Medicare in Missouri

About 34% of Missouri Medicare beneficiaries were enrolled in private Medicare Advantage plans in 2018⁷ (nationwide, the average was 35% at that point).⁸ The remaining 66% of the state’s Medicare beneficiaries had coverage under Original Medicare.⁷ By April 2023, 51% of Missouri’s Medicare beneficiaries were enrolled in private coverage (not counting Original Medicare beneficiaries who supplement their coverage with Medicare Part D prescription drug plans and/or Medigap plans).¹ That corresponds with the nationwide growth in Medicare Advantage enrollment: Roughly 49% of all Medicare beneficiaries nationwide were enrolled in private coverage as of April 2023.⁶

Missouri residents who seek Medicare Advantage enrollment can choose from a variety of different health plans. Plan availability varies from one county to another (where a given insurance company offers coverage is called its “service area.”)In some counties there are as few as 11 Medicare Advantage plans available in 2023, while other counties have more than 45 different Medicare Advantage plan options available to beneficiaries.²

Medigap policies are used to supplement Original Medicare, covering some or all of the out-of-pocket costs (for coinsurance and deductibles) that people would otherwise incur if they only had Original Medicare on its own.

There are 34 insurers that offer Medigap policies in Missouri as of 2023.⁴

The state created a helpful Medigap Rate Shopper Tool in 2019 that allows a user to enter some basic information and see prices for the Medigap plans available in their area (the state’s previous tool could only give a rough estimate based on age ranges).

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

But federal rules do not allow for any sort of annual open enrollment period for Medigap (like the annual open enrollment period that applies to Medicare Part D plans and Medicare Advantage plans), nor do federal rules guarantee access to a Medigap plan if you’re under 65 and eligible for Medicare as a result of a disability.

So in most states, people do not have a chance to switch to a new Medigap plan on a guaranteed-issue basis after their initial enrollment window ends. But Missouri’s “anniversary rule” allows enrollees an annual opportunity to change from one Medigap insurer to another (as long as both plans are the same letter; for example, from one Plan G to another Plan G) on a guaranteed-issue basis during a window that starts 30 days before the plan anniversary date and continues for 30 days after it.

So there’s a two-month period each year during which people with Medigap coverage can switch to a different Medigap plan (with the same coverage level as their current plan). This window is different for each enrollee, since it’s based on the date they initially got their plan.

And Missouri is among the majority of the states that have adopted rules to ensure at least some access to Medigap policies for enrollees under the age of 65. Missouri residents have access to the same six-month guaranteed-issue window for Medigap, regardless of whether they’re becoming eligible for Medicare in Missouri due to age or due to disability. The premiums are higher for enrollees under age 65, but not drastically so.

In many states, premiums are two to four times more expensive for people under 65; in Missouri, most insurers’ rates for people under 65 are not more than 35 percent higher than the rates that apply to people who are 65. This is because Missouri regulates how much Medigap insurers can charge under-65 enrollees: According to the terms of Missouri’s Code of State Regulations (see 20 CSR 400-3.650(11)(E)(1)(B)), under-65 Medigap rates for each insurer must be equal to the “weighted average aged premium rate.” This document shows how that’s calculated, but it essentially means that people under the age of 65 will end up paying premiums that are higher, but not significantly higher, than the rates charged for a 65-year-old.

Medicare enrollees are given another Medigap enrollment window when they turn 65, so they can then switch to lower-cost Medigap coverage at that point.

Original Medicare does not cover outpatient prescription drugs. Avenues for Medicare beneficiaries to secure needed prescription drug coverage include Medicaid, an employer-sponsored plan (offered by a current or former employer to supplement Medicare coverage), or a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan. Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage can be obtained with a stand-alone prescription drug plan (PDP) or as part of a Medicare Advantage plan that includes Medicare Advantage Part D prescription drug (MAPD) coverage. Nationwide, 89% of Medicare Advantage plans provide integrated MAPD coverage.²

As of April 2023, there were 420,705 Missouri Medicare beneficiaries with coverage under stand-alone Medicare Part D prescription drug plans. Another 618,569 people with Medicare in Missouri had Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage integrated with their Medicare Advantage plans at that point, for a total of more than a million Missouri Medicare beneficiaries with Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage.¹

Total Medicare Part D enrollment has been growing in Missouri as the overall population enrolled in Medicare increases. But the number of people with stand-alone Medicare Part D plans in Missouri has been dropping, while the number of people with Part D coverage integrated with Medicare Advantage plans has been rising. That’s in line with the national trend too: Medicare Advantage enrollment has been steadily increasing since the early 2000s, resulting in a larger percentage of the Medicare population getting their Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage as part of an Medicare Advantage plan.

For 2023 coverage, there are 23 stand-alone Medicare Part D prescription drug plans available in Missouri, with premiums starting at $5.80.⁹

The Medicare Part D prescription drug enrollment period is the same as the Medicare Advantage enrollment period each fall during the Annual Election Period. It runs from October 15 to December 7, with plan changes effective January 1.

Many Medicare beneficiaries receive financial assistance through Medicaid with the cost of Medicare premiums and services Medicare doesn’t cover – such as long-term care.

Our guide to financial assistance for Medicare enrollees in Missouri includes overviews of these programs, including long-term care benefits, Medicare Savings Programs, and eligibility guidelines for assistance.

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

• Contact Missouri SHIP (MO SHIP), the Missouri State Health Insurance Assistance Program that’s set up to help Missouri residents navigate various Medicare programs. Visit the MO SHIP website or call 1-800-390-3330.
• Use the Missouri’s Medigap Rate Shopper tool, which you can access on the Missouri Department of Insurance website, shows rate information for each Medigap insurer in the state, based on the plan selection, age, gender, tobacco use, and zip code.
• Visit the Medicare Rights Center. This website provides helpful information geared to Medicare beneficiaries, caregivers, and professionals.