How To Enroll In A New Medicare Plan
To make changes to your Medicare Advantage plan or Part D plan, youll need to find out what your plan options are in your new area. You can get information about available plans here. You can also learn about specific plans by calling the customer service number at the private company that offers it.
If you are dual-eligible and qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid, you will need to contact the state you will live in to find out your Medicaid benefit options. And, if you are interested in a dual eligible special needs plan, which is a plan that combines the benefits of Medicare and Medicaid, as well as often including additional benefits such as dental or vision care. Youll need to contact the private plan provider for information and availability of dual plans.
Notes About Moving With Medigap
You must notify your insurer but do not necessarily need to switch companies, as Medigap plans are standardized across the U.S. For instance, Plan G offers you the same coverage no matter what state you live in. However, if medical care is deemed more expensive in the state you are moving to, your insurer is permitted to increase your Medigap monthly premium.
If you have a Medigap Select plan , you can change policies if you move out of the plans area of service. There is a limited amount of time where this is allowable, so get in touch with your insurer to ensure you fully understand all the rules.
Will My Medicare Coverage Follow Me If I Move Out Of The State
Medicare reimbursement refers to the payments that hospitals and physicians receive in return for services rendered to Medicare beneficiaries. The reimbursement rates for these services are set by Medicare, and are typically less than the amount billed or the amount that a private insurance company would pay.
Enrollment dates for Medicare are critical. Missing an enrollment date could cost you higher premiums down the line or it could cost you coverage entirely.
Q: Will my Medicare coverage follow me if I move out of the state?
A: If youre enrolled in Original Medicare, then yes. But Medicare Advantage, Part D prescription drug coverage, and some Medigap plans can be state-specific.
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What Is The Average Cost Of Medicare Supplement Insurance Plans In Each State
There are 10 standardized Medicare Supplement Insurance plans available in most states.
Plan G is available in most states and is one of the most popular Medigap plans. Medigap Plan G is, in fact, the second-most popular Medigap plan. 22 percent of all Medigap beneficiaries are enrolled in Plan G.2
The chart below shows the average monthly premium for Medicare Supplement Insurance Plan G for each state in 2018.3
- Wisconsin, Hawaii and Iowa had the plans with the lowest average monthly premiums, around $102 per month.
- The highest average monthly Medigap premiums were in New York, at $304.72 per month.
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Tips For Moving To Another State With Medicare
Home / FAQs / General Medicare / Tips for Moving to Another State with Medicare
Moving from one state to another can be stressful and the last thing you may be thinking about is your healthcare coverage. If youre moving out of state, making the appropriate changes to your Medicare coverage is essential to ensure your coverage does not lapse during the moving process. Below we review how to transfer Medicare to another state.
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How to transfer your Medicare coverage to another state depends on the type of Medicare plan you are enrolled in. In some cases, your current coverage will work in another state. However, you may not be this lucky if you are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan. So, it is important to know how your coverage will transfer.
Below we walk you through transferring Medicare coverage from one state to another and how to change your address with Medicare.
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Can I Keep Medicare If I Move To Another Country
While living abroad, you can choose to keep your Medicare plan active. However, you generally can’t use it to receive care, even though you’ll have to continue paying premiums the main reason to keep it active is to make it easier to resume coverage whenever you return to the U.S.
Since Medicare doesn’t work well outside the U.S., you may want to switch to a cheaper plan the next time you’re eligible. You can switch plans during one of the Medicare open enrollment periods or if you qualify for an SEP. If you never intend to return to the U.S., it’s likely best for you to cancel Medicare altogether, as there’s no benefit to keeping it active.
If you cancel your Medicare completely while living abroad and want to rejoin later, you must apply as a new member during the general enrollment period , which runs from January through March of each year. Your Medicare will start the month after you sign up, and you’ll pay penalties in the form of higher monthly rates.
Returning to the U.S.
If you maintain Medicare while living outside the U.S. you’ll be able to rejoin a Medicare Advantage plan or a Medicare Part D plan when you return to the U.S. You also have the option to keep Original Medicare.
You have two full months after the month you move back to the U.S. to apply for Medicare Advantage or Medicare Part D. For example, if you move June 15, you have until Aug. 31 to enroll in a plan.
Guaranteed Issue Rights And Open Enrollment Periods
Guaranteed issue rights are protections for Medicare enrollees in certain situations. These rights prevent insurance companies from denying enrollment in certain Medigap policies when beneficiaries meet specific criteria.
To utilize guaranteed issue rights, beneficiaries must abide by MACRA when selecting their plan. At this time, only those who enrolled in Part A before January 1, 2020, can be guaranteed issue to Plan F or Plan C.
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Like guaranteed issue rights, Open Enrollment Periods allow beneficiaries to enroll in a Medigap plan with no underwriting health questions. Those who receive Medicare after January 1, 2020, must abide by MACRA when in an open enrollment period. Thus, individuals who enrolled in Medicare prior to January 1, 2020, may enroll in any Medigap plan they wish.
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Do You Need To Change Your Medicare Plan When You Move
Generally speaking, if your plan requires that you use a set network for healthcare service providers, you will need to make more changes when you move . Because having continuous healthcare coverage is so important, you should have all the facts about how your Medicare benefits are affected by your move before you start packing.
Is Medicare A State Or Federal Program
Medicare is a federal program, meaning that its eligibility and coverage are mostly the same across the U.S. Its important to remember that this distinction is only the case for Original Medicare, which includes Parts A and B. If you have Original Medicare, there is essentially no difference in coverage depending on where you live.
This is not true of Medicare Advantage plans, which vary significantly by the state in cost and coverage. Medicare Advantage plans, or Medicare Part C, are provided by private insurers and include additional benefits and coverage beyond the scope of Original Medicare.
Medicare Part D, an optional benefit to cover prescription drugs, also varies by state and region.
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Will Moving To A New State Affect My Medicare Select Coverage
If your Medigap coverage is with a Medicare SELECT plan, it has a localized provider network that youre required to use, and thus will no longer be suitable if youre moving out of state. As long as youve had the SELECT plan for at least 6-months, you can purchase a regular Medigap plan from your current insurer with the same or fewer benefits than your current SELECT plan. You can also use your guaranteed issue right to purchase any Medigap Plan A, B, C, F, K, or L, regardless of how long ago you enrolled in Medicare SELECT.
Josh Schultz has a strong background in Medicare and the Affordable Care Act. He coordinated a Medicare ombudsman contract at the Medicare Rights Center in New York City, and represented clients with extensive Medicare claims and appeals. In addition to advocacy work, Josh worked for the health insurance exchange technology firm hCentive. He also has held consulting roles, including at Sachs Policy Group, where he worked with insurer, hospital and technology clients.
What Types Of Medicare Advantage Plans Are Available
Medicare Advantage plans can come in a variety of types:
- Private Fee-For-Service
- Medical Savings Accounts
- Special Needs Plans
The available selection of plan types may differ from one county and state to another. The different types of Medicare Advantage plans that are available in your area may include one or more of these plan types.
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Plans With Private Insurance Companies
Private insurance companies administer:
- Medicare Advantage plans
- prescription drug plans
If a private insurance company administers a persons Medicare plan, they will need to directly contact the plan provider to change their address.
Most companies provide an option for contacting them online, by phone, or by mail.
Not all plans are available by all insurers in all states or counties. Upon moving, it may be necessary for an individual to change their insurance provider, plan, or both. This could bring different benefits and rules.
Timeframe For Making Changes Without Penalty
Medicare offers a special enrollment period for beneficiaries to make changes to their Medicare Advantage or Part D coverage when moving to a new location that is outside of their current Medicare coverage area. According to Medicare.gov:
If you tell your plan before you move, your chance to switch plans begins the month before the month you move and continues for 2 full months after you move.
If you tell your plan after you move, your chance to switch plans begins the month you tell your plan, plus 2 more full months.
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Making Medigap Plan Changes
For Medigap plans, enrollment periods are a little different. Its best to buy a Medigap policy during the 6-month period immediately after you first enroll in Medicare Part B.
You may be able to buy a Medigap plan after that, but there are no guarantees that an insurance company will sell you a policy.
Even if youre able to get a Medigap policy after the initial enrollment period, you may have to pay more.
Comparing Your Medicare Plan Options
If you’re planning to move, it’s never too early to start comparing your Medicare plan options. And our online Find a Plan tool makes it easy. Just enter your new zip code and estimated start date. Then, press Continue to start reviewing Medicare Advantage, Part D, and Medigap plans available in your new area. The tool is free to use and won’t result in higher premiums.
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Original Medicare Plans Will Not Change
If youre enrolled in Original Medicare , you wont have to worry about changing Medicare plans if you relocate to a different state. Original Medicare is managed and run completely by the federal government, so the plan remains the same no matter where you live.
The only thing youll have to do in this instance is inform Medicare of your change of address. You can do this in one of three ways:
- By filling out a Medicare Change of Address form online via your MySocialSecurity profile
- By calling the Social Security Administration at 772-1213
Will Moving Affect My State Supplement
Depending on the state youre moving from and the state youre moving to, your total SSI benefits might increase or decrease. For example, Arizona, Mississippi, West Virginia, North Dakota and the Northern Mariana Islands dont offer a state supplement. States that administer their own supplemental payments include:
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What Is Medicare Advantage
Medicare Advantage plans are private health insurance plans paid by the federal government to provide Medicare-covered benefits as an alternative to traditional or original Medicare.
Private plans have been an option in Medicare since the 1970s, but enrollment in private plans remained relatively low through the 1990s.1 Aside from changing the name of Medicare private plans from Medicare+Choice to Medicare Advantage , the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 made significant changes that propelled enrollment growth. The Affordable Care Act of 2010 also made many changes that enhanced plan enrollment.
Most Medicare Advantage plans are either HMOs, which generally cover only care provided by in-network doctors, hospitals, and other health providers, or by PPOs, which also offer access to out-of-network providers but at a higher cost than in-network providers. Other types of plans include: Private Fee-for-Service plans, Medicare Medical Savings Accounts, PACE plans, or cost plans, the latter of which do not assume financial risk. Enrollment in these other plan types is relatively low.
In 2021, 43 percent of Medicare beneficiaries were enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans.2 By 2025, these plans are projected to account for half of total Medicare enrollment, or 35 million beneficiaries, up from 21.1 million in 2018.3
Medicare Considerations When Moving
When it comes to Medicare, moving to another state may involve various actions, ranging from providing notification of the address change to looking for a new Medicare plan. The exact procedures depend on the Medicare parts in which a person has enrolled.
For example, in some cases, certain parts of Medicare are transferable between states and across the country. However, other parts of Medicare may be county- or state-specific and based on where a person currently lives. These parts may not be transferrable to a new location.
Moving to a new state may involve amending Medicare account details, such as changing the address, or a person may have to research and enroll in a new plan, such as Medicare Advantage.
Each part of Medicare has different rules. We have detailed these below.
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Using Original Medicare In Another State
You dont have to do anything to use Original Medicare in another state. You will want to update the address that Social Security has on file for you.
You can use your Original Medicare benefits in another state if you visit any health care provider who participates in the program.
Medicare participation in any state can be broken down into three categories:
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Moving When You Have Original Medicare
Original Medicare includes Medicare Part A hospital insurance and Medicare Part B medical insurance. Because it is administered by the federal government, you can take your coverage with you if you move anywhere within the United States and its territories.
Where You Can Move and Take Your Original Medicare Coverage
- Any of the 50 states
- The District of Columbia
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Do Medicare Benefits Vary By State
There are four main parts to Medicare. These include Part A and B which form Original Medicare. There is also Part C, known as Medicare Advantage, and Medicare Part D, which offers prescription drug coverage.
Original Medicare is provided by the government to those who are age 65 and over, and who have worked in Medicare-covered employment for at least 10 years. Some individuals who are under the age of 65 may also qualify for Medicare benefits, provided that they have received Social Security disability benefits for at least 24 consecutive months.
Coverage that is provided via Medicare Parts A and B is primarily the same from state to state in terms of hospitalization and medical insurance , as well as the required out-of-pocket co-payments and deductibles that are required from enrollees.
However, for those who opt to also include Medicare Part D for prescription drug coverage, benefits can vary from one plan to another, as well as from state to state. In many instances, the benefits can even differ from one region to another.
Likewise, for those who choose to receive their Medicare coverage through a Medicare Advantage plan , both the cost and availability of plans can vary from one state to another, as well as by the private health insurance company that offers them.
