Medicare help in Arkansas from a licensed independent agent
I'm John Morrison, an independent insurance agent licensed in Arkansas (NPN 3680444) and based in Soddy Daisy, Tennessee. I'm not connected with or endorsed by the United States government or the federal Medicare program.
How I work with folks in Arkansas.
If you're under 65 and on Medicare because of a disability, Arkansas generally gives you a Medigap window of your own. For six months, starting the month you first enroll in Part B, every Medigap insurer must offer you at least one of its standardized plans without turning you down for your health. I help people use windows like that before they close, and weigh Medicare Advantage, Part D and Medigap against their doctors and prescriptions.
We meet by phone or video, with your Medicare card, doctor list and pill bottles on your kitchen table. I keep Eastern time, so I'm an hour ahead of you.
Arkansas also has a free counseling program, the Arkansas Senior Health Insurance Information Program (AR SHIIP), run by the Arkansas Insurance Department.
Medicare in Arkansas: what's different here
Most of Medicare is federal and works the same in Little Rock as in Chattanooga. What changes by state is mostly the Medigap rulebook, the programs that help pay costs, and who you call for help.
- Under 65 and on Medicare because of a disability: the six-month window described above comes from Act 684 of 2017 and Insurance Department Rule 27.
- Medigap open enrollment at 65 (federal law, also written into Arkansas's rule): six months, beginning the first month you are both 65 or older and enrolled in Part B. An insurer can't deny you or charge you more for your health, and health questions are not required.
- 30-day free look: every Medigap policy in Arkansas must let you return it within 30 days of delivery and get your premium back, for any reason.
- About 683,000 Arkansans are enrolled in Medicare, as of CMS's 2026 figures.
- CMS counts 91 Medicare Advantage plans and 12 stand-alone Part D drug plans available in Arkansas for 2026.
- In 2025, roughly 46 percent of people with Medicare in Arkansas were in Medicare Advantage or other Medicare health plans, per CMS enrollment data.
Turning 65: the federal dates and Arkansas's Part B clock
These dates are federal, the same in every state. Arkansas adds a Medigap window for people under 65 on Medicare because of a disability, and it starts the month you first enroll in Part B. The Medigap open enrollment window at 65 is federal and starts once you are both 65 and on Part B. Either way, when you take Part B matters.
I help you decide whether to take Part B now or wait, and line it up with your retirement date. I don't file your Part A or Part B application. You sign up through Social Security, online at ssa.gov/medicare/sign-up, or by sending forms to your local Social Security office (find it at ssa.gov/locator).
- Initial Enrollment Period: 7 months. It starts 3 months before the month you turn 65 and ends 3 months after it.
- Are you or your spouse still working at 65, with employer group health insurance through that job? You can generally wait on Part B without a late enrollment penalty. Once that job ends, or the coverage ends if that happens first, you get an 8-month Special Enrollment Period to sign up for Part B.
- Medicare Open Enrollment: October 15 – December 7 each year. Changes take effect January 1 of the next year, as long as the plan gets your request by December 7.
- Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment: January 1 – March 31, only if you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan, and you get one change.
- General Enrollment: January 1 – March 31 if you missed your Initial Enrollment Period. Coverage starts the month after you sign up.
Help paying for Medicare in Arkansas
Medicare Savings Programs in Arkansas run through Arkansas Medicaid at the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS). The state lists them by their initials: QMB, SMB, QI-1 and QDWI. They help pay Medicare premiums, and QMB also helps with Part B deductibles and copays. ARSeniors is a separate category that provides full Medicaid coverage to lower-income Medicare beneficiaries age 65 and older. Apply online at access.arkansas.gov. For an application form, contact your county DHS office or call 1-855-372-1084.
Extra Help with Part D costs is federal. If you have full Medicaid, a Medicare Savings Program, or SSI (Supplemental Security Income), you get it automatically. Otherwise, you apply through Social Security at ssa.gov. Nearly 3 in 10 Arkansans with a stand-alone Part D plan get Extra Help, per CMS's 2026 figures. AR SHIIP and its partners screen for it and look for other programs that may lower out-of-pocket Medicare costs.
I don't decide who qualifies or take these applications. I point you to the right office and explain how the answer changes your plan choice. These programs have income and asset limits, and I won't print them here.
Here is one more Arkansas program. I share it as general information, not as advice about qualifying for Medicaid. Arkansas has a Long-Term Care Partnership Program, set up under Insurance Department Rule 94, effective July 1, 2008. A Partnership-qualified long-term care policy generally lets you keep assets equal to the benefits it paid if you later apply for Medicaid. Buying one does not by itself qualify you for Medicaid. The Arkansas Insurance Department keeps a list of companies approved to sell Partnership-qualified policies.
Working with me from Arkansas
I can help people anywhere in Arkansas, from Little Rock and Northwest Arkansas to Fort Smith, Jonesboro and the small towns in between.
If you have questions about me or any agent, call the Arkansas Insurance Department's Consumer Services Division, which handles questions about insurance agents and companies, at 1-800-852-5494. Ask about John F. Morrison, NPN 3680444.
I'm licensed only in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.
What I can help with in Arkansas.
The same six things I help every client with, explained one at a time. Pick the one you’re wondering about.
Medicare Advantage in Arkansas
I don't offer every plan in your area, so I check the ones I can offer against your doctors and prescriptions.
Read more about Medicare AdvantagePrescription Drug Plans in Arkansas
AR SHIIP can screen you for Extra Help at no charge.
Read more about Prescription Drug PlansMedicare Supplements in Arkansas
Under Arkansas Rule 27, people under 65 on Medicare because of a disability generally get six months, starting the month they first enroll in Part B, when each Medigap insurer must offer at least one standardized plan without turning them down for their health.
Read more about Medicare SupplementsSS & Medicare Enrollment in Arkansas
The soup-to-nuts walk-through. The thing nobody else does.
Read more about SS & Medicare EnrollmentLife Insurance in Arkansas
Take care of family. Take care of the bill. No drama.
Read more about Life InsuranceAnnuities in Arkansas
I'm licensed. I don't push. If you ask, we'll talk. If you don't, we won't.
Read more about AnnuitiesPlan availability varies by state and county. Final recommendations are individualized to each client's situation.
Free, official help in Arkansas.
These are government and nonprofit offices, not sales lines. I point clients to them all the time, and I’d rather you hear the rules from them too than take my word alone.
- Arkansas Senior Health Insurance Information Program (AR SHIIP)
Free one-on-one Medicare counseling by phone or in person, plus Extra Help screening.
- Arkansas Insurance Department, Consumer Services Division
Handles questions and complaints about insurance companies, agents and adjusters in Arkansas.
- Arkansas Medicaid (DHS): Medicare Savings Programs
Apply online at access.arkansas.gov for QMB, SMB, QI-1, QDWI or ARSeniors, or call for a form.
- Arkansas Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP)
Report suspected Medicare fraud, billing errors or abuse. Housed at the Arkansas Insurance Department.
- Medicare.gov and 1-800-MEDICARE
The federal government's Medicare website, managed and paid for by CMS. TTY 1-877-486-2048.
Medicare questions from Arkansas
Is John Morrison licensed to help with Medicare in Arkansas?
Can I buy a Medicare Supplement in Arkansas if I'm under 65 and on Medicare because of a disability?
When can I buy a Medigap policy in Arkansas without being turned down for my health?
Who runs free Medicare counseling in Arkansas?
Where do I apply for a Medicare Savings Program or Extra Help in Arkansas?
Do you meet Arkansas clients in person, or by phone and video?
Is Southeast Retirement Solutions part of Medicare or the Arkansas government?
Where these facts come from
Checked against these official pages in September 2026. Medicare rules change every year, so if something here looks out of date, call me and I’ll check it for you.
- Senior Health Insurance Information Program (Arkansas.gov)
- AR SHIIP (Arkansas Insurance Department)
- Consumer Services (Arkansas Insurance Department)
- Health Care Eligibility Quick Reference (Arkansas DHS, January 2025)
- Act 684 of 2017 (Arkansas General Assembly)
- Rule 27: Minimum Standards for Medicare Supplement Policies (Arkansas Insurance Department)
- Code of Arkansas Rules, Title 23 Part 89: Medicare Supplement Policies
- Companies Approved To Offer Partnership Policies (Arkansas Insurance Department)
- Rule 94: Arkansas Long-Term Care Insurance Partnership Program (Arkansas Register)
- 2026 Medicare Advantage and Part D Landscape State-by-State Fact Sheet (CMS)
- Medicare Monthly Enrollment, Arkansas 2025 (CMS Data)
- Senior Medicare Patrol (Arkansas Insurance Department)
- When does Medicare coverage start? (Medicare.gov)
- Working past 65 (Medicare.gov)
- Get ready to buy a Medigap policy (Medicare.gov)
- Open Enrollment (Medicare.gov)
- Understanding Medicare Advantage & Medicare Drug Plan Enrollment Periods (CMS, March 2026)
- Help with drug costs (Medicare.gov)
- Medicare Savings Programs (Medicare.gov)
- About SHIPs (shiphelp.org)
- Contact Medicare (Medicare.gov)
- Ready to sign up for Part A & Part B (Medicare.gov)
We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.
Ready to talk? Let’s find 30 minutes.
No pressure. No quotas. I’ll listen, ask a few questions, and if I can help you I’ll tell you how. If I can’t, I’ll tell you that too.
I read every text. Even on Christmas.