Your situation · Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente and Medicare: the first decision most Californians make
More than 1.4 million Californians take Medicare through Kaiser. It is a closed, integrated system with one way in on Medicare — Senior Advantage — and no Medigap route. Here is how to think about it without a sales pitch either way.
No cost, no obligation, no pressure.
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Kaiser Permanente is the thing about California Medicare that the national websites cannot explain, because no other state has anything like it at this scale. Kaiser is an insurer, a hospital system and a medical group at once. On Medicare, that shows up as Kaiser Permanente Senior Advantage, a Medicare Advantage HMO that, in several Bay Area and Southern California counties, is the largest Medicare plan by a wide margin.
How Senior Advantage works
- Everything inside Kaiser. Primary care, specialists, hospitals, labs, pharmacy and Part D are all Kaiser. Referrals happen inside the system, usually quickly, and your records follow you.
- Emergencies anywhere, routine care at Kaiser. Like other Advantage plans, it covers emergencies and urgent care outside the network, and routine care only inside it. Some Senior Advantage plans carry a travel benefit; we check yours.
- Premium and extras vary by county and by year. Several counties have a $0-premium option; others do not. Dental, hearing and fitness extras are plan-specific.
- Kaiser did not exit any counties for 2026, unlike several national carriers, and its plans carry strong Star ratings.
Why a Medigap policy does not get you Kaiser
A Medigap policy pays after Original Medicare pays, and it works with any provider that bills Original Medicare. Kaiser, outside emergencies, does not bill Original Medicare for routine care from non-members. So the combination many people ask for — Original Medicare, a Plan G, and my Kaiser doctor — does not exist. If keeping your Kaiser doctors matters most, Senior Advantage is the answer. If freedom to see Stanford, UCLA, Cedars-Sinai or City of Hope matters most, that means leaving Kaiser and pairing Original Medicare with a Medigap policy, or choosing a non-Kaiser Advantage plan built on those systems.
Three situations, three answers
- Already in Kaiser and happy. Senior Advantage is usually the natural continuation. We still compare its county options against each other and check the Part D formulary against your medications.
- In Kaiser and thinking of leaving. Turning 65 is the cleanest moment: your Medigap open enrollment lets you buy any supplement without underwriting. Waiting is possible — the birthday rule and guaranteed-issue rights still exist — but a new Medigap purchase after your open enrollment usually means health questions.
- Not in Kaiser and considering it. You can join Senior Advantage during any valid enrollment period. You will get new doctors inside the system. If you try it and want out within 12 months of leaving a Medigap policy for the first time, the federal trial right lets you return to Medigap without underwriting.
We are independent, and we are not Kaiser. We can enroll you in Senior Advantage where we are appointed, or in the alternatives, or tell you plainly that your current coverage is the right one. The point of this page is that the Kaiser decision comes first and deserves an honest comparison, not a brochure.
Related: Medicare Advantage in California, Medigap and the birthday rule, and Turning 65 in California.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Can I keep my Kaiser doctor when I go on Medicare?
Yes, by enrolling in Kaiser Permanente Senior Advantage, Kaiser’s Medicare Advantage plan. You cannot keep Kaiser doctors with Original Medicare and a Medigap policy, because Kaiser does not generally treat Original Medicare patients outside emergencies.
Is Kaiser Senior Advantage a Medicare Advantage plan?
Yes. It is a Medicare Advantage HMO with Part D included in most versions, offered county by county across Kaiser’s California service areas.
What if I leave Kaiser at 65 and regret it?
If you left for Original Medicare and a Medigap policy, you can join Senior Advantage during the next Annual Election Period or another valid window. If you left Medigap for Senior Advantage and it is your first time in an Advantage plan, the federal trial right lets you return to Medigap without underwriting within 12 months.
Does Kaiser cover me when I travel?
Emergency and urgent care are covered anywhere in the U.S. Routine care is inside Kaiser; some Senior Advantage plans include a travel benefit for visits to Kaiser regions in other states. We check the plan documents for your county.
How much does your help cost?
Nothing. Independent agents are paid by the carriers when you enroll, so comparing Kaiser against the alternatives is free to you, and your premium is the same either way.
Ready when you are
Kaiser or not? Let’s talk it through honestly.
A short, friendly conversation — no pressure, no cost.
Sources we used on this page
- Kaiser Permanente Institute for Health Policy: Kaiser Permanente’s participation in Medicare Advantage in California
- KFF: Medicare Advantage 2026 Spotlight, a first look at plan offerings
- Medicare.gov: Medicare Advantage plans
- Medicare.gov: Medigap (Medicare Supplement Insurance)
- California Health Advocates: California’s unique Medigap rules and extra consumer rights
Figures are checked against the source at the review date in the byline below. If a source has changed since, the source wins.
Written and reviewed by Darin Weidauer — licensed insurance agent (NPN 18580338, CA License #0M00978), Gerontologist (USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology), MBA, Registered Social Security Analyst, and 22-year U.S. Air Force veteran.Last reviewed September 4, 2026. Plan availability, benefits and costs change every plan year — verify current details at Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE, or California HICAP at 1-800-434-0222.