Medicare in Utah

In 2018, 36% of people with Medicare in Utah were enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans, the other 64% of Utah’s Medicare beneficiaries had opted for Original Medicare instead.⁹ But as is the case nationwide, Medicare Advantage plans are becoming increasingly popular: As of March 2023, Medicare Advantage plans covered almost half of the state’s total Medicare population.¹ (Utah has tracked very close to the national average, which stood at about 48% as of March 2023)¹⁰

Medicare Advantage plans are available throughout Utah in 2023, but quite a few counties have fewer than 5 plans available, while others have almost 30.²

Medicare beneficiaries can switch between Medicare Advantage plans and Original Medicare (and can add or drop a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan) during the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period, which runs from October 15 to December 7 each year. Medicare Advantage enrollees also have the option to switch to a different Medicare Advantage plan or to Original Medicare during the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, which runs from January 1 to March 31.¹¹

• Read our guide to Medicare’s open enrollment.
• Understand the difference between Medigap, Medicare Advantage, and Medicare Part D.

According to AHIP, 81,726 Utah residents were enrolled in Medigap plans in 2023,¹² to supplement their Original Medicare coverage.

Learn how Medigap plans are regulated and standardized.

The Utah Insurance Department offers a Medigap plan comparison tool that allows residents to view available plans and premiums.

Federal rules only ensure guaranteed-issue access to Medigap coverage during a person’s initial six-month enrollment window (starting when they’re at least 65 and enrolled in Medicare Part A and B), and during limited special enrollment periods. Federal rules do not provide any sort of annual Medigap enrollment window. Federal rules also do not ensure access to Medigap policies for beneficiaries under the age of 65.

Utah’s Medigap birthday rule

States can go beyond the federal minimums, by establishing additional enrollment and plan change opportunities. Several states have implemented Medigap “birthday rules” to provide an annual plan change opportunity, and Utah joined them in 2025.

Under legislation that took effect in May 2025, Utah Medigap enrollees have an annual 60-day window, starting on their birthday, when they can enroll in a plan with equal or lesser benefits, offered by their current insurer.¹³

So, for example, a person with Medigap Plan F can use their birthday enrollment window to switch to Plan G from the same insurer they already use. But the limitation on staying with the same insurer is more restrictive than the limits imposed by most other states that have created plan change windows linked to enrollees’ birthdays.

No Medigap plans available for beneficiaries under age 65

Although Utah now ensures at least a limited amount of plan change flexibility for people with Medigap, the state does not require Medigap insurers to offer coverage to Medicare beneficiaries who are under age 65.

As of October 2025, zero Medigap plans were available in Utah for new applicants under the age of 65.¹⁴

The majority of the states have taken action to ensure that at least some Medigap plans are available to people who are under 65 and eligible for Medicare due to a disability. But Utah is not among them.

In past years, a very limited number of Medigap policies were offered to Utah applicants under the age of 65. But the Utah Insurance Department reported that as of 2022, only 1.3% of all Medigap enrollees in Utah were under the age of 65.¹⁵ The Insurance Department’s report noted that the low enrollment among people under age 65 was likely because Utah does not require Medigap insurers to make their products available to people under the age of 65.

In 2021, the Utah Insurance Department submitted a recommendation to the legislature that the state should enact legislation to require Medigap insurers to offer their policies to disabled Medicare beneficiaries.¹⁶ But the legislature had not taken action on this by the fall of 2025.

Original Medicare does not cover outpatient prescription drugs. As noted above, more than 80% of Original Medicare beneficiaries nationwide have supplemental coverage via an employer-sponsored plan (from a current or former employer or spouse’s employer) or Medicaid, and these plans often include prescription coverage. But Medicare beneficiaries who don’t have prescription drug coverage through Medicaid or an employer-sponsored plan need to obtain Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage. Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage can be purchased as a stand-alone plan, or as part of a Medicare Advantage plan that includes Part D prescription drug coverage.¹⁷

In 2023 in Utah, there are 23 stand-alone Medicare Part D plans for sale, with premiums starting at $5.10 per month.³

As of March 2023, 129,722 Medicare beneficiaries in Utah had stand-alone Medicare Part D prescription drug plans.¹ But even more — 207,152 — had Part D prescription drug plans as part of their Medicare Advantage plans.¹

Medicare Part D prescription drug plans enrollment follows the same schedule as Medicare Advantage plans: Beneficiaries can select a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan when they’re first eligible for Medicare, and there’s an annual window (October 15 to December 7) when beneficiaries can enroll or make changes to their Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage.

Need help with your Medicare application in Utah, or have questions about Medicare eligibility in Utah? These resources provide free assistance and information.

• Contact the Utah Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIP), for questions about Medicare coverage in Utah.
• Visit the Utah Insurance Department website.
• Learn how Medicaid helps Medicare beneficiaries who have limited income and assets.
• Go to the Medicare Rights Center website, which provides offer helpful content geared to Medicare beneficiaries, caregivers, and professionals.