Where I Work

Medicare help in Missouri from a licensed independent agent

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

Missouri

How I work with folks in Missouri.

I help Missourians with Medicare Advantage, Part D, and Medicare Supplements. Missouri has a Medigap rule worth knowing: each year, in the 30 days before or after your policy's anniversary date, you can move to the same plan letter with another company, and that company can't turn you down. I also help with Social Security timing, life insurance, and annuities.

We meet by phone or video. I'm on Eastern time, one hour ahead of Missouri, so we'll settle on the time zone when we schedule.

If you'd like free, unbiased help that doesn't come from an agent, Missouri SHIP counsels anyone on Medicare at 800-390-3330. They're not connected with me, and I'm glad when clients use them.

Medicare in Missouri: what's different here

Most Medicare rules are federal. Here is what Missouri's insurance department and Missouri rules say, mostly about Medigap.

  • Anniversary rule: each year, during the 30 days before or after your Medigap policy's anniversary date (the date your policy first started), you can switch to the same lettered plan with a different insurer. The new company cannot turn you down or impose a pre-existing-condition waiting period.
  • Under 65 and on Medicare because of Social Security disability: you have a guaranteed-issue right to buy a Medigap policy when you enroll in Part B. Missouri rules also say a company can't turn you down, add conditions, or charge you more because of your health if you apply within six months of first enrolling in Part B. If you have a Medigap policy, you generally get a second open enrollment period at 65.
  • 30-day free look: if you buy a Medigap policy, aren't satisfied, and cancel within 30 days, you can get a full refund.
  • If you pay your Medigap premium annually and cancel before the policy year ends, Missouri law requires the insurer to refund the unused portion.
  • Missouri's insurance department publishes a Medigap Shopping Guide and an online Medigap Rate Shopper Tool for comparing Medigap options.
  • Long-term care: Missouri's insurance department reminds retirees that Medicare offers very limited long-term care coverage, generally for no more than a few months.
  • Missouri's Long-Term Care Partnership Program: a partnership-qualified long-term care policy can let you keep assets equal to the benefits it paid if you later apply for MO HealthNet.

Turning 65 in Missouri: key Medicare dates

If you need to sign up for Part A and Part B, you do it through Social Security, online at ssa.gov or through your local Social Security office. I'll help you work out when to file based on your situation.

  • 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 past 65 and covered by an employer group health plan through that job? You can generally wait on Part B without a late enrollment penalty. Once you stop working, or lose that coverage if that happens first, you have an 8-month Special Enrollment Period to sign up.
  • Medigap Open Enrollment: under federal law, a 6-month window that starts the first month you have Part B and are 65 or older. During it a company cannot refuse to sell you any Medigap policy it offers or charge you more for health problems.
  • Medicare Open Enrollment: October 15 – December 7 each year. Changes take effect January 1 of the next year.
  • Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment: January 1 – March 31, for people already in a Medicare Advantage plan. You can make only one change during this window.
  • General Enrollment Period: January 1 – March 31, if you missed your Initial Enrollment Period. Coverage starts the month after you sign up.
  • Moving: if your new address is outside your plan's service area, or has new plan options, you generally get a Special Enrollment Period to switch to a new Medicare Advantage Plan or Medicare drug plan. It begins when you move and continues for 2 full months after.
  • Medicare Advantage trial right: if you joined a Medicare Advantage Plan when you were first eligible for Medicare at 65 and decide within the first year to switch to Original Medicare, you can drop the plan and have special rights to buy a Medigap policy. That chance lasts 12 months after you first join. The same applies if you dropped a Medigap policy the first time you joined a Medicare Advantage Plan and you're still in that 12-month trial period.

Help paying for Medicare in Missouri

Missouri's Medicaid program is called MO HealthNet. Its Medicare Savings Programs, including QMB (Qualified Medicare Beneficiary), SLMB, and QI-1, can help people with limited income pay Medicare premiums, and QMB can also help with deductibles and coinsurance. Apply through the Family Support Division. To see if you qualify for QMB, call them at 855-373-4636 or visit your local office.

Extra Help is a separate federal program that helps people with limited income and resources pay Part D premiums, deductibles, coinsurance, and other costs. You get it automatically with full Medicaid, a Medicare Savings Program, or SSI; otherwise you apply through Social Security at ssa.gov.

Missouri's State Pharmacy Assistance Program, the Missouri Rx Plan (MORx), coordinates with Part D but only covers people who have both Medicare and MO HealthNet, who are enrolled automatically.

Help like this can change which plans fit, so tell me about it before you choose a plan.

Working with me from Missouri

I can help people anywhere in Missouri, from the Missouri side of Kansas City to St. Louis, Springfield, Columbia, Jefferson City, Joplin, and Cape Girardeau. My in-person visits stay close to home around Chattanooga, Tennessee.

If you have a question about your insurance policy or want to file a complaint against an insurer, the Missouri Department of Commerce & Insurance runs an Insurance Consumer Hotline at 800-726-7390 (TTY 800-735-2966 or 711).

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

Six product lines

What I can help with in Missouri.

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

Medicare Advantage in Missouri

About 1.35 million Missourians had Medicare in 2025. Roughly 54 percent were in Medicare Advantage or other Medicare health plans, and the rest had Original Medicare.

Read more about Medicare Advantage

Prescription Drug Plans in Missouri

MORx only covers people with both Medicare and MO HealthNet. With Medicare alone and limited income and resources, look at Extra Help, which you apply for through Social Security.

Read more about Prescription Drug Plans

Medicare Supplements in Missouri

Missouri's anniversary rule lets you move to the same Medigap plan letter with another insurer each year, during the 30 days before or after your policy anniversary, without being turned down.

Read more about Medicare Supplements

SS & Medicare Enrollment in Missouri

Starting with the 2024 tax year, Missouri does not tax Social Security benefits for people 62 or older, or Social Security disability benefits, with no income limit. Ask a tax professional how it applies to you.

Read more about SS & Medicare Enrollment

Life Insurance in Missouri

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

Read more about Life Insurance

Annuities in Missouri

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

Read more about Annuities

Plan availability varies by state and county. Final recommendations are individualized to each client's situation.

Official help

Free, official help in Missouri.

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.

FAQ

Medicare questions from Missouri

Is John Morrison licensed to help with Medicare in Missouri?
Yes. I'm a licensed insurance producer in Missouri, NPN 3680444. 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 shiphelp.org or 1-877-839-2675.
Are you part of Medicare or the State of Missouri?
No. I work through Southeast Retirement Solutions, an independent, privately owned insurance agency. I'm not connected with or endorsed by the United States government, the federal Medicare program, the Missouri Department of Commerce & Insurance, or any Missouri agency. For official answers, call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), TTY 1-877-486-2048, or Missouri SHIP at 800-390-3330.
Can I buy a Medicare Supplement in Missouri if I'm under 65 and on Medicare because of Social Security disability?
Generally, yes. People under 65 who were approved for Social Security disability have a guaranteed-issue right to buy Medigap when they enroll in Part B. Missouri rules also say a company can't turn you down for your health if you apply within six months of first enrolling in Part B.
Can I switch Medigap companies in Missouri without being turned down for my health?
Sometimes. In the 30 days before or after your policy's anniversary date, you can switch to the same lettered plan with a different insurer without being turned down or given a pre-existing-condition waiting period. For a plan with more benefits, the new company may use health underwriting, and may say no or add a waiting period.
Who runs the free Medicare counseling program in Missouri, and how do I reach them?
Missouri SHIP, formerly Missouri CLAIM. It's funded by a federal grant, administered by the Missouri Department of Commerce & Insurance, and delivered by the nonprofit Missouri Connections for Health. Call 800-390-3330 or visit missouriship.org.
Where do I apply for a Medicare Savings Program or Extra Help in Missouri?
For a Medicare Savings Program, apply through the Family Support Division. To see if you qualify for QMB, call them at 855-373-4636 or visit your local office. For Extra Help, apply through Social Security at ssa.gov, unless you already get it automatically.
Do you meet Missouri clients in person, or by phone and video?
Phone and video. I'm based in Soddy Daisy, Tennessee, near Chattanooga, and my in-person visits stay close to home.

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) 991-5500Text instead

I read every text. Even on Christmas.

CallTextSchedule