On Medicare And Moving. What Should You Do?

June 6th, 2022

Did you decide to move and are not sure what you need to do with your Medicare plan? Should you keep or change your coverage? What are the deadlines?

What you need to do with your Medicare coverage mostly depends on what type of coverage you have: Medicare Supplement or Medicare Advantage.

• Medicare Supplement

When you have a Medicare Supplement plan, you are covered in the whole US and can see any doctor you want that accepts Medicare, as there are no networks to follow. This means that if you move and have a Medicare Supplement plan, you can keep your current plan wherever you go in the US.

Usually, people on a Medicare Supplement plan also have a prescription drug plan (PDP) to help pay for prescriptions. PDP plan are regionalized though, so when you move you will need to see if you are staying in your PDP plan’s geographic area or if you need to enroll in a new plan in your new area of residence.

• Medicare Advantage

Medicare Advantage plans, like PDP plans, are regionalized based on zip codes and counties. Determining if you need to change your Medicare Advantage plan or not depends whether you are moving outside of your plan’s “service area” or not.

If you are moving close to where you live, chances are you could keep your plan. However, if you move to a different county or state, you will likely need to change plan.

Moving outside of your plan’s service area will make you loose your Medicare Advantage plan. At this time, you can:

• Enroll in a new Medicare Advantage plan in your new service area, or

• Enroll in any Medicare Supplement plan A, B, C, F, or K that is offered in the state that you’re moving to (you’ll also have a guaranteed-issue right at this time).

Should I notify Medicare I moved?

The best way to notify Medicare that you moved is to change your address with Social Security once you have moved. This can be done online, over the phone or in person at your local Social Security office. This change of address will trigger a 60-day Special Enrollment Period (SEP), allowing you to enroll in a new plan outside of the annual enrollment period every year from October 15th to December 7th.

Moving is stressful but managing your Medicare while moving shouldn’t be. Our team is here to help to make the process as seamless as possible.