Medicare in Hawaii

Medicare enrollment in Hawaii

As of February 2026, 314,705 Hawaii residents¹ were enrolled in Medicare.

For most people, filing for Medicare is part of turning 65. But Medicare coverage is also available to people under the age of 65 who have been receiving disability benefits for at least two years, or who have been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Nationwide, 91% of Medicare beneficiaries are eligible due to being at least 65 years old, while the other 9% are under 65.²

Hawaii has the smallest percentage of disabled Medicare beneficiaries of any state in the country; about 5% of Hawaii Medicare beneficiaries are under age 65. The other 95% of Hawaii’s Medicare beneficiaries are age 65 or over.¹

• Read about Medicare’s open enrollment period and other important enrollment deadlines.
• Learn how Hawaii’s Medicaid program can provide assistance to Medicare beneficiaries with limited income and assets.

Medicare Advantage plan availability and enrollment in Hawaii

Nationwide, 51% of all Medicare beneficiaries were enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans as of February 2026.³

Medicare Advantage enrollment in Connecticut is slightly higher than the national average at 57%.⁴

Learn more about Medicare Advantage, Medicare’s annual open enrollment period, and the Medicare Advantage open enrollment period.

Sources: Medicare Advantage 2026 Spotlight: A First Look at Plan Offerings, KFF.org, Dec. 9, 2025; Fact Sheet: Medicare Open Enrollment for 2026, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Sep. 26, 2025

Medicare supplement (Medigap) plan availability in Hawaii

As of 2026, there were 10 insurance companies licensed to offer individual Medigap plans in Hawaii,⁵ and according to an AHIP analysis, 13,449 people in Hawaii had Medigap coverage as of late 2023.⁶

Medigap plans are standardized under federal rules, although states can add their own regulations. Hawaii’s Medigap regulations are available here.

The state also requires (see §16-12-6.2) all Medigap insurers to offer all plans on a guaranteed-issue basis (and without adjusting premiums based on medical underwriting) to any enrollee during the six-month window that begins when the person is enrolled in Medicare Part B. This applies regardless of age in Hawaii. Federal law grants a six-month guaranteed-issue open enrollment window, but only when people are enrolled in Part B and also age 65. So Hawaii’s law extends the same protections to people who are under 65 and eligible for Medicare as a result of a disability. As noted above, Medicare in Hawaii has the nation’s lowest percentage of beneficiaries who are eligible due to a disability.

The majority of the states have adopted rules to ensure at least some access to Medigap plans for enrollees under the age of 65, but unlike most of them, Hawaii also prohibits Medigap insurers from charging higher premiums for people under the age of 65, based on their disability. So while it’s common to see under-65 Medigap policies sold in other states with premiums that are well above the age-65 premiums, that’s not the case in Hawaii.

Learn what Medigap covers, who’s eligible for Medigap and when you can enroll.

Medicare Part D plan availability and enrollment in Hawaii

There are 8 Medicare Part D standalone prescription drug plans offered by insurers in Hawaii for 2026, with premiums starting at $0.⁷

As of February 2026, there were 77,604 people with Medicare in Hawaii who were covered by stand-alone Medicare Part D prescription drug plans.¹ Another 161,582 beneficiaries had Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage integrated with their Medicare Advantage plans,¹ so the majority of Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage in Hawaii is provided via Medicare Advantage plans as opposed to stand-alone Medicare Part D prescription drug plans.

(Most Medicare Advantage plans include Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage; stand-alone Medicare Part D prescription drug plans are usually used to supplement Original Medicare, since it never includes prescription coverage.)

Learn how Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage works, what it pays for, how and when to enroll.

Source: Fact Sheet: Medicare Open Enrollment for 2026, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Sep. 26, 2025

Resources for Medicare beneficiaries in Hawaii

For more information about Medicare benefits in Hawaii or for assistance applying for Medicare coverage, try one of these resources.

• Visit the Hawaii State Health Insurance Assistance Program website with questions related to Medicare in Hawaii.
• Read an overview of Medicare from Hawaii’s Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund.
• See a list of insurers licensed to offer Medigap plans in Hawaii.
• The Medicare Rights Center website is also an excellent resource for Medicare-related questions. You can also call their national helpline number: 1-800-333-4114.