Medicare in West Virginia

Medicare enrollment in West Virginia

As of February 2026, there were 456,214 people in West Virginia with Medicare coverage.¹

As of early 2026, about 14% of Medicare beneficiaries in West Virginia were under age 65 and eligible due to disability rather than age, versus 9% nationwide.¹²

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

Medicare Advantage plan availability and enrollment in West Virginia

As of February 2026, about 57% of West Virginia’s Medicare beneficiaries were enrolled in private Medicare Advantage plans.¹ The nationwide average is lower at 51%.²

There is a robust Medicare Advantage market in West Virginia. The number of available plans for 2026 ranges depending on the county, but the average Medicare beneficiary in West Virginia can choose from among 35 Medicare Advantage plans in 2026.³

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 West Virginia

There are 27 insurers that offer Medigap coverage in West Virginia.⁴ And according to data compiled by AHIP, there were 80,913 West Virginia Medicare beneficiaries with Medigap coverage as of 2024.⁵

Federal rules allow for a six-month guaranteed-issue window for Medigap plans, which begins when the person is at least 65 and enrolled in Medicare Part B (note that applications can be submitted within a reasonable timeframe in advance of this window).

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. The majority of the states have adopted rules to ensure at least some access to Medigap plans for under-65 enrollees, but West Virginia is not among them.

Information about West Virginia’s Medigap regulations is available here.

According to the West Virginia Office of the Insurance Commissioner, there is no state rule requiring Medigap insurers to offer coverage to people under 65, and most of the insurers choose not to. (People under 65 who are eligible for Medicare are, by definition, disabled, so their medical expenses can be expected to be higher than the average enrollee who qualifies for Medicare based on age alone.) But according to Medicare’s plan finder tool, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield offers multiple Medigap policies to Medicare beneficiaries under the age of 65, albeit with premiums that are higher than the age-65 rates.⁶ Disabled enrollees who have Medicare under the age of 65 are eligible for the regular Medigap open enrollment window when they turn 65. This gives them an opportunity to buy any available Medigap plan, at the regular age-65 rates.

West Virginia’s Medigap birthday rule

Starting in June 2026, West Virginia has a Medigap “birthday rule.” This allows someone whose Medigap policy has been in force for at least 24 months to switch to another Medigap policy, issued by their existing insurer (or an affiliated insurer), that provides equal or lesser benefits, during a 60-day window that starts on their birthday.⁷

West Virginia’s rule is more restrictive than the birthday rules that several other states have implemented, as most of them allow Medigap enrollees to switch to a plan of equal or lesser benefits offered by any insurer (instead of only the person’s existing insurer or an affiliated insurer). But the majority of states have no similar provision at all.

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

Medicare Part D plan availability and enrollment in West Virginia

Insurers in West Virginia offer 12 stand-alone Medicare Part D plans for 2026, with premiums starting at $6.60 per month.⁸

As of February 2026, there were 259,584 West Virginia Medicare beneficiaries with Part D coverage.¹ 184,409 had stand-alone Part D plans, while 175,175 had Part D coverage that was integrated with Medicare Advantage plans.¹

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 West Virginia

• The West Virginia State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) answers questions related to Medicare eligibility in West Virginia and provides assistance with the enrollment process.
• For beneficiaries with limited means (income and assets), this overview of how West Virginia Medicaid can assist beneficiaries is a helpful resource.
• The West Virginia Office of the Insurance Commissioner oversees, licenses, and regulates health insurance companies and the brokers and agents who sell policies to West Virginia residents. The WVOIC can answer questions, provide information, and address complaints related to any of the entities they regulate.
• The Medicare Rights Center provides assistance, education, and information about Medicare.