Medicare in Kentucky

Medicare enrollment in Kentucky

As of January 2026, there were 1,005,002 people enrolled in Medicare in Kentucky.¹

Medicare eligibility depends mostly on age, but some beneficiaries are eligible because of a disability. About 86% of Kentucky’s Medicare population is eligible due to age (being at least 65), while the other 14% (about 145,000 people) are eligible due to a disability, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or end-stage renal disease (ESRD).¹ Nationwide, about 9% of Medicare beneficiaries are eligible due to a disability.²

Learn more about Medicare’s annual election period (October 15 to December 7), and about the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (January 1 to March 31).

Medicare Advantage plan availability and enrollment in Kentucky

About 55% of Kentucky Medicare beneficiaries were enrolled in private Medicare Advantage plans as of January 2026, which was a little higher than the national average of roughly 51%.¹²

The rest of the state’s Medicare beneficiaries – about 449,000 people – have opted instead for coverage under Original Medicare, which is Medicare Part A and Part B, administered directly by the United States government.³

Medicare Advantage plans are offered by private health insurers that have varying service areas, so plan availability varies from one part of the state to another. The average Medicare beneficiary in Kentucky has access to 28 Medicare Advantage plans in 2026.⁴

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

Medicare supplement (Medigap) enrollment and regulations in Kentucky

There are 35 insurers that offer Medigap plans In Kentucky for 2026.⁵ And as of 2023, according to an AHIP analysis, there were 213,693 Kentucky residents enrolled in Medigap plans.⁶

Medigap plans are standardized under federal rules, and people are granted a six-month window, when they turn 65 and enroll in Original Medicare, during which coverage is guaranteed issue for Medigap plans.

But federal rules do not guarantee access to a Medigap plan if you’re under 65 and eligible for Medicare as a result of a disability. Most states have adopted rules have adopted rules to ensure at least some access to Medigap plans for disabled enrollees, and Kentucky joined them starting in 2024, due to legislation the state enacted in 2023.⁷

Under the terms of the 2023 legislation:⁵

• Kentucky Medigap insurers are required to offer guaranteed issue coverage to Medicare beneficiaries under age 65 who submit an application within the first six months after their Medicare begins. And the insurers cannot charge these applicants premiums higher than the weighted average rates that apply to people age 65 and older.
• Kentucky created a “birthday rule,” which allows a person with Medigap to switch to another insurer’s Medigap plan (same letter as the plan they already have) within 60 days of their birthday, on a guaranteed-issue basis.

Enrollees can call the Medigap insurers directly, or reach out to the Kentucky State Health Insurance Assistance Program for assistance.

Learn more about Medigap, including how it’s standardized and what it covers.

Medicare Part D plan availability and enrollment in Kentucky

As of early 2026, 361,790 Medicare beneficiaries in Kentucky were enrolled in stand-alone Medicare Part D plans. Another 473,778 had Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage incorporated with their Medicare Advantage coverage.¹

For 2026 coverage, there are 10 stand-alone Medicare Part D plans available in Kentucky, with premiums starting at $0 per month.⁸

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