Moving to or from California on Medicare

Leaving California

Your Advantage or Part D plan is tied to your county, so a permanent move outside its service area ends it and opens a Special Enrollment Period to enroll in a plan sold where you land. Tell your plan the move date, and use the window; it closes two months after you move.

• Arizona. A deep Advantage market in Maricopa and Pima, thin in rural counties, no birthday rule, and a large Kaiser-free landscape: if you were in Senior Advantage, you will be choosing new doctors either way. Our Arizona agency has offices in Mesa and Sun City.
• Nevada. Nevada has its own birthday rule, but it is narrower than California’s and reaches only carriers with open blocks; a Medigap policy you hold from California continues, re-rated. Our Nevada site covers Las Vegas, Henderson and Reno.
• Texas. No birthday rule, no state-standardized plans, a deep Advantage market in the cities and 2026 rural exits. Our Texas site explains what is different.
• Utah, Colorado and Florida. Each has its own sister site: Utah, Colorado and Florida, where issue-age Medigap rating rewards buying early.
• Idaho and Oregon. Idaho has a birthday rule of its own (63 days); Oregon has one too (30 days). Your California Medigap policy continues in either, re-rated; a change there follows that state’s rule.

Arriving in California

The move SEP works the same way in reverse. Your first decision is the Kaiser question; your second is that a Medigap policy from your old state continues here, re-rated for California, and from now on you get the 60-day birthday rule each year. If you arrive with a Medicare Advantage plan, you choose a new one sold in your California county, or use the move as a guaranteed-issue event to buy Medigap without health questions. People arriving from New York or Connecticut should know California does not have year-round guaranteed issue.

Splitting the year

Palm Springs to Oregon, San Diego to Idaho, the Bay Area to Arizona: if you keep a California address and spend months elsewhere, a Medigap policy with Original Medicare covers you at any provider in both places. Most Advantage plans cover only emergencies outside their service area, though some PPOs carry travel benefits, and Senior Advantage has a visiting-member arrangement only in other Kaiser regions. We look at both addresses before recommending anything.

Part D when you move

Your Part D plan is tied to your region too. Use the move SEP to pick one sold at the new address, and re-check the formulary and preferred pharmacies; the same medication list can price very differently across state lines.