I spend part of the year in another state. Will my Medicare go with me?

That depends on the coverage you pick. Original Medicare plus a Medicare Supplement is accepted by any provider in the country who takes Medicare. Most Medicare Advantage plans are tied to a local area, so a plan from North Carolina might only cover emergencies when you're away. It's worth settling before you enroll.

More detail

Picture this: you live in North Carolina most of the year and spend winters near family in another state. With Original Medicare, you can use any doctor or hospital in the U.S. that takes Medicare, so your winter checkups work the same way. A Medicare Supplement travels with you too. In general, you can keep it wherever you live, as long as you have Original Medicare.

Many Medicare Advantage plans work differently. You generally need to use the plan's network and service area for non-emergency care. Emergency care and urgent care away from home are covered, but a routine visit or a planned surgery in your other state may not be.

Where people get caught: they pick a plan for its monthly premium and find out later that their winter doctors aren't covered.

Before choosing, list: • Where you stay and for how long • Your doctors in each place • Your pharmacies in each place

Tell me how your year usually looks, and I'll check how each option fits.