Your Medicare moves with you. What changes depends on which kind you have.
Original Medicare. Parts A and B stay exactly as they are. It works in every state, so the only job is finding Colorado doctors who take Medicare. Give Social Security your new address.
Medicare Advantage. These plans are tied to a service area, so the one you have now most likely won’t work here. The move opens a special window to pick a new plan. Tell your plan before you move and the window opens the month before your move, then runs two full months after it. Tell them afterward and it starts that month instead. If you don’t pick anything, you land in Original Medicare when the old plan drops you. Choices change by county, and our page on Medicare in Denver shows what the Front Range looks like.
Part D drug plan. Same idea. Drug plans are regional, so you choose a Colorado one in that same window.
Medigap. You can usually keep the policy you have, since it works with any doctor in the country who takes Medicare. Let the insurer know your new address, because the price can change with your zip code. Buying a different Medigap plan after the move is harder. Insurers can usually ask health questions, and our post on Colorado’s Medigap timing explains when they can’t.
One case worth knowing. If the move pushes you out of an Advantage plan and you’d like Original Medicare with a supplement, you get a guaranteed right to buy certain Medigap plans for a short time. It’s a rare open door, so it’s worth a look before it closes.
The order matters more than anything. Call your plan before the boxes are packed, and the dates work in your favor. Our team helps people moving here line up the new coverage so there’s no gap between states. Colorado also has free Medicare counseling if you’d like another set of eyes.