Medicare on Hilton Head Island
What to do at 65, the choice between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage, and what changes when you move to Hilton Head with Medicare.
Turning 65 on Hilton Head: The Checklist
Turning 65 here comes with a few dates you can’t miss. Here they are in order, or get the checklist by email.
Your sign-up window opens
Medicare’s 7-month sign-up window starts 3 months before the month you turn 65 and ends 3 months after it. Sign up for Part A and Part B through Social Security. If you already get Social Security benefits, you’re signed up for you.
Ask before you skip Part B
If you have health cover from a current job, ask the benefits office whether you can wait on Part B. When that cover or the job ends, you have 8 months to sign up without a penalty.
Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage
Original Medicare plus a Medigap policy and a Part D drug plan, or one Medicare Advantage plan. How they differ.
Your Medigap window
Your 6-month Medigap open enrollment starts the month your Part B starts. In those months an insurer can’t turn you down or charge you more for your health.
Don’t go without it
Get a Part D plan, or a Medicare Advantage plan with drug cover, when you first can. Going without it can mean a late penalty for as long as you have Medicare.
Part B: $202.90 a month
That’s the standard Part B premium in 2026, and the Part B deductible is $283 a year. Higher incomes pay more.
October 15 to December 7
Look over your drug plan or Medicare Advantage plan for the next year. Plans change their costs and drug lists every January.
Free, unbiased help
South Carolina’s Medicare counselors, I-CARE, help one-on-one at no cost: 1-800-868-9095.
Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage
With Original Medicare, you can see any doctor or hospital in the country that takes Medicare. Most people add a Medigap supplement policy, which pays much of what Medicare leaves to you, and a Part D plan for drugs. You pay more each month and less when you need care.
A Medicare Advantage plan, also called Part C, comes from a private insurer and replaces Original Medicare’s way of paying. It usually has a lower monthly cost, a network of doctors, copays, and a yearly cap on what you pay. Many include drug cover and extras such as dental and vision.
In Beaufort County, about two in three people on Medicare use Original Medicare, more than in Savannah or most of the country. Part-time residents and frequent travelers often want the freedom to see doctors anywhere. Which is right depends on your health, your doctors, how much you travel and your budget.
Medigap Supplements in South Carolina
Medigap plans carry letters, and each letter covers the same things whichever insurer sells it: a Plan G from one company has the same benefits as a Plan G from another. What differs is the price, and how the insurer raises it as you age. So compare prices for the same letter.
The timing matters more than the letter. In your first 6 months with Part B, an insurer has to sell you any Medigap plan it offers at its standard price. After that, in South Carolina you can usually be asked health questions and turned down or charged more if you want to switch. That’s why people pick carefully the first time. The plan letters and South Carolina’s rules are on Medicare supplement plans in South Carolina.
Moving to Hilton Head with Medicare
Your plan may not cover Beaufort County
Plans cover set areas. If yours doesn’t cover your new home, you can switch from the month before you move until 2 full months after, as long as you tell your plan before you move.
Your policy usually comes with you
A Medigap policy generally keeps covering you after a move while you stay in Original Medicare, but the price can change with your new address. Call your insurer before you move.
Update your address
Tell Social Security your new address and phone. It’s quickest online at ssa.gov or by phone; the nearest office is in Beaufort.
Moving from another state? Sort out Medicare in the first month, before you need a doctor. Then find local doctors who take your plan; see doctors on Hilton Head.
Doctors and Hospitals
The island’s hospital is Hilton Head Medical Center, and Beaufort Memorial runs clinics in Bluffton and on the mainland. If you’re looking at a Medicare Advantage plan, check that your doctors and both hospitals are in its network before you sign up. With Original Medicare, ask each office whether it takes Medicare patients. See doctors on Hilton Head and hospitals near Hilton Head.
Free Medicare Help Near Hilton Head
I-CARE, South Carolina’s state health insurance counseling program, gives free, one-on-one Medicare help and doesn’t sell anything: 1-800-868-9095. In Beaufort and Jasper counties it works through the Lowcountry Area Agency on Aging, 843-473-3991.
For signing up, Social Security handles Parts A and B: online at ssa.gov, by phone at 1-800-772-1213, or at the Social Security office in Beaufort. Medicare itself answers at 1-800-633-4227, day and night.
Weighing senior living as well? See senior living on Hilton Head. For taxes in retirement, see does South Carolina tax Social Security?
Frequently Asked Questions
Updated
When should I sign up for Medicare if I turn 65 on Hilton Head?
Your 7-month sign-up window starts 3 months before the month you turn 65 and ends 3 months after it. Sign up for Part A and Part B through Social Security. If you already get Social Security benefits, you are signed up automatically.
Where is the Social Security office for Hilton Head?
There isn’t one on the island. The office for Beaufort County is at 646 Robert Smalls Parkway in Beaufort. Most Medicare sign-ups can be done online at ssa.gov or by phone at 1-800-772-1213.
Is Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage more common in Beaufort County?
Original Medicare. About two in three people on Medicare in Beaufort County use it, usually with a Medigap supplement and a Part D drug plan.
When is the best time to buy a Medigap policy in South Carolina?
In your 6-month Medigap open enrollment, which starts the month your Part B starts. In those months an insurer must sell you any Medigap plan it offers without health questions. After that, you can be asked health questions and turned down.
I’m moving to Hilton Head. Do I need a new Medicare plan?
If you have a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan that doesn’t cover Beaufort County, yes. You can switch from the month before you move until 2 full months after, if you tell your plan before you move. A Medigap policy usually stays with you, though its price can change.
How much is Medicare Part B in 2026?
The standard Part B premium is $202.90 a month in 2026, and the Part B deductible is $283 a year. Higher incomes pay more.
Where can I get free Medicare help near Hilton Head?
I-CARE, South Carolina’s Medicare counseling program, gives free one-on-one help at 1-800-868-9095. In Beaufort County it works through the Lowcountry Area Agency on Aging, 843-473-3991.
Keep exploring
The Social Security office for Hilton Head and Bluffton is in Beaufort, at 646 Robert Smalls Parkway: hours, appointments, and what you can do online.
South Carolina doesn't tax Social Security. The 2026 income tax rates, the retirement and age-65 deductions, and property tax breaks for retirees.
Golf cart insurance in South Carolina: the liability cover the law requires, the $5 SCDMV permit and registration, and where a permitted cart can drive.
The South Carolina homestead exemption takes the first $50,000 of your home's value off property tax at 65. Who qualifies and how to apply here.
Get the Hilton Head turning-65 checklist
The dates that matter, the choices to make at 65, and what changes if you’re moving here. Free, by email, in plain English.
Want to talk it through with someone?
South Carolina’s Medicare counselors, called I-CARE, give free one-on-one help and don’t sell insurance.
Call I-CARE · 1-800-868-9095