Medicare & Health Insurance

At first glance, Medicare looks like alphabet soup. Part A? Part B? Part D? Supplemental? And it’s also not always clear how Medicare dovetails with Social Security benefits. We’ll guide you through the maze. Our State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) provides local, in-depth, and objective insurance counseling and assistance to Medicare-eligible individuals, their families, and caregivers.

New to Medicare?  Find our free Medicare classes here.

Already on Medicare? Open Enrollment is the annual period of time (October 15^th through December 7^th) when current Medicare beneficiaries can review their Medicare Drug Coverage and Medicare Health (Part C) plans and make changes. We have a number of events and appointments available to help you navigate Open Enrollment.

In addition, you may want to browse through the many self-help guides and webinars at Medicare.gov.

Joining a plan

To join a Medicare health plan, you generally must:

• Have Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) and Part B (Medical Insurance)
• Live in the service area of the plan you want to join.
• Be a U.S. citizen or lawfully present in the U.S.
• Have your Medicare Number and your Part A and/or Part B coverage start dates.

Buying a Medigap Policy

When to join a Medicare health or drug plan

You can only join, switch, or drop a Medicare Advantage Plan (Part C) or Medicare drug plan (Part D) at certain times, called enrollment periods.

Enrollment period:	You can:	Coverage starts:
Initial Enrollment Period (new to Medicare)Starts 3 months before you get Medicare and ends 3 months after you get Medicare.	Join any plan. You need both Part A (Hospital Insurance) and Part B (Medical Insurance) to join a Medicare Advantage Plan. You need either Part A or Part B to join a Medicare drug plan.	Varies, depending on when the plan gets your request: If you request to join a plan before your Medicare starts: Your plan coverage starts the same day as when your Medicare starts. If you request to join a plan after your Medicare starts: Your plan coverage starts the first of the month after the plan gets your request.
Initial Enrollment Period – New to Part B (only if you get Part B after your Part A coverage starts)The 3 months before your Part B starts.	Join any Medicare Advantage Plan with or without drug coverage.	The same day as when your Part B coverage starts.
Open Enrollment Period October 15-December 7.	Join, drop, or switch to another Medicare Advantage Plan (or add or drop drug coverage). Switch from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage Plan or from a Medicare Advantage Plan to Original Medicare. Join, drop, or switch to another Medicare drug plan if you’re in Original Medicare.	January 1 of the next year.
Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (only if you’re already in a Medicare Advantage Plan) January 1-March 31. Within the  first 3 months you get Medicare	Switch to another Medicare Advantage Plan with or without drug coverage. Drop your Medicare Advantage Plan and go back to Original Medicare. Join a Medicare drug plan	First of the month after the plan gets your request.
Special Enrollment Period Varies. Only for certain situations that happen in your life, like moving to a new address, losing or changing your current coverage, getting Medicaid, or getting Extra Help to pay drug costs, and more. Learn more about Special Enrollment Periods.	Generally, you can join a Medicare Advantage Plan (with or without drug coverage) or Medicare drug plan, or switch to another plan. Starting January 1, 2024, if you sign up for Part A and/or Part B during a Special Enrollment Period because of an exceptional situation, you’ll have 2 months to join a plan or switch to another plan.	Varies. Generally, the first of the month after the plan gets your request.