Where I Work

Medicare help in Georgia from a licensed independent agent

I'm John Morrison, an independent insurance agent licensed in Georgia (NPN 3680444) and based in Soddy Daisy, Tennessee. I'm not connected with or endorsed by Medicare, the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire, or any government agency.

Georgia

How I work with folks in Georgia.

People in Georgia often have the same questions: choosing a Medicare Advantage or Part D drug plan, deciding whether a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) fits, and lining up Social Security and Medicare so nothing starts late. I'd rather you ask me hard questions than decide in a hurry.

Georgia also has a no-cost counseling program, Georgia SHIP, whose counselors don't sell insurance and aren't affiliated with any insurance company. I'm glad when clients call them too.

What to know about Medicare in Georgia

If you're under 65 and got Medicare because of a disability or end-stage renal disease, this is the rule to know. State law (Georgia Code section 33-43-3) says companies that sell Medigap to people 65 and older must also offer it to you. Under Georgia law, you generally have six months from enrolling in Part B to buy a Medigap policy. The key dates are below. If you're inside that window, it's a good time to ask questions.

As of June 2026, about 56 percent of Georgia's roughly 2.03 million Medicare-eligible residents were in a Medicare Advantage plan, per CMS enrollment data. That doesn't make it right for you.

Georgia's rules also give the protections below. They apply only in the situations the rules describe, and whether one applies to you depends on your situation.

Pre-existing conditions: a Georgia Medigap policy can't exclude or limit benefits for a pre-existing condition for more than six months after your coverage starts.
Guaranteed issue: Georgia's Medigap regulation (Chapter 120-2-8) gives guaranteed-issue rights (a company can't turn you down for certain policies) to some people who lose certain other coverage.

Georgia Medicare enrollment: key dates

I explain the timing, figure out which windows may apply to you, and help line Medicare up with your retirement date to avoid gaps or overlaps. If you need to sign up for Part A or Part B, you do that through Social Security, online at ssa.gov/medicare/sign-up or through your local Social Security office.

Initial Enrollment Period: 7 months, starting 3 months before the month you turn 65 and ending 3 months after it.
Still working past 65 (you or your spouse) with group coverage through that job: you can generally wait on Part B without a late penalty, then get an 8-month Special Enrollment Period once the job or coverage ends.
Medigap open enrollment: under federal law, 6 months, starting the first month you are 65 or older and have Part B. During it a company can't refuse to sell you any Medigap policy it offers, or charge you more because of health problems you already have. Georgia's Medigap regulation (Chapter 120-2-8) also provides an open enrollment period for people 65 or older who are enrolled in Part B.
Under 65 on Medicare because of a disability or end-stage renal disease: under Georgia law, you can generally enroll in a Medigap policy within six months of enrolling in Part B.
Medicare Open Enrollment: October 15 – December 7 every year; changes take effect January 1 of the next year.
Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment: January 1 – March 31, only if you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan, and only one change.
General Enrollment Period: January 1 – March 31 if you missed your Initial Enrollment Period; coverage starts the month after you sign up.

Help paying for Medicare in Georgia

Georgia Medicaid offers Medicare Savings Programs. QMB (Qualified Medicare Beneficiary) is designed to help pay the Part B premium, any Part A premium you owe, and Medicare deductibles and coinsurance for people who meet its income and resource limits. SLMB and QI pay the monthly Medicare Part B premium only. You apply through your local Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS) office, by completing Form 700, or online at gateway.ga.gov.

Extra Help is a separate, federal program. It helps people with limited income and resources pay Part D premiums, deductibles, coinsurance and other drug costs. CMS's 2026 fact sheet says 28.4 percent of Georgians with a stand-alone drug plan get it. With full Medicaid, a Medicare Savings Program or SSI, you get it automatically. Otherwise you apply through Social Security.

Georgia also has a Long-Term Care Partnership Program. For every dollar a Partnership long-term care policy pays in benefits, a dollar of assets can be protected from the Medicaid long-term care asset limit.

Working with me from Georgia

I can help you from anywhere in Georgia, whether you live in Atlanta, Savannah, Valdosta or a small town in between. If you're in north Georgia, around Dalton or Rome for example, we can meet in person. Everywhere else we meet by phone or video.

To check my license, use the License Lookup on the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire website, oci.georgia.gov.

I'm licensed only in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. If you have family in Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, North Carolina or South Carolina, I'm licensed there too.

Six product lines

What I can help with in Georgia.

The same six things I help every client with, explained one at a time. Pick the one you’re wondering about.

Medicare Advantage in Georgia

Most coverage for the least out-of-pocket — for most of the seniors I talk to.

Prescription Drug Plans in Georgia

Per CMS's 2026 fact sheet, more than one in four Georgians with a stand-alone Medicare drug plan get Extra Help, which you apply for through Social Security unless you get it automatically.

Medicare Supplements in Georgia

Georgia law requires companies that sell Medigap to people 65 and older to also offer it to people under 65 on Medicare because of disability or end-stage renal disease, who can generally enroll within six months of enrolling in Part B.

Life Insurance in Georgia

Take care of family. Take care of the bill. No drama.

Annuities in Georgia

Georgia's insurance commissioner urges seniors to take precautions and make an informed decision before buying an annuity.

Free, official help in Georgia.

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.

Georgia SHIP (State Health Insurance Assistance Program)
Medicare counseling from counselors who aren't affiliated with any insurance company and don't sell insurance.
Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire (Consumer Services Division)
(800) 656-2298
Regulates Georgia's insurance companies and agents and takes complaints about either; its License Lookup at oci.georgia.gov confirms an agent's license.
Georgia Medicaid (Georgia Department of Community Health)
(877) 423-4746
Georgia Medicaid's toll-free line. Offers QMB, SLMB and QI; the state decides which program you qualify for.
Medicare.gov
1-800-633-4227
The official federal Medicare site; 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), TTY 1-877-486-2048.

FAQ

Medicare questions from Georgia

Is John Morrison licensed to help with Medicare in Georgia?

Yes. I'm a licensed insurance producer in Georgia, NPN 3680444. You can confirm that with the License Lookup on the Georgia insurance commissioner's website, oci.georgia.gov. I'm licensed only in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. If you live elsewhere, your own state's SHIP can help at no cost: shiphelp.org or 1-877-839-2675. I'm not connected with or endorsed by Medicare, the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire, or any government agency.

Can I buy a Medicare Supplement in Georgia if I'm under 65 and on Medicare because of a disability?

Generally, yes. State law (Georgia Code section 33-43-3) requires any company that sells Medigap to people 65 and older to also offer it to people under 65 who have Medicare because of a disability or end-stage renal disease. Under Georgia law, you generally have six months from enrolling in Medicare Part B to buy a Medigap policy.

When can I get a Medigap policy in Georgia without being turned down because of my health?

It depends on your situation. Georgia's Medigap regulation (Chapter 120-2-8) provides a six-month open enrollment period that starts the first month you're both 65 or older and enrolled in Part B. The regulation also gives guaranteed-issue rights to some people who lose certain other coverage. Federal rules also give you special rights to buy a Medigap policy in two cases. One is if you joined a Medicare Advantage plan when you were first eligible at 65. The other is if you dropped a Medigap policy to join one for the first time. In both cases, the right applies only if you switch to Original Medicare within 12 months of joining. These protections apply only in the situations the rules describe.

Is there no-cost Medicare counseling in Georgia, and how do I reach it?

Yes. It's Georgia SHIP, the State Health Insurance Assistance Program. Its page is aging.georgia.gov/georgia-ship-0. Its counselors aren't affiliated with any insurance company and don't sell insurance, so they can help you understand your choices and apply for programs that lower your out-of-pocket costs. You can also reach it through the national SHIP locator at shiphelp.org or 1-877-839-2675; there's no cost.

Where do I apply for a Medicare Savings Program or Extra Help in Georgia?

Medicare Savings Programs (QMB, SLMB and QI) come through Georgia Medicaid. Apply at your local Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS) office, by completing Form 700, or online at gateway.ga.gov. Georgia Medicaid's toll-free number is (877) 423-4746. Extra Help, which helps pay Part D drug costs, is federal. You get it automatically if you have full Medicaid, a Medicare Savings Program or SSI; otherwise you apply through Social Security at ssa.gov. The state and Social Security handle the applications, not me.

Can I meet with a Medicare agent in person in north Georgia?

Yes. I'm based in Soddy Daisy, Tennessee, just north of Chattanooga, so for folks in north Georgia we can meet in person. For the rest of the state, Atlanta to Savannah, we meet by phone or video.

How do I complain about an insurance company or agent in Georgia?

Call the Consumer Services Division of the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire at (800) 656-2298 or (404) 656-2070. It reviews whether a company or agent violated Georgia insurance law. For suspected insurance fraud, the same office has a Fraud Tip Line at (404) 463-0953. For questions about Medicare itself, Medicare's number is 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), TTY 1-877-486-2048.

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.

Medicare Compliance Notice

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.

Schedule a Call (423) 991-5500 Text instead

I read every text. Even on Christmas.