Medicare help · Kona, Kohala & West Hawaii
Kona has Kona Community Hospital in Kealakekua, Kaiser’s Kona office, the Kailua-Kona VA clinic — and a lot of retirees who arrived from the mainland with plans that stopped working at the state line.
No cost, no obligation, no pressure.
No cost, no pressure. Prefer to call? (702) 706-6564.
Medicare in Kailua-Kona
Hawaii County offers Medicare Advantage plans from Kaiser Permanente (most of the county), HMSA’s neighbor island Akamai Advantage plans and some national carriers, every Medigap company licensed in Hawaii and the full Part D lineup. Kona Community Hospital, a 94-bed public hospital in Kealakekua, is the acute-care hospital for the west side; Kaiser’s Kona Medical Office serves Kaiser members; and Queen’s North Hawaii in Waimea is an hour north. Hilo is two hours across the saddle, Oahu a 45-minute flight.
Many Kona retirees moved here from California, Washington or the mountain states. A Medigap policy from home keeps working; an Advantage HMO from home generally covers only emergencies here, and changing your legal residence to Hawaii County opens a Special Enrollment Period to choose a plan sold here. We help make that move cleanly.
Major care in the area includes:
Plan networks differ — we check that your doctors and hospital are covered before you enroll.
Kailua-Kona, Holualoa, Kealakekua, Captain Cook, Honaunau, Ocean View, Waikoloa Village, Kohala Coast resorts.
Turning 65? Your Initial Enrollment Period is the 7 months around your birthday. Already on Medicare? The Annual Election Period is Oct 15–Dec 7, and Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment runs Jan 1–Mar 31. Moving to another island or losing a plan opens a Special Enrollment Period.
Your options
All-in-one Part C plans, often $0 premium, that use a local network — in Hawaii that usually means choosing between Kaiser, HMSA and a few national carriers, island by island.
How Advantage worksMedigap pairs with Original Medicare and lets you see any provider that accepts Medicare — Queen’s, Straub, Hilo Benioff, or a specialist on the mainland.
How Medigap worksStandalone drug coverage chosen around your medications and pharmacy. 2026 out-of-pocket cap: $2,100.
How Part D worksAdvantage plans built for a chronic condition, for nursing-facility care, or for people with both Medicare and Med-QUEST.
About SNPsQuestions from Kailua-Kona
Hawaii County typically offers Medicare Advantage plans from Kaiser Permanente (most of the county), HMSA’s neighbor island plans and some national carriers, every Medigap company licensed in Hawaii, and the full Part D lineup, changing each plan year.
A Medigap policy with Original Medicare works anywhere in the U.S. Most Medicare Advantage HMOs cover only emergencies outside their service area. Changing your legal residence to Hawaii opens a Special Enrollment Period to choose a plan sold here; our agency is licensed in Hawaii and fifteen other states, so we can move your coverage cleanly.
Nothing. Independent agents are paid by the carriers when you enroll, so comparing plans and reviewing your coverage each year is free to you.
Nearby
Ready when you are
A short, friendly conversation — no pressure, no cost.
Written and reviewed by Darin Weidauer — licensed insurance agent (NPN 18580338, HI License #18580338), Gerontologist (USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology), MBA, Registered Social Security Analyst, and 22-year U.S. Air Force veteran.Last reviewed September 13, 2026. Plan availability, benefits and costs change every plan year — verify current details at Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE, or Hawaii SHIP at 1-888-875-9229.