North Carolina Senior Health Insurance

Explore Your Options

Many people choose to retire in North Carolina because of its ocean views, warm climate and reasonable cost of living. No matter your reason for retiring in North Carolina, make sure you are well informed about your Senior Health Insurance options when you become eligible for Medicare.

Residents in North Carolina can enroll into a Medicare Supplement Plan (Medigap), Prescription Drug Plan (Part D) or a Medicare Advantage Plan (Part C).

Medicare Supplement Plans are offered by private insurance companies and are standardized by the government. Most carriers offer plan types A-N. Medicare Supplement Plans are designed to help cover coinsurance, deductibles and copays. Medicare Supplement Plans premium reflect what state you live in, however the benefits can be used nationwide. These are non-network-based plans meaning you can see any doctor that accepts Medicare. Medicare Supplements do not include prescription drug coverage, therefore in most cases they are paired with a Prescription Drug Plan.

Prescription Drug Plans are stand-alone plans offered by private health insurance carriers. While they are not designed to cover all of your prescription costs, they are built to help lower the cost. Prescriptions are covered based on their different tier levels and can be found in the plan’s formulary. All Prescription Drug Plans have a monthly premium and copays ranging from $0 and up. Before enrolling into a Prescription Drug Plan, make sure all your prescriptions are covered.  If you need Extra Help paying for your prescriptions, please click here to see if you qualify.

Medicare Advantage Plans are network-based plans offered by private insurance carriers. These plans hold one-year contracts with CMS, the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services.  They can range in monthly premium from $0 and up. There is a wide assortment of Medicare Advantage Plans offered in North Carolina. It is important to note that these plans are county based plans, meaning a plan available in your county may not be available in the county next to you.  North Carolina has 100 counties, so be sure you know what plans are available to you.

Prescription Drug Plans and Medicare Advantage Plans can change their contracts with Medicare on a yearly base. This may affect your plan premium, benefits, copays, and plan availability. Make sure you are taking advantage of MySeniorHealthPlan.com’s free annual plan analysis between October 15th and December 7th.  Whether you are a current client or new, the Specialists at MySeniorHealthPlan.com can help you compare your current plan to the plans available the upcoming year.

Senior Resources:
Medicare: www.Medicare.gov
North Carolina Department of Human Services: http://www.ncdhhs.gov/
North Carolina Division of Aging and Adult Services: http://www.ncdhhs.gov/aging/