Medicare when you retire to another state
Moving states on Medicare: why Original Medicare moves with you and an Advantage plan does not, how long you have to switch, and when Medigap must sell to you.
Original Medicare moves with you: it covers any doctor or hospital that takes Medicare, anywhere in the U.S., and in general you can keep a Medigap policy after you move. A Medicare Advantage or drug plan is tied to its service area, so moving out of it opens a Special Enrollment Period to choose a plan where you now live. If you leave Medicare Advantage for Original Medicare because of the move, federal law also gives you a time-limited right to buy certain Medigap policies: the insurer must sell you one, must cover your pre-existing conditions, and cannot charge you more because of your health.
Who this page is for: Americans on Medicare, or about to turn 65, who are retiring from one U.S. state to another. Every rule below comes from Medicare.gov and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and all amounts are in US dollars.
A move between states changes some Medicare coverage and leaves the rest alone, and which part changes depends on the route you are on. Each state page and county page on ExpatAlmanac shows what both routes cost there in premiums and the most a bad year can cost. This guide explains the rules that decide which of those plans you can actually get once you move. It does not recommend a plan: which route suits a person depends on their health, their doctors and their budget.
How Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage differ when you move
Original Medicare is the same in every state. Under it, "You can use any doctor or hospital that takes Medicare, anywhere in the U.S." [2] Drug coverage is not included: on Original Medicare you join a separate Medicare drug plan (Part D) [2].
Medicare Advantage is tied to a place. With an Advantage plan, "You may need to use doctors and other providers who are in the plan's network and service area (for non-emergency care)" [2]. Most Advantage plans include Part D drug coverage [2]. A plan that serves the county you leave may not serve the county you move to, which is why moving out of a plan's service area has its own enrollment rules, set out below.
What a bad year can cost on each route
The two Medicare routes differ most in the worst case. On Original Medicare, "There's no yearly limit on what you pay out-of-pocket, unless you have supplemental coverage (like Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap))" or other insurance [2]. Medicare Advantage plans "have a yearly limit on what you pay for covered Medicare services (which may include different limits for in-network and out-of-network services)" [2].
Medigap is the policy that fills Original Medicare's gaps, and its price is set by each insurance company. CMS describes three ways a Medigap premium can be priced: community-rated, the same for everyone regardless of age; issue-age-rated, based on your age when you buy; and attained-age-rated, which goes up as you get older [1]. There is no federal list of Medigap prices, which is why the state and county pages do not add a Medigap premium to the Original Medicare total.
How to read the Medicare figures on a state or county page
The Medicare figures on each state and county page are for the published example couple, both 67 and married, and show premiums for a year for two. The Medicare Advantage column uses the general-enrollment Advantage plans with drug coverage offered in that county; the Original Medicare column is Part B for two plus the standalone drug plans offered in the state. The Advantage plans and the drug plans come from CMS's plan-year 2027 landscape files [6]; Part B comes from CMS's 2026 fact sheet [5].
- Typical and "from". The main figure is the middle of the plans offered there, and "from" is the lowest premium among them. Neither is a recommendation. [6]
- Part B. The standard Part B premium is USD $202.90 a month per person in 2026, and the Part B deductible is USD $283 for the year [5]. When the next year's Part B premium has not yet been published, the page says so and uses the latest one. Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, checked 2026-10-29
- The worst year. On the Advantage route, the page adds each person's in-network out-of-pocket maximum to the premiums. On the Original route, it says "No yearly maximum on Original Medicare alone", for the reason above. [2]
- What is not counted. What care itself costs depends on a person's health, so neither route's figure estimates it.
People with higher incomes pay more than the standard Part B premium, through an income-related monthly adjustment amount [5]. The page figures use the standard premium.
The Special Enrollment Period a move opens
Moving out of your Medicare Advantage plan's or drug plan's service area opens a Special Enrollment Period. In it you can switch to a new Medicare Advantage plan, with or without drug coverage, or to a Medicare drug plan [3]. You can also return to Original Medicare; if you join no new plan, you are returned to Original Medicare when your old plan stops covering you [3].
The Special Enrollment Period's timing is set by the date of the move. Medicare.gov: "Your chance to switch begins when you move and continues for 2 full months after you move." And: "If you tell your plan before you move, your chance to switch plans begins the month before the month you move." [3]
Returning to Original Medicare does not by itself include drug coverage. On Original Medicare, drug coverage is a separate Part D plan, so a move is also the moment to choose one. (Sources 2 and 3.)
| Figure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Part B standard premium, per person | USD $202.90 / month as of 2026 | Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 2026-10-29 |
| Part B deductible | USD $283 for the year as of 2026 | Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 2026-10-29 |
| Time to switch plans after moving out of a plan's service area | From the month you move until 2 full months after (from the month before, if you tell your plan first) as of 2026-10 | Medicare.gov 2026-10-29 |
| Medigap right after leaving Medicare Advantage because you moved | Apply up to 60 days before, and no more than 63 days after, the Advantage coverage ends as of 2026-03 | Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 2026-10-30 |
| Medigap Open Enrollment Period | 6 months, once, starting the first month you have Part B and are 65 or older as of 2026-03 | Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 2026-10-30 |
Medigap when you move to another state
A Medigap policy generally moves with you. CMS's Medigap guide: "In general, you can keep your current Medigap policy regardless of where you live as long as you still have Original Medicare." [1]
Switching to a different Medigap policy is harder. Medicare.gov says that "in most cases, you won't be able to switch your Medigap policy outside your 6-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period" unless you have a guaranteed issue right [4]. Outside that period an insurer may charge more and ask medical questions [1]. The Medigap Open Enrollment Period starts the first month you have Part B and are 65 or older; it happens once and does not repeat every year [1].
Three federal guaranteed issue rights can apply around a move [1]:
- You leave Medicare Advantage because you moved out of its service area. You may buy Medigap Plan A, B, D or G sold by an insurance company in your state — Plan C or F only if you were eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020. The right exists only if you switch to Original Medicare rather than join another Advantage plan. Apply up to 60 days before your Advantage coverage ends, or no more than 63 days after; the Medigap policy cannot start until the Advantage coverage ends.
- You have a Medicare SELECT policy and move out of its area. You may buy Medigap Plan A, B, D or G (C or F under the same 2020 rule) from an insurance company in your state or in the state you are moving to.
- You joined Medicare Advantage when you were first eligible at 65 and want to leave within the first year (the "trial right"). You may buy any Medigap policy sold in your state.
In these situations an insurer must sell you a Medigap policy, must cover your pre-existing conditions, and cannot charge you more because of past or present health problems [1].
Massachusetts, Minnesota and Wisconsin have guaranteed issue rights too, but their Medigap policies are different, so the plan letters above do not apply there. CMS's guide sets out those three states' choices. (Source 1.)
Some states give more Medigap rights than federal law
The Medigap rights above are the federal minimum. CMS: "You may have additional rights under your state's laws" [1], and Medicare.gov notes that its own answers "only apply to your federal rights" [4]. Some states also have additional Medigap Open Enrollment Periods [1].
Each state page on ExpatAlmanac carries that state's own Medigap rule, read from the state's insurance department, under "Medicare in" the state's name. Where a state's rule has not yet been confirmed from its insurance department, the page says so rather than summarizing it from elsewhere. The state pages start from the United States overview.
Free help in the state you are moving to
Every state has a State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), which gives free Medicare counseling. CMS points readers to shiphelp.org to find their local SHIP [1]. Each state page on ExpatAlmanac names that state's SHIP and its phone number in the same "Medicare in" block. A SHIP counselor in the new state can check the plans and the state-law Medigap rights that apply there.
What this guide does not answer
Moves within the United States are the subject of this guide. Medicare outside the country is a different question with a different answer: Does Medicare cover you in Mexico?
The guide does not rank plans, does not estimate what medical care will cost, and links to no broker or plan-sales site. Plan details change every year; Medicare.gov and the SHIP in your new state give the current terms for a specific plan.
Frequently asked questions
Can I keep my Medigap policy if I move to another state?
In general, yes. CMS's Medigap guide says you can keep your current Medigap policy regardless of where you live, as long as you still have Original Medicare. Switching to a different Medigap policy after the move is another matter: outside your one-time Medigap Open Enrollment Period, an insurer may charge more and ask medical questions unless you have a guaranteed issue right. Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, checked 2026-10-30
How long do I have to choose a new plan after I move?
If you move out of your Medicare Advantage or drug plan's service area, your chance to switch plans begins when you move and continues for 2 full months after the move. If you tell your plan before you move, it begins the month before the month you move. Source: Medicare.gov, checked 2026-10-29
Does Original Medicare work in my new state?
Yes. Under Original Medicare you can use any doctor or hospital that takes Medicare, anywhere in the U.S. — the same in every state. A Medicare Advantage plan is different: it may require you to use providers in the plan's network and service area for non-emergency care. Source: Medicare.gov, checked 2026-10-30
If I leave Medicare Advantage after moving, can a Medigap insurer turn me down?
Not within the guaranteed issue window. Moving out of your Advantage plan's service area gives you the federal right to buy Medigap Plan A, B, D or G sold in your state (Plan C or F only if you were eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020), provided you switch to Original Medicare rather than join another Advantage plan. You apply up to 60 days before your Advantage coverage ends, or no more than 63 days after. Your state may give you more rights. Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, checked 2026-10-30
Sources for this page
- Choosing a Medigap Policy: A Guide to Health Insurance for People with Medicare (CMS Product No. 02110, March 2026) Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services · retrieved 2026-10-30
- Compare Original Medicare & Medicare Advantage Medicare.gov · retrieved 2026-10-30
- Special Enrollment Periods Medicare.gov · retrieved 2026-10-29
- Switching or dropping a Medigap policy Medicare.gov · retrieved 2026-10-29
- 2026 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles (fact sheet, November 14, 2025) Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services · retrieved 2026-10-29
- Medicare Advantage and Part D Landscape, plan year 2027 (data last updated October 18, 2026) Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services · retrieved 2026-10-29
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