. Verify whether you currently have a group or individual health plan by signing in to your HPInc or HPE Healthcare Benefits Center account:

- HPInc Benefits Center. https://www.myhpbenefits.com 

- HPE Benefits Center. https://www.myhperewards.com 

(You may have to update your password -- or activate online access by entering some identifying information.)

On the first page of your Benefits Center account, click the blue "View details" button partway down the first page.

- If you have an individual plan, it will display "Alight Retiree Health Solution" [The Benefits Center has no information about which specific policies you have or what you are paying -- just that you bought through AlightRHS..

- If you have a group plan, it will display the name of the specific plan. If so, you must buy one or more individual plans, as described in the HPInc or HPE enrollment documents.

- If you have a group plan, it will display the name of the specific plan. If so, you must buy one or more individual plans, as described in the HPInc or HPE enrollment documents.

If you currently have a group plan, you must take action. The necessary changes cannot be made automatically. 

If your coverage is not subsidized, there are many ways to select and buy Medicare policies -- aside from the AlightRHS sales agency. Other Ways to Buy

If your new open-market plan is chosen properly, you can continue using the same doctors, hospital, and other providers.