Medicare in Mississippi

Medicare enrollment in Mississippi

As of February 2026, there were 654,425 people with Medicare in Mississippi.¹

For most people, filing for Medicare benefits goes along with turning 65. Most individuals become eligible for premium-free Medicare Part A when they turn 65, and are either automatically enrolled (if they’re already receiving Social Security benefits) or can apply for coverage starting three months before they turn 65.

But Medicare eligibility is also triggered once a person has been receiving disability benefits for 24 months, or when a person has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Nationwide, about 9% of all Medicare beneficiaries are eligible due to disability,² but almost 15% of people with Medicare in Mississippi are under the age of 65 and disabled.¹

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

Medicare Advantage plan availability and enrollment in Mississippi

As of February 2026, 45% of Mississippi Medicare beneficiaries were enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans,¹ mirroring the nationwide trend towards increasing Medicare Advantage enrollment. (Nationwide, Advantage enrollment had grown to about 51% of all Medicare beneficiaries by early-2026.)²

There are Medicare Advantage plans for sale in all 82 counties in Mississippi for 2026, although the number of available plans varies widely across the state. The average Medicare beneficiary in Mississippi can choose from among 26 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 Mississippi

As of 2026, there are 23 insurers licensed to sell Medigap plans in Mississippi.⁴ And 162,783 people had Medigap coverage in Mississippi as of December 2024, according to an AHIP analysis.⁵

The Mississippi Insurance Department last published a Medigap Shopper’s Guide in 2022, so the list of participating insurers in that document is potentially outdated.⁶ But consumers can see current plan availability by using Medicare’s Medigap shopping tool.

Medigap plans differ from other private Medicare coverage (Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D plans) in that there is not an annual open enrollment window for Medigap. Instead, people are given a single six-month guaranteed-issue window that begins when they are at least age 65 and enrolled in Medicare Part B. (You have to be enrolled in both Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B to buy a Medigap plan).

Federal rules do not guarantee access to Medigap plans for people who are under 65 and enrolled in Medicare due to a disability. But Mississippi is one of the majority of the states that have implemented rules to ensure at least some access to Medigap coverage for people under age 65.

In Mississippi, people who become eligible for Medicare under the age of 65 are granted the same six-month open enrollment window for Medigap as people who gain eligibility for Medicare when they turn 65. Insurers have to offer all of their Medigap plans to disabled enrollees, but the premiums can be higher – the state notes that they can be up to 50% higher than the rates that apply to people who are 65 years old.⁶ A disabled beneficiary under age 65 will have another Medigap open enrollment period upon turning 65, allowing them the option to switch plans and enroll at a lower price than they were paying before turning 65.

Learn how Medigap plans are regulated and standardized.

Medicare Part D plan availability and enrollment in Mississippi

There are 10 stand-alone Medicare Part D plans for sale in Mississippi for 2026, with monthly premiums starting at $0/month.⁷

As of February 2026, there were 522,139 Mississippi Medicare beneficiaries with Medicare Part D coverage.¹ That included 248,150 with stand-alone Medicare Part D plans, and 273,989 who had Medicare Part D coverage 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 Mississippi

Have questions about Medicare enrollment or Medicare eligibility in Mississippi?

• • The Mississippi Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) provides information and assistance with a wide range of issues related to Medicare coverage in Mississippi.
  • The Mississippi Insurance Department has a resource page for state residents who need help or have questions about Medicare in Mississippi, and a useful Medigap shopper’s guide (although this has not been updated since 2022, so consumers should use Medicare’s plan finder tool to see an updated list of available plans). The Insurance Department can can assist with a range of insurance-related inquiries and complaints.
  • The Medicare Rights Center provides helpful information geared to Medicare beneficiaries, caregivers, and professionals.