Where I Work

Medicare help in Kentucky from a licensed independent agent

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

Kentucky

How I work with folks in Kentucky.

I help Kentuckians with Medicare. If you already have a Medigap policy, or you are under 65 and on Medicare because of a disability or kidney failure, Kentucky's 2024 Medigap changes may help, and I walk through them below.

If you are in western Kentucky, you are on Central time and I am on Eastern, an hour ahead.

Kentucky also has a no-cost, objective counseling service, SHIP, run by the Department for Aging and Independent Living, and I'm glad when clients use it.

Medicare in Kentucky: what's different here

Kentucky changed its Medicare Supplement law in 2023, effective January 1, 2024. Two changes stand out for Medigap shoppers: a yearly birthday rule, and a six-month window, after Part B starts, when people under 65 who have Medicare because of a disability or end-stage renal disease (ESRD, permanent kidney failure) can buy any Medigap plan an insurer sells here.

The birthday rule: if you already have a Medigap policy, you can switch to a different insurer for the same plan within 60 days of your birthday without being turned down or charged more because of your health (KRS 304.14-525). The law says "within sixty (60) days" of your birthday, so ask the insurer to confirm the exact dates of your window before you count on them.

The Department of Insurance says Medigap coverage is guaranteed renewable: as long as you pay the premium, the coverage can't be canceled.

Pre-existing conditions: any pre-existing condition waiting period is capped at six months, and it can apply only to a condition a doctor gave advice on, or recommended or gave treatment for, in the six months before coverage began.
Long-term care: Kentucky has a Long-Term Care Insurance Partnership Program. The Department of Insurance says that if you buy a qualifying partnership policy and are later found eligible for Medicaid, you can generally keep assets equal to what the policy paid out, and those assets would not be subject to estate recovery. Medicaid decides eligibility case by case.
By the numbers: about 1 million Kentuckians had Medicare in 2025, and roughly 54 percent of them were in Medicare Advantage or other Medicare health plans.

Turning 65 in Kentucky: key Medicare dates

In Kentucky, your six-month Medigap open enrollment starts the first month you are 65 or older and have Part B. During it, insurers must accept you and can't charge more because of your health.

I can help you think through your retirement date and when Part B should start, to help lower the risk of a coverage gap or a late enrollment penalty. What applies depends on your situation. Social Security handles the Part A and Part B application, online at ssa.gov/medicare/sign-up or through your local office.

Initial Enrollment Period: 7 months, starting 3 months before the month you turn 65 and ending 3 months after it.
Working past 65: if you or your spouse still work and have group health coverage through that job, you can generally wait on Part B without a penalty. Once the job or that coverage ends, you get an 8-month Special Enrollment Period.
Medicare Open Enrollment: October 15 – December 7 each year, with changes taking effect January 1.
Also January 1 – March 31: Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment, one change, only if you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan; and General Enrollment, if you missed your Initial Enrollment Period, with coverage starting the month after you sign up.
Moving: a move outside your plan's service area, or to an address with new plan options, generally opens a Special Enrollment Period to switch Medicare Advantage or drug plans, starting when you move (or earlier, if you tell your plan before you move) and lasting 2 full months after.

Help paying for Medicare in Kentucky

Nearly 178,000 Kentucky Medicare beneficiaries also had Medicaid help (dual eligibility) in 2025.

Medicare Savings Programs come through Kentucky Medicaid, run by the Department for Medicaid Services, and help certain lower-income Kentuckians with Medicare premiums, deductibles or coinsurance. Kentucky Medicaid decides who qualifies, not me, so ask them.

Extra Help is a Medicare program that helps people with limited income and resources pay Part D drug costs.

The state also has the Kentucky Prescription Assistance Program (KPAP), at 1-800-633-8100, which helps qualifying people find medications offered at no cost or low cost through drug-maker assistance programs.

I can point you to these programs and talk through how they fit with any plan you are considering.

Working with me from Kentucky

I can help people anywhere in Kentucky, including Louisville, Lexington, Covington and Florence in Northern Kentucky, Bowling Green, Owensboro, Elizabethtown and Paducah. My Kentucky work is all by phone and video. My in-person visits are around Chattanooga, north Georgia and northeast Alabama.

The Kentucky Department of Insurance regulates Medicare Supplement policies sold here. You can reach it at 502-564-3630, or toll-free inside Kentucky at 800-595-6053.

I'm licensed only in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.

Six product lines

What I can help with in Kentucky.

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

Medicare Advantage in Kentucky

Kentucky's birthday rule helps only people who already have a Medigap policy. If you joined Medicare Advantage when first eligible at 65 and decide within the first year to switch to Original Medicare, a federal trial right may let you buy a Medigap policy.

Prescription Drug Plans in Kentucky

Kentucky's KPAP line (1-800-633-8100) helps qualifying people find no-cost or low-cost medications offered by drug makers.

Medicare Supplements in Kentucky

If you already have a Medigap policy, Kentucky's birthday rule lets you switch insurers for the same plan within 60 days of your birthday, with no denial or higher rate for health. Ask the insurer to confirm your exact dates.

Life Insurance in Kentucky

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

Annuities in Kentucky

I'm licensed. I don't push. If you ask, we'll talk. If you don't, we won't.

Free, official help in Kentucky.

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.

Kentucky State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP)
877-293-7447
No-cost one-on-one Medicare counseling from the Department for Aging and Independent Living; press option 2. SHIP does not sell insurance.
Kentucky Department of Insurance – Consumer Protection
800-595-6053
Regulates Medicare Supplement policies sold in Kentucky; option 1 on this Kentucky-only toll-free line takes consumer complaints, and the Consumer Protection Division is also at 502-564-6034.
Kentucky Medicaid – Medicare Savings Program
The Department for Medicaid Services page on Medicare Savings Programs, which help with Medicare premiums, deductibles or coinsurance.
Medicare.gov and 1-800-MEDICARE
1-800-633-4227
Medicare's official website, managed and paid for by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services; TTY 1-877-486-2048.

FAQ

Medicare questions from Kentucky

Is John Morrison licensed to help with Medicare in Kentucky?

Yes. I am a licensed insurance producer in Kentucky, NPN 3680444. I hold licenses only in the eleven states named on this page, so if you live somewhere else, your own state's SHIP at shiphelp.org can point you to help. I'm not connected with or endorsed by Medicare, the Kentucky Department of Insurance, or any government agency.

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

Yes, during your six-month window. Insurers must offer every Medigap plan they sell in Kentucky to people under 65 on Medicare because of a disability or kidney failure (ESRD). The window starts the first month you have Part B, there is no pre-existing condition waiting period, and your rate can't be more than the insurer's weighted average rate for that same policy for people 65 and over. When you turn 65, the Department of Insurance says insurers should move you into the 65-and-over risk pool.

Can I change Medigap insurers in Kentucky without being turned down for my health?

Sometimes. Kentucky's birthday rule lets someone who already has a Medigap policy switch to a different insurer for the same plan within 60 days of their birthday, with no denial or higher rate for health. Other rights can apply in some situations, such as your six-month Medigap open enrollment period, or a federal trial right if you joined Medicare Advantage when first eligible at 65 and want to return to Original Medicare within the first year, so ask me or SHIP before you switch.

Who runs the no-cost Medicare counseling program in Kentucky, and how do I reach them?

Kentucky's State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) is run by the Department for Aging and Independent Living, and the statewide line is 877-293-7447, option 2. Counselors are local and trained, there is no charge, and SHIP does not sell insurance. You are welcome to use them for a second opinion, and I'm glad when clients do.

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

Medicare Savings Programs go through Kentucky Medicaid, run by the Department for Medicaid Services, which decides what you qualify for. Extra Help, for people with limited income and resources, goes through Social Security at ssa.gov, unless you have full Medicaid, a Medicare Savings Program or SSI, which makes it automatic.

Do you meet Kentucky clients in person, or by phone and video?

Phone and video. I am based in Soddy Daisy, Tennessee, and my in-person visits stay close to home: the Chattanooga area, north Georgia and northeast Alabama. From Paducah to Covington, we talk by phone or video.

Where do I turn with a problem with a Medicare plan or Medigap policy in Kentucky?

For a Medicare Supplement policy, you can file a consumer complaint with the Kentucky Department of Insurance toll-free inside Kentucky at 800-595-6053, option 1, or reach its Consumer Protection Division at 502-564-6034. For questions about a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan, you can call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), TTY 1-877-486-2048, or talk with a SHIP counselor at 877-293-7447, option 2. To report suspected insurance fraud, you can use the Department of Insurance's online Uniform Suspected Insurance Fraud Reporting Form, which goes to its Division of Insurance Fraud Investigation.

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.

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