Checklist for Moving When You Have Medicare Advantage

Updated May 25, 2015.

If you’re moving and you have a Medicare Advantage health plan, you’ll need to do more than just change your address with Medicare.

Most Medicare Advantage plans, also known as Medicare Part C, require you to use doctors, hospitals and other health care providers within their provider network. These health plans have a limited geographic service area, and you'll only find in-network providers within that service area.

If you move out of your plan’s service area permanently, you’ll need to change plans.

Relocating outside of your Medicare Advantage plan’s service area makes you eligible for a special enrollment period. During this special enrollment period, you can switch to a new Medicare Advantage plan. If you don’t choose a new Medicare Advantage plan, you’ll automatically be switched to Original Medicare, (Medicare Part A and Part B), when your old Medicare Advantage plan disenrolls you.

Check with your Medicare Advantage plan to see if your new address falls within their service area. If it does, you won’t need to change health plans. Follow checklist A.

If your new address doesn’t fall within your current health plan’s service area, you’ll need to change Medicare Advantage plans. Follow checklist B.

Checklist A–If you’re staying within your current health plan’s service area

Notify the Social Security Administration of your change of address.
Notify your Medicare Advantage health plan of your change of address.

Notify your physician of your change of address.
Notify your pharmacy of your change of address.

Checklist B–If you’re relocating outside of your current health plan’s service area

Notify the Social Security Administration of your change of address.
Choose a new Medicare Advantage health plan that covers people where you’re moving. Find out what plans are available in your new area with the Medicare Plan Finder.
Choose a primary care physician that participates in your new Medicare Advantage health plan and is accepting new patients.
Contact the new health plan you’ve chosen and arrange a date for your new coverage to begin. Enrolling in your new plan should cause you to be disenrolled from your old plan automatically. However, confirm this when you enroll.
Tell your old primary care physician that you’re moving, and provide your new address. Request that he or she transfer your medical records to your new primary care physician’s office. Or, get copies of your medical records from your old primary care physician before you move and hand-deliver them to your new primary care physician during or just before your first appointment.
Schedule a “get acquainted” appointment with your new primary care doctor as soon as possible after your move.
Refill any prescriptions you may need before you move. This way, you have plenty of time to get established before you need any routine prescriptions refilled.
If you use a mail-order pharmacy or an automatic-refill service, notify the pharmacy that you’ll be moving. The pharmacy will need to know your new address and the date of your move.
If your Medicare Advantage health plan provides prescription drug coverage and your current pharmacy doesn't work with your new health plan, you'll need to switch to a pharmacy that does.

More Resources

Learn more about how moving affects different types of Medicare plans, including Medicare Part D prescription drug plans, in, “What to Do About Medicare When You Move.”

If need more information, Medicare’s help line is 1-800-MEDICARE. You can also get help from the State Health Insurance Assistance Program in either the area you’re relocating to or moving from.

About.com has an entire site dedicated to moving. You'll find information and ideas to help you plan your move and to make moving easier. Check it out at http://moving.D106/.

_Sources:

_{Medicare Managed Care Manual, Chapter 2 (pdf). Revised August 7, 2012. Accessed July 18, 2013.}

_{Medigap Guaranteed Issue Rights, http://www.medicare.gov/find-a-plan/staticpages/learn/rights-and-protections.aspx. Accessed July 16, 2013.}

_{Signing Up for Parts C and D, http://www.medicare.gov/navigation/medicare-basics/sign-up-part-c-and-part-d.aspx#changelive. Accessed July 15, 2013.}