Medicare in Fort Myers, Cape Coral, and Naples: a guide for Lee and Collier County

Lee and Collier each have their own Advantage menu

Medicare Advantage plans are approved for specific counties. Lee and Collier sit side by side, and many of the same insurance companies offer plans in both, but the plans, networks, and costs can differ from one county to the other. You choose from the menu for the county where you live.

Two local wrinkles:

• Boca Grande is in Lee County. You reach it by causeway from Placida in Charlotte County, but the village itself is in the Lee County part of Gasparilla Island, so Boca Grande residents shop Lee County's menu. If you live on the Charlotte County side of the island, your menu is Charlotte's, and the Sarasota, Manatee & Charlotte guide covers that county.
• Near the Lee–Collier line, confirm your county. Bonita Springs and Estero are in Lee County; North Naples is in Collier. Your menu follows the county your home is actually in, which may not match what a neighborhood name suggests.

Drug plans work differently. Stand-alone Part D plans are offered by region, and Florida is one statewide region, so the Part D list is the same in Cape Coral as in Naples. The Florida Part D guide covers how to compare them.

Check your doctors and hospitals before December 7

Advantage plans and health systems sign contracts with each other, and those contracts sometimes end. When a hospital system or physician group stops participating in a plan's network on January 1, patients who stay in that plan generally face out-of-network costs, and in an HMO, non-emergency care out of network generally isn't covered. If you see doctors in more than one health system, or in both counties, check each of them:

• Ask each office about your specific plan for next year. "Do you take my plan?" isn't enough. Ask whether they'll be in network with that exact plan in January.
• Don't wait for a letter. Plans must notify affected patients in writing before a provider leaves the network, but those notices can arrive weeks after a change is announced, sometimes late in the enrollment period.
• Know your backstop. If you're in an Advantage plan on January 1, Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment (January 1 – March 31) allows one change, which starts the first of the following month.

The Florida Annual Enrollment guide walks through what to do if a hospital or doctor group is leaving your plan's network, including continuity of care if you're in the middle of treatment.

Medigap in Southwest Florida: decide with the no-birthday-rule in mind

Original Medicare doesn't use networks: you can see any doctor or hospital in the country that accepts Medicare, and a Medigap policy helps with the costs Original Medicare leaves you. Advantage plans often have lower premiums and may include extra benefits, but you generally use the plan's network. Neither choice is right for everyone, and the trade-off is personal.

What makes it a bigger decision in Florida is that there's no Medigap birthday rule. Outside a few protected situations, each with its own deadline, Medigap applications are generally medically underwritten. Your six-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period, which starts the month your Part B begins and you're 65 or older, is the window when a company can't turn you down or charge you more because of your health. If you're in an Advantage plan now and thinking about Original Medicare plus Medigap, apply and get approved for the Medigap policy first, then make the switch, and join a stand-alone Part D plan at the same time so you don't have a gap in drug coverage. If your Advantage plan comes from a former employer or union, talk to that benefits office first; leaving it can end your retiree coverage, and you may not be able to get it back. The Florida Medigap guide explains the protected situations.

Part-year residents

If you split the year between Southwest Florida and another state, your plan choice follows the county of your permanent address. Advantage networks are local, so check how a plan covers routine care in your other state, not just emergencies. If you're changing which state is home, that move can open a Special Enrollment Period. See Medicare for snowbirds and moving to Florida on Medicare.

Hurricane season and your coverage

Lee and Collier counties know what a major hurricane can do. After a federal, state, or local government declares an emergency or major disaster, Medicare may allow a Special Enrollment Period for people in the affected area who missed an enrollment change because of it. Florida law allows early prescription refills during certain emergencies, and Medicare drug plans generally allow early refills in declared emergencies too; call your plan to confirm. Keep copies of your Medicare and plan cards and a current medication list somewhere you can reach after an evacuation. The hurricane and disaster guide has the details.

Turning 65 in Lee or Collier County

The steps are Florida's statewide steps: sign up for Part A and Part B during your Initial Enrollment Period (unless you have coverage from a current job that lets you delay Part B), decide between Original Medicare and an Advantage plan, and plan around your Medigap Open Enrollment Period if Medigap is in the picture. The turning 65 in Florida guide walks through each one. If you have both Medicare and Medicaid, see the dual eligibility guide; if you're a veteran, see Medicare for veterans in Florida.

Already on Medicare? Your annual plan review

From October 15 to December 7 each year (the Annual Enrollment Period), you can review and change your Medicare Advantage or Part D coverage for the coming year, and changes take effect January 1. In Lee and Collier counties, that review starts with the Annual Notice of Change your plan sends by the end of September, then a fresh check that your doctors and hospitals in both counties will be in your plan's network next year. The Florida Annual Enrollment guide covers the rest.

Medicare's marketing rules generally don't allow agents to call you unless you've asked them to, and you can check any agent's Florida license on the Department of Financial Services Licensee Search.

Frequently asked questions

Want a second set of eyes before December 7?

I'm Matt Rolph, an independent broker licensed in Florida. I'm contracted with multiple insurance companies, I'm paid by the companies rather than by you, and I don't represent every company or every plan. I can check the plans I work with in your county against your doctors, hospitals, and prescriptions for next year, and walk you through the Medigap question before you change anything. Free, by phone or video; it's always worth checking what I show you against Medicare.gov's Plan Finder or with Florida SHINE. Call Matt or book a free call.

Sources & official references

• Medicare.gov — enrollment periods, Special Enrollment Periods, Medigap rights, and the Plan Finder for your county. Or call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048).
• Florida SHINE — free, impartial Medicare counseling from Florida's State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), at 1-800-963-5337.
• Florida Department of Financial Services — agent license lookup through the Licensee Search, and the insurance consumer helpline at 1-877-693-5236.

Last reviewed: October 2026

For 65 Insurance is an independent insurance brokerage and is not connected with or endorsed by the U.S. government, the federal Medicare program, or the State of Florida. We do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently we represent 11 organizations which offer 435 products in your area. Any information here is educational and not a substitute for the official rules — to review all of your options, contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048), or Florida SHINE, your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (1-800-963-5337).