If you live in Memphis and have Medicare, now is the time to look at your plan, because annual enrollment ends December 7. From October 15 to December 7 you can join, switch, or drop a Medicare Advantage or drug plan, with changes starting January 1.
This article is educational. Instant Health Help is a licensed health insurance agency, and our agent, Lobsang Rivas, is licensed in Tennessee. We are not Medicare, CMS, or an insurance company, and we do not quote prices or name plans here. Check official dates on Medicare.gov.
The short answer
- Medicare. Medicare.gov Plan Finder or 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) lists the plans sold in your ZIP code.
- Your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). One-on-one counseling that is not tied to any insurance company. Find the Tennessee program at shiphelp.org, or call TN SHIP at 1-877-801-0044.
- A licensed agent. An agent can compare options with you and help you enroll. Medicare.gov suggests checking the rules agents must follow.
Key Medicare dates
- Annual enrollment: October 15 to December 7. The plan must get your request by December 7.
- Medicare Advantage open enrollment: January 1 to March 31, only if you already have a Medicare Advantage plan.
- Turning 65: a seven month initial enrollment period that starts three months before the month you turn 65.
Work and Medicare around Memphis
Bureau of Labor Statistics figures for the Memphis metro put trade, transportation, and utilities among the largest groups in the job count, with education and health services and manufacturing close behind. The air cargo and distribution hub, river and rail freight, warehouses, clinics, and plants shape a lot of local careers, and they show up in Medicare decisions:
Still working past 65 on the docks, in a warehouse, or at a clinic. If you have health coverage through your current job or your spouse’s current job, Medicare.gov describes a Special Enrollment Period that lets you sign up for Part B later without a late enrollment penalty. Talk with your benefits office and Social Security about timing before you leave the job plan.
Retiring from a logistics or plant job this year. Medicare.gov says that when you leave employer or union coverage (including COBRA), you can join a Medicare Advantage plan or drug plan for 2 full months after the month that coverage ends. See Medicare’s Special Enrollment Periods page.
Shift work and travel for freight. If you spend stretches on the road or across the river for work, confirm that the plan you pick covers the doctors and pharmacies you actually use when you are home in Shelby County.
Memphis sits where three states meet
The Memphis area spreads into Mississippi and Arkansas, and that matters for Medicare. Plans are sold by service area, and you can only join a plan that serves the place you live. A neighbor in Southaven or West Memphis may see completely different choices than you do in Shelby County. If you live in Tennessee but see doctors across the line, or the other way around, ask each office and the plan whether they will be in network next year. Our agent is licensed in Tennessee; if you live in Mississippi or Arkansas, use Medicare.gov or that state’s SHIP counselors through shiphelp.org.
What Memphis area residents should review
Your Annual Notice of Change. It comes each fall. Read it before you decide to keep your plan.
Your doctors and hospitals. Whether you go to the medical district downtown, East Memphis, or a clinic in Germantown, Collierville, Bartlett, or Cordova, confirm directly with the office and the plan. We never assume.
Your county. Choices in Shelby County may differ from Fayette or Tipton County. Compare with your own ZIP code.
Your prescriptions. Enter every drug you take and your usual pharmacy in Plan Finder.
Help with costs
If your income is limited, ask about two kinds of help that Medicare.gov points to:
- Extra Help with drug costs. You apply through Social Security.
- Medicare Savings Programs, which can help with some Medicare costs. You apply through your state.
Getting Extra Help can also open a Special Enrollment Period to change your drug coverage. See Medicare.gov’s contact page for where to start.
How we help
We help Tennessee residents with Medicare by phone and online, in English or Spanish. Learn more on our Tennessee health insurance help page. We review your doctors, prescriptions, and ZIP code and explain your options in plain English. The choice is always yours. Under 65 and need Marketplace coverage? See our Tennessee open enrollment guide.
Questions before December 7?
Have your Medicare card, your drug list, and your doctors’ names nearby, and we will go through it with you.
Call (321) 315-0054 | agent@inshh.com
We do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently we represent 10 organizations which offer 489 products in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.
1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), TTY 1-877-486-2048, is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except some federal holidays. Instant Health Help is not connected with or endorsed by the U.S. government or the federal Medicare program.