Moving to Texas? What Happens to Your Medicare

Retirees come to Texas for all kinds of reasons: family, warm winters, a fresh start. Whatever brought you here, your Medicare doesn't stop at the state line. Some pieces of your coverage, though, may need a fresh look.

What comes with you automatically

Original Medicare, Parts A and B, is a federal program. It works the same in Houston as it did in Ohio or California. Doctors and hospitals in Texas that accept Medicare will accept your card. There's no new enrollment.

Medigap. Medicare says you can keep your current Medigap policy no matter where you live, as long as you still have Original Medicare. Your insurer may adjust your premium, so call and ask. In Texas, Medigap policies are regulated by the Texas Department of Insurance.

What may need to change

Medicare Advantage and Part D drug plans are sold by private companies for specific service areas, usually by county. Texas has 254 counties, and the plans offered in a big metro area can look very different from those in a rural county a couple of hours away. If your current plan doesn't serve your new Texas county, you'll need a new one.

Even if your plan does operate here, it may have different doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, and costs in Texas. If you're settling somewhere rural, check how far you'd have to drive to reach in-network specialists.

Your Special Enrollment Period

If you move out of your plan's service area:

• Your window starts when you move and lasts 2 full months after.
• If you tell your plan before you move, the window can open the month before your move.
• If you don't pick a new Medicare Advantage plan, you'll be moved to Original Medicare when your old plan drops you. That can leave you without drug coverage, so act early.

Your Texas moving checklist

1. Update your address with Social Security online or at 1-800-772-1213. Medicare relies on Social Security's records.
2. Call your current plan and ask whether it serves your new Texas county.
3. Find Texas doctors who accept Medicare, or who are in your plan's network.
4. Move your prescriptions to a Texas pharmacy, or set up mail order.
5. Compare plans for your new county with the Medicare.gov Plan Finder, or browse our Texas county guides.
6. Look into Texas help with costs. If your income is limited, Medicare Savings Programs through Texas Health and Human Services may pay your Part B premium. See Part B premium help in Texas.

Splitting time between Texas and another state

If you spend part of the year somewhere else:

• Original Medicare plus Medigap is generally the most flexible choice, since it works with any provider in the U.S. that accepts Medicare.
• Medicare Advantage HMOs usually cover only emergency and urgent care outside their service area.
• Some PPO plans cover out-of-network care at a higher cost, and some offer visitor or travel programs. Read the plan details before you choose.

Get settled with free local help

Texas's free Medicare counseling program, the Texas Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP), can help newcomers sort out their options at 1-800-252-9240. Counselors aren't selling anything. If Spanish is more comfortable for you, ask whether a Spanish-speaking counselor is available. If you're moving close to the Gulf Coast, it's also smart to keep your Medicare card and a medication list somewhere easy to grab if you ever need to evacuate.

For timing on bigger changes, see our guide to Medicare Annual Enrollment for 2027 in Texas.