What moves with me, and what doesn't?
| Coverage | What happens when you move to Oregon |
|---|---|
| Original Medicare (Part A and Part B) | Stays the same. Update your address with Social Security. |
| Medicare Advantage plan | Usually ends if the plan doesn't serve your new Oregon county. You get a special enrollment period to choose a new plan. |
| Standalone Part D drug plan | Part D plans serve regions. Oregon and Washington share PDP Region 30, so a Washington Part D plan may also serve Oregon; ask your plan. From any other state, you'll likely need a new plan. |
| Medigap policy | Usually stays in force, though the premium may change. Medicare Select policies, which use a network, are the main exception. |
| Medicaid or a Medicare Savings Program | Doesn't transfer. Apply for the Oregon Health Plan and Oregon's Medicare Savings Programs. |
| Extra Help | Federal program through Social Security; report your new address. |
Original Medicare: update your address
Original Medicare is a federal program, so your Part A and Part B coverage and your Medicare card don't change when you move. Tell Social Security your new address, online with a my Social Security account or by calling 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778), so your Medicare notices reach you. If you get Railroad Retirement Board benefits, tell the RRB instead.
Medicare Advantage and Part D: your moving special enrollment period
Medicare Advantage and Part D plans have service areas. In Oregon, Medicare Advantage plans are approved county by county. For 2027, CMS lists 61 Medicare Advantage plans open to everyone across Oregon and 8 standalone Part D plans. When you move to a place your plan doesn't serve, you get a special enrollment period:
- If you tell your plan before you move, your chance to switch starts the month before the month you move and lasts 2 full months after the month you move.
- If you tell your plan after you move, it starts the month you tell the plan and lasts 2 more full months.
- If you move within Oregon to a county your plan doesn't serve, the same special enrollment period applies. If your plan does serve the new county but offers new options there, you can also switch.
If your plan doesn't serve your new area and you don't choose another, the plan will disenroll you and you'll return to Original Medicare. A plan generally must disenroll a member who has been out of its service area for more than 6 months in a row (42 CFR 422.74). Without a new Part D plan you'd have no drug coverage, and a gap of more than 63 days can mean a late penalty.
Plan choices differ a lot by Oregon county
Where you settle in Oregon changes what you can choose. For 2027, CMS lists 32 Medicare Advantage plans open to everyone in Multnomah County, 32 in Washington County, 26 in Lane County, 14 in Hood River County, 5 in Jackson County and 3 in Deschutes County.
Five Oregon counties have no Medicare Advantage plan open to everyone for 2026 or 2027: Grant, Harney, Lake, Umatilla and Union (only employer group plans). Curry County has only a special needs plan, and Coos County has one plan. If you're moving to one of these counties, plan on Original Medicare, usually with Medigap and a Part D plan. See rural Oregon and Medicare.
Look up your new county on our counties page, for example Multnomah, Deschutes or Hood River. Some companies are also ending plans or leaving counties for 2027; see Oregon plans ending in 2027.
Medigap when you move to Oregon
A standard Medigap policy is guaranteed renewable: the company can't cancel it because you moved, as long as you pay the premium. The premium may change based on where you live. A Medicare Select policy may not work outside its network area; if you have to drop it, you may be able to buy another policy. Ask your company before you move.
| Your situation | Can you buy Medigap without health questions? | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| You're leaving a Medicare Advantage plan because you moved out of its service area | Yes, Plans A, B, C, D, F, high-deductible F, G, K, L, M or N from any company (C and F only if you were eligible for Medicare before 2020), within 63 days after your plan coverage ends | Federal guaranteed issue; OAR 836-052-0142 |
| You're under 65 with Medicare because of a disability and move from a state that doesn't require Medigap for people under 65 | Yes, for 63 days after you establish Oregon residency | OAR 836-052-0138 |
| You're in your first 6 months with Part B at any age | Yes, any policy the company sells | Medigap open enrollment, OAR 836-052-0138 |
| You already have a Medigap policy and want a different one | Yes, for the same or lesser benefits, from 30 days before to 30 days after your birthday each year | Oregon birthday rule, OAR 836-052-0143 |
| Anything else | Usually no; the company can review your health | — |
The birthday rule's text covers anyone currently enrolled in a Medicare supplement policy and doesn't say the policy must have been bought in Oregon. It doesn't apply to policies issued before 1990. The Oregon Division of Financial Regulation, which regulates Medigap in Oregon, can answer questions at 1-888-877-4894. See Medigap in Oregon.
The Oregon Health Plan and Medicare Savings Programs
Medicaid and Medicare Savings Programs are run by each state, so they end when you leave your old state and you must apply in Oregon. Oregon's Medicaid program is the Oregon Health Plan (OHP). Most OHP members with Medicare have "OHP with Limited Drug," with drugs covered by Medicare Part D, and get care through a coordinated care organization (CCO) in their area; OHA's CCO page shows which CCOs serve each area.
Oregon's Medicare Savings Programs, run by the Oregon Department of Human Services, can pay your Part B premium, and Oregon has no asset limit for them, which may differ from your old state. Apply at one.oregon.gov, at a local ODHS office, or by calling 1-800-699-9075 (TTY 711). Getting or losing OHP or a Medicare Savings Program also opens a special enrollment period for Medicare plans. See the Oregon Health Plan and Medicare and Medicare Savings Programs in Oregon.
Retirees, veterans and tribal members
- Employer or retiree coverage from another state: ask your plan whether it works in Oregon before you move, and before you drop it. See employer coverage and Medicare in Oregon.
- Veterans: transfer your VA care to an Oregon VA facility, and check how TRICARE For Life works with your new providers. See veterans and Medicare in Oregon.
- Tribal members: IHS and tribal clinics in Oregon set their own eligibility rules. See tribal health and Medicare and Oregon's nine tribes.
Finding doctors in Oregon
Use Medicare's Care Compare to search for doctors, hospitals, nursing homes and other providers near your new ZIP code, and ask new doctors whether they accept Medicare assignment. If you join a Medicare Advantage plan, check that your doctors and hospital are in its network first. Much of rural Oregon relies on critical access hospitals and telehealth. Oregon also has a wildfire season; keep a list of your prescriptions and plan contacts, and see wildfires and Medicare.
Your moving checklist
- Tell Social Security your new address. Online or at 1-800-772-1213.
- Call your Medicare Advantage or Part D plan. Ask whether it serves your new Oregon county.
- Pick a new plan during your special enrollment period, if you need one. Check your county's choices first.
- Ask your Medigap company whether your policy or premium changes, and note your birthday-rule window.
- Apply for OHP or a Medicare Savings Program if you had Medicaid or help paying Medicare costs in your old state.
- Find new doctors and a pharmacy, and move your prescriptions.
To see plans for your new address, see plans for your ZIP code, or you can request a call from a licensed insurance agent to go over plans from the companies they work with, at no cost to you. You can also meet licensed insurance agents in Oregon. Leaving Oregon instead? See what happens if you move out of Oregon.
Sources
- Medicare.gov — Special Enrollment Periods (moving, Medicaid)
- Social Security — my Social Security account (change of address)
- eCFR — 42 CFR 422.74, disenrollment by the MA organization (absence from the service area)
- CMS — Choosing a Medigap Policy (moving, Medicare Select, guaranteed-issue rights)
- Or. Admin. Code § 836-052-0138, Medigap open enrollment, including people with disabilities who move to Oregon (via Cornell LII)
- Or. Admin. Code § 836-052-0142, guaranteed issue for eligible persons (via Cornell LII)
- Or. Admin. Code § 836-052-0143, birthday rule (via Cornell LII)
- Oregon Division of Financial Regulation — Contact us (consumer advocates)
- Oregon Health Authority — OHP and Medicare
- Oregon Department of Human Services — Medicare Savings Programs (no asset limit; how to apply)
- CMS — Part D public use file record layout (PDP Region 30: Oregon, Washington)
- CMS — Medicare Advantage and Part D Landscape files, contract year 2027 (plan counts)
- Medicare.gov — Care Compare
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to change my Medicare when I move to Oregon?
Original Medicare (Part A and Part B) stays the same; just give Social Security your new address. If you have a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan, call it to ask whether it serves your new Oregon county. If it doesn't, the move gives you a special enrollment period to choose a new plan.
How long do I have to pick a new plan after moving to Oregon?
If you tell your plan before you move, your special enrollment period starts the month before you move and lasts 2 full months after the month you move. If you tell it after you move, it starts the month you tell the plan and lasts 2 more full months. If your plan doesn't serve your new area and you do nothing, it will disenroll you.
Can I keep my Medigap policy if I move to Oregon?
Usually yes. A standard Medigap policy stays in force wherever you live in the U.S. as long as you pay the premium, though the premium may change. If you're leaving a Medicare Advantage plan because you moved out of its area, you have a guaranteed right to buy certain Medigap policies within 63 days after that coverage ends.
I'm under 65 with Medicare because of a disability. Can I buy Medigap after moving to Oregon?
Oregon requires Medigap companies to sell policies to people under 65 with Medicare. If you move here from a state that doesn't require that, Oregon's rule gives you a guaranteed right to buy a policy for 63 days after you establish Oregon residency (OAR 836-052-0138).
Does my Medicaid from another state carry over to the Oregon Health Plan?
No. Medicaid is run by each state, so you need to apply for OHP, and for a Medicare Savings Program, after you move. Apply at one.oregon.gov or call the ONE Customer Service Center at 1-800-699-9075 (TTY 711). Getting or losing Medicaid also gives you a special enrollment period for Medicare plans.
Medicare in your Oregon county
Plans, local agents and help, county by county: Multnomah · Washington · Clackamas · Lane · Marion · Jackson · Deschutes · Linn · Douglas · Yamhill · Benton · Polk · Josephine · Umatilla · Klamath · Coos · Columbia · Lincoln · Clatsop · Malheur · All 36 counties →
