MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center, Dignity St. Mary, Kaiser and the VA Long Beach anchor a city with a large veteran population and a South Bay retiree base that shops on network first.
What to know before you compare plans in Los Angeles County
Long Beach shares Los Angeles County’s deep menu. MemorialCare and its medical group anchor most of the non-Kaiser Advantage plans here, St. Mary contracts separately, Kaiser runs its own system from Downey and Harbor City, and the Tibor Rubin VA serves veterans across the South Bay.
We compare what is sold at your ZIP code, confirm your doctors and medical group, and set Advantage beside a Medigap policy so the trade-off is plain.
Care close to home
Major care in the area includes:
MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center
Dignity Health St. Mary
Kaiser Permanente Downey & Harbor City (Senior Advantage only)
Lakewood Regional
VA Long Beach (Tibor Rubin)
Plan networks differ — we check that your doctors and hospital are covered before you enroll.
Communities we serve
Belmont Shore, Bixby Knolls, Naples, Lakewood, Signal Hill, Seal Beach, Los Alamitos, Leisure World, Cerritos.
When you can enroll
Turning 65? Your Initial Enrollment Period is the 7 months around your birthday. Already on Medicare? The Annual Election Period is Oct 15–Dec 7, Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment runs Jan 1–Mar 31, and California’s Medigap birthday rule gives you 60 days from your birthday each year to switch supplements without health questions.
Your options
Which kind of plan fits you in Long Beach?
Medicare Advantage
All-in-one Part C plans, often $0 premium, built on a county network — the choice of about half of California, and the one that changed most for 2026.
Medigap pairs with Original Medicare and works with any provider nationwide — UCLA, Stanford, Cedars, City of Hope, or your doctor in Arizona — with California’s birthday rule to switch every year.
Los Angeles County typically offers a deep Medicare Advantage menu, every Medigap carrier in California, and the full Part D lineup. Availability is set by county and changes each plan year.
Will my Long Beach doctors take a Medicare Advantage plan?
Each system contracts with some Medicare Advantage plans and not others, and the lists change every October. With Original Medicare and a Medigap policy there is no network to check, except Kaiser, which is reached only through Kaiser Senior Advantage. We confirm your doctors before you enroll.
How much does your help cost?
Nothing. Independent agents are paid by the carriers when you enroll, so comparing plans and reviewing your coverage each year is free to you.
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.