Plenty of people spend a few winters in Florida before deciding to stay. Then the house up north sells, the driver's license changes, and Florida becomes home. That's a good time to look at your Medicare, because some parts of it move with you and some parts don't.
This post is about a permanent move. If you still split the year between two homes, our snowbird guide is the better fit.
What comes with you automatically
Medicare Part A and Part B are national. Your Medicare card, your Medicare number and your enrollment stay the same in every state. With Original Medicare, you can see any doctor or hospital in the country that accepts Medicare, including Florida ones.
The one thing to do is update your address with Social Security, which keeps Medicare's records. You can do it online, by phone or at a local office. Your Medicare notices then come to your Florida address.
What usually doesn't: plans tied to a service area
Medicare Advantage plans and stand-alone Part D drug plans are offered in specific service areas, usually county by county. A plan you joined in Ohio or New Jersey generally isn't offered in Miami-Dade or Broward. Even if the same company sells plans in Florida, it's a different plan with its own network, drug list and costs.
If you move out of your plan's service area, you don't have to wait for the fall Annual Enrollment Period. The move itself gives you a Special Enrollment Period to choose a plan where you now live:
- If you tell your plan before you move, the window can start the month before the move and runs for two full months after it.
- If you tell your plan after you move, the window starts the month you tell them and runs for two more full months.
If you don't pick a new plan, your old plan can disenroll you once it learns you've moved. You'd then be back on Original Medicare. If you also have no Part D coverage, a long gap could lead to a Part D late enrollment penalty later.
If you have a Medigap policy
A Medicare Supplement (Medigap) policy generally stays with you as long as you keep Original Medicare and keep paying the premium. It works with any provider in the country that accepts Medicare. Tell the insurance company your new address. Your premium may be repriced for where you now live.
Switching to a different Medigap policy after a move is another matter. Outside certain protected situations, insurers can ask health questions. One of those situations: if you're leaving a Medicare Advantage plan because you moved out of its service area, you may have a guaranteed issue right to buy certain Medigap policies. Ask about it before you decide.
Programs that are state-run
Medicaid and Medicare Savings Programs are run by each state, so they don't transfer. If you had help from your old state, you'd apply again in Florida once you're a resident. Extra Help with drug costs is a federal program and generally continues, but update your address so the paperwork reaches you.
A simple order of steps
- List your doctors and prescriptions, including any Florida doctors you already see.
- Update your address with Social Security once you have a firm move date.
- Call your current plan and tell them when you're moving, so the special window lines up with your move.
- Compare plans available in your new Florida county against your doctors and prescriptions.
- Choose your new coverage so it starts with no gap. Keep paying for your old coverage until the new one is in place.
Free local help
Florida's free, unbiased Medicare counseling program is called SHINE (Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders), reachable through the Elder Helpline at 1-800-963-5337. Medicare itself is at 1-800-MEDICARE and Medicare.gov. A licensed agent can also compare the plans we represent with you, at no cost to you.
The bottom line
Your Medicare enrollment moves with you. Plans tied to a service area usually don't. The move gives you your own window to switch, so you don't need to rush or wait for fall. Update your address, tell your plan when you're moving, and line up Florida coverage so nothing lapses in between.
Common questions
Do I have to re-enroll in Medicare when I move to Florida?
No. Medicare Part A and Part B are national, so they move with you. You do need to update your address with Social Security, which keeps Medicare's records. A Medicare Advantage or Part D plan is a different story, because those plans are tied to a service area.
Can I keep my Medicare Advantage plan from my old state?
Usually not, if Florida is outside the plan's service area. Moving out of the service area gives you a Special Enrollment Period to choose a plan where you now live. If you don't, the plan can disenroll you, and you would return to Original Medicare.
What happens to my Medigap policy if I move?
In general you can keep it as long as you stay with Original Medicare and keep paying the premium. Your premium may be recalculated for your new location. Tell the insurance company about the move.
I get Medicaid in my old state. Does it transfer?
No. Medicaid is run by each state, so you would apply again in Florida once you live here. Extra Help with drug costs is a federal program and generally continues, but update your address so the paperwork reaches you.
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