Medicare by region · Redding, Chico, Eureka & the far north
Mercy Redding, Shasta Regional, Enloe, Providence St. Joseph Eureka and long drives between them — the counties where Advantage plans left for 2026, and where a Medigap policy is often the practical answer.
No cost, no obligation, no pressure.
No cost, no pressure. Prefer to call? (702) 706-6564.
Medicare in the region
North of Sacramento the Medicare question changes shape: it is less about which of many plans and more about whether an Advantage plan exists at your address with a network you can reach. Redding and Chico have real menus built on Mercy, Shasta Regional and Enloe; the coast and the mountains have thin ones, and specialty care usually means Sacramento or the Bay Area.
For a lot of North State households, Original Medicare with a Medigap policy and a Part D plan is the coverage that works everywhere — at the local hospital, at UC Davis, and at the grandchildren’s in Oregon. We say so when it is true.
What changed for 2026: the North State is where the national Advantage pullback landed hardest in California — UnitedHealthcare, Humana and Aetna withdrew from rural counties, and some counties (Plumas, Modoc, Trinity among them) have only one or two plans or none. A plan leaving you opens a Special Enrollment Period and, in most cases, a guaranteed-issue right to Medigap. Partnership HealthPlan runs Medi-Cal across the region.
Counties: Shasta, Butte, Humboldt, Tehama, Siskiyou, Mendocino, Lake, Del Norte, Trinity, Lassen, Plumas, Modoc, Glenn, Colusa.
Each contracts differently with each plan; we check your doctors first.
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
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.
How Advantage worksMedigap 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.
How Medigap worksStandalone drug coverage chosen around your medications and pharmacy. 2026 out-of-pocket cap: $2,100.
How Part D worksSenior Advantage is its own world: everything in one system, and no Medigap route in. When it fits, and when it doesn’t.
Kaiser & MedicareQuestions from the North State
A moderate Medicare Advantage menu in Shasta and Butte counties, thin or none in the most rural counties, every Medigap carrier in California and the full Part D lineup. For 2026 several carriers withdrew from rural North State counties.
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.
Nothing. Independent agents are paid by the carriers when you enroll, so comparing plans and reviewing your coverage each year is free to you.
Ready when you are
A short, friendly conversation — no pressure, no cost.
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.