Medicare for snowbirds: two homes, one plan

I get this call constantly. The good news is that it's a solvable problem — but the answer depends less on how many months you're here and more on which type of coverage you picked. Original Medicare, a Medicare Supplement, a Medicare Advantage plan, and a Part D drug plan each behave very differently across state lines. Here's how each one actually works when you live in two places.

First: you get one permanent address, not two

Medicare doesn't have a "snowbird" status. You have one permanent residence on file with Social Security, and that address is what determines which plans you're eligible for. Advantage and Part D plans are sold by county — so your address decides your menu of options.

Two things follow from that:

1. Snowbirding is not a move. If Florida is your permanent residence and you visit family in Ohio for four months, nothing about your enrollment changes. You don't get a Special Enrollment Period, and you don't need one.
2. Actually changing your permanent residence is a move, and that does open a Special Enrollment Period to change Advantage or Part D plans. I walk through the timing rules on the moving to Florida on Medicare page — it matters whether you tell your plan before or after you go.

Where you file taxes, where you're registered to vote, and where your driver's license is issued are related but separate questions with their own rules. Those are worth a conversation with a tax professional or your county supervisor of elections — not something to guess at. For Medicare purposes, what counts is the permanent address Social Security has for you.

Original Medicare travels everywhere

Parts A and B follow you. Any doctor, hospital, or lab in the country that accepts Medicare will see you, whether you're in Sarasota or Syracuse. There is no network and no service area.

That's the reason so many people who split the year end up on Original Medicare plus a supplement — the coverage doesn't care which house you're sleeping in.

Medigap: portable by design

A Medicare Supplement (Medigap) policy pays alongside Original Medicare. If the provider accepts Medicare, your Medigap plan works — in every state, with no network and no referral. You keep the same policy year-round and it moves with you.

Two Florida-specific things to know before you assume Medigap is the automatic answer:

• Florida has no Medigap "birthday rule." California and Oregon give residents an annual window to switch supplements without health questions. Florida does not. Outside of protected windows, a Florida Medigap application is medically underwritten — meaning the company can ask health questions and decline. Details are on the Florida Medicare Supplement page.
• Florida premiums tend to run higher than in many states, and most policies here are attained-age rated, so the premium rises as you get older. That's the trade-off against the portability.

The practical takeaway: if you're new to Medicare and you know you'll be splitting the year, your six-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period — which starts when you're 65 and enrolled in Part B — is the cleanest time to get a supplement in place, because health questions don't apply during it.

Medicare Advantage: the part that needs the most thought

Advantage plans are built around a county service area and a provider network. That's not a flaw — it's how they keep costs down — but it's the piece snowbirds have to plan around.

What to look at, in this order:

• Emergency and urgent care are covered nationwide. Every Advantage plan covers emergencies and urgent care anywhere in the U.S. So an unexpected problem up north is not a coverage crisis.
• Routine care out of area is the real question. A follow-up visit, a specialist, a scheduled procedure, physical therapy — those go through the network. An HMO generally means little or no out-of-network coverage; a PPO typically covers out-of-network care at a higher cost share.
• Some plans have travel or visitor provisions. Certain plans let you get routine care outside the service area for a defined stretch of time, and some carry a nationwide network. These vary a great deal plan to plan and year to year, so this is something to verify in the plan documents for the specific plan and year — not something to assume.
• Extended absence rules exist. Plans can disenroll a member who is outside the service area beyond a set period. The limit isn't the same everywhere, so if you're gone six months or more, ask the plan directly what its rule is.
• You can't hold two Advantage plans. One plan, tied to one permanent address.

If most of your doctors are in Florida and your time up north is genuinely a visit, an Advantage plan can work fine. If you have an established specialist in each state, that's usually the point where a supplement starts making more sense. For how Advantage plans work in Florida generally — county service areas, HMO vs. PPO, and what to check before enrolling — see Florida Medicare Advantage plans.

Part D: usually the easiest piece

Drug plans have national pharmacy networks, so filling a prescription in another state is normally routine. Two habits smooth it out:

• Check that your plan treats the chain you use up north as a preferred pharmacy, not just an in-network one — the cost difference at the counter can be real.
• Consider mail order for maintenance medications, and ask about a vacation supply before you leave. Plans have their own rules about early refills.

How I'd approach the decision

There's no single right answer, and I'd be skeptical of anyone who gives you one without asking questions. What I actually ask people:

1. Which state has your permanent residence — and is that likely to change in the next few years?
2. How many months are you away, and is it the same stretch every year?
3. Where are your doctors? One state, or both?
4. Do you have care you already know is coming — a knee, a cardiology follow-up, ongoing treatment?
5. How much month-to-month predictability do you want in what you pay?

Answers one through four usually narrow it to one or two sensible structures. Answer five picks between them.

Frequently asked questions

Want a second set of eyes?

If you split the year and you're not sure your current setup actually fits that, I'm happy to look at it with you — free, by phone or video. Call Matt or send a message. New to Medicare? Start with turning 65 in Florida. Want the plan types explained side by side? See Medicare plans explained or the Florida Medicare hub.

Sources & official references

• Medicare.gov — check a plan's service area and network rules, and compare what is available at your permanent address. Or call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048).
• CMS.gov — the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which sets the service-area, network, and Special Enrollment Period rules described above.
• SSA.gov — the Social Security Administration, which holds the permanent address of record that determines your plan eligibility. Or call 1-800-772-1213.
• Florida SHINE — free, impartial Medicare counseling from Florida's State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), at 1-800-963-5337.

Last reviewed: August 2026

For 65 Insurance is an independent insurance brokerage and is not connected with or endorsed by the U.S. government, the federal Medicare program, or the State of Florida. We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information here is educational and not a substitute for the official rules — to review all of your options, contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048), or Florida SHINE, your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (1-800-963-5337).