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Moving to Arizona with Medicare

Original Medicare works the same in Arizona as in any other state, and a Medigap policy usually stays with you. A Medicare Advantage or Part D plan from your old state generally doesn't serve Arizona, so a permanent move gives you a Special Enrollment Period to join an Arizona plan: if you tell your plan before you move, it starts the month before the move and ends 2 full months after. Medicaid doesn't transfer; you apply for AHCCCS.

By the Benefits Life Editorial Team, licensed insurance agents · Reviewed November 9, 2026

What moves with you and what doesn't

Medicare has pieces that are national and pieces that are local. Moving to Arizona permanently affects each one differently:

Coverage	What happens when you move to Arizona	What to do
Original Medicare (Part A and Part B)	Moves with you. Same card, same coverage.	Update your address with Social Security.
Medigap	Usually stays with you. The premium may change.	Tell the company your new address. Check if it's a SELECT policy.
Medicare Advantage	Generally doesn't serve Arizona if bought in another state.	Choose an Arizona plan during your moving Special Enrollment Period.
Stand-alone Part D	Plans are approved by region; an out-of-state plan generally isn't offered in Arizona.	Join a plan offered in Arizona during the same window.
Medicaid and Medicare Savings Programs	Don't transfer between states.	Apply for AHCCCS once you live in Arizona.

Original Medicare: update your address

Part A and Part B are federal, so nothing about them changes when you cross into Arizona. Any doctor, hospital or supplier in Arizona that accepts Medicare can treat you. What you do need to change is your address: Medicare gets it from Social Security. Update it online with a my Social Security account, by calling 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778), or at a local office. If you get Railroad Retirement benefits, update it with the Railroad Retirement Board instead. Your plans also need your new address.

Medicare Advantage and Part D: your moving Special Enrollment Period

A Medicare Advantage plan is approved for a service area, usually a list of counties, and a stand-alone Part D plan is approved for a region. A plan from Ohio, Illinois or California generally doesn't serve Arizona, even if the same company sells plans here. When you move permanently out of your plan's area, federal rules (42 CFR 422.62) give you a Special Enrollment Period to join a plan where you now live:

If you tell your plan before you move, the window starts the month before the month you move and lasts until 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.

Example: you move to Prescott in March and told your plan in January. Your window runs from February 1 through May 31. Ask the new plan which start date to choose so you don't have a gap.

Don't let it lapse. If you leave a Medicare Advantage plan's area and don't join a new plan, the plan must disenroll you and you return to Original Medicare. If that happens without Part D, you could be without drug coverage, and going 63 days or more without creditable drug coverage can mean a late penalty.

The same window applies if you move within Arizona to a county with different plan options. See Moving within Arizona: do I need a new plan? and all enrollment periods.

Medigap: keep it, or shop with care

A standard Medigap policy pays its share of Medicare-covered care from any provider in the U.S. that accepts Medicare, so it keeps working in Arizona. You can keep it as long as you have Original Medicare and pay the premium. Tell the company your new address: Medigap premiums are priced by where you live, so the company may reprice it for your Arizona ZIP code.

Switching to a different Medigap policy sold in Arizona is another matter. Arizona has no birthday rule or yearly right to switch (A.R.S. § 20-1133), so outside your one-time Medigap open enrollment period at 65 an Arizona insurer can ask health questions and may turn you down or charge more. Before you cancel a policy that works, make sure the new one has approved you in writing. See Can I change Medigap plans in Arizona?

Guaranteed-issue rights that come with a move

Federal law gives you a guaranteed right to buy a Medigap policy, without health questions, in two moving situations:

You move out of your Medicare Advantage plan's service area and go back to Original Medicare. You can buy Medigap Plan A, B, D, G, K or L (or C or F if you were eligible for Medicare before 2020) sold in Arizona. Apply as early as 60 days before your plan coverage ends and no later than 63 days after it ends.
You have a Medicare SELECT policy and move out of its area. You can buy a standard Medigap policy instead.

Keep the disenrollment letter from your old plan: it is your proof. More on whether Medigap is guaranteed issue in Arizona.

Medicaid doesn't transfer: apply for AHCCCS

Medicaid is a state program, so your old state's Medicaid, its Medicare Savings Program and any Medicaid-based plan end when you no longer live there. Arizona's Medicaid program is AHCCCS. Once you live in Arizona, apply through Health-e-Arizona Plus (1-855-HEA-PLUS, or 1-855-432-7587) or a DES Family Assistance Office. Points to know:

Arizona's Medicare Savings Programs (QMB, SLMB and QI-1) have no resource test, so you may qualify in Arizona even if your savings were too high in your old state. See Medicare Savings Programs in Arizona.
Losing Medicaid gives you a Special Enrollment Period of 3 full months to change your Medicare Advantage or Part D coverage.
If you need long-term care, Arizona's program is ALTCS, with its own medical and financial tests. If you have ALTCS for the elderly and physically disabled (ALTCS-EPD), the Medicare plan you choose can change which ALTCS plan you're in. See AHCCCS and Medicare.

Extra Help with Part D costs is a federal program run by Social Security. If you had it only because of your old state's Medicaid, apply for AHCCCS or for Extra Help directly so it doesn't lapse.

Permanent move or winter stay?

Only a change in your permanent residence opens the moving Special Enrollment Period. Your permanent residence is generally where you live most of the year and the address you use for things like voting, taxes and your driver's license; a P.O. box doesn't count. If you're a winter visitor keeping your home elsewhere, your plan stays with that home. A Medicare Advantage plan must disenroll you after more than 6 months in a row outside its area (up to 12 with a visitor/traveler program) under 42 CFR 422.74. Read Medicare for snowbirds and seasonal residents.

Your plan choices depend on your county

Arizona's Medicare Advantage plans are approved county by county, so where you settle shapes your options. For 2027, CMS lists these Medicare Advantage plans open to everyone:

Maricopa County (Phoenix, Mesa, Scottsdale, Sun City): 52 plans
Pima County (Tucson, Green Valley): 52 plans
Yavapai County (Prescott, Prescott Valley, Sedona area): 20 plans
Coconino County (Flagstaff): 13 plans
Mohave County (Lake Havasu City, Bullhead City, Kingman): 12 plans

Statewide there are 9 stand-alone Part D plans for 2027. Several companies end Medicare Advantage plans in Arizona for 2027: three stop selling regular plans in some counties, and others end some plans while keeping others, so if you're joining a plan now, check that it's offered for 2027 in your county; see Arizona plans ending in 2027. Find your new home on the county pages.

Finding doctors in Arizona

Line up care early, especially if you take regular prescriptions or see specialists:

Use Medicare's Care Compare to find doctors, hospitals and other providers that accept Medicare near your new address.
Call the office and ask whether it accepts Medicare and is taking new Medicare patients. If you choose a Medicare Advantage plan, ask whether it is in that plan's network; directories change.
Ask your current doctors for copies of your records and enough refills to bridge the move, and transfer prescriptions to an Arizona pharmacy in your new plan's network.
If you're a veteran, contact the VA to transfer your care to the Phoenix VA Health Care System, the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System (Tucson) or the Northern Arizona VA Health Care System (Prescott). See veterans and military.

Arizona summers bring their own health risks for older adults; see extreme heat and Medicare.

Your moving checklist

1 to 2 months before the move: tell your Medicare Advantage or Part D plan your moving date, so your Special Enrollment Period opens the month before you move.
Before the move: look up plans for your new Arizona county and check doctors and pharmacies.
Before the move: if you have a Medigap policy, ask the company how your premium will change at your new address and whether it's a SELECT policy.
The month you move: update your address with Social Security (or the Railroad Retirement Board).
Within 2 full months after the move: join an Arizona Medicare Advantage or Part D plan if you need one.
If you leave Medicare Advantage for Original Medicare: apply for Medigap within 63 days after your plan coverage ends to use your guaranteed-issue right.
As soon as you live in Arizona: if you had Medicaid or a Medicare Savings Program, apply for AHCCCS.
Keep: notices from your old plan, your enrollment confirmations and any creditable drug coverage letters.

To see what's sold where you're moving, see plans in your new ZIP code, or call (602) SENIORS (602-736-4677), TTY 711 to reach a licensed insurance agent with Benefits Life, at no cost to you, about plans from the companies they work with.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to re-enroll in Medicare when I move to Arizona?

No. Medicare Part A and Part B are national, so your coverage and your Medicare card stay the same. Update your address with Social Security (or the Railroad Retirement Board if you get railroad benefits) so Medicare and your plans have your Arizona address. What may need to change is a Medicare Advantage, Part D or Medicaid plan from your old state.

How long do I have to change my Medicare Advantage plan after moving to Arizona?

If you tell your plan before you move, your Special Enrollment Period starts the month before your move and lasts until 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 you don't join a new plan, you return to Original Medicare when your old plan disenrolls you.

Can I keep my Medigap policy if I move to Arizona?

Usually yes. A standard Medigap policy works with any provider in the U.S. that accepts Medicare, so you can keep it as long as you keep Original Medicare and pay the premium. Tell the company your new address; the premium may change. A Medicare SELECT policy is the exception, and moving out of its area gives you a guaranteed right to buy another policy.

Does my Medicaid move with me to Arizona?

No. Medicaid is run by each state, so your old state's coverage ends when you no longer live there. Apply for AHCCCS, Arizona's Medicaid program, through Health-e-Arizona Plus once you live in Arizona. That includes the Medicare Savings Programs, which have no resource test in Arizona.

I only spend winters in Arizona. Do I get a moving Special Enrollment Period?

No. A seasonal stay isn't a permanent move, so it doesn't open a Special Enrollment Period. Your plan is based on your permanent residence. If you keep a Medicare Advantage plan from another state, check how it covers care in Arizona and how long you can be away.

Medicare in your Arizona county

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