Medicare help · Kauai
The East Side — Kapaa, Wailua and the North Shore up to Hanalei — has Samuel Mahelona Memorial Hospital in town, Wilcox fifteen minutes south, and Honolulu a flight away for specialty care.
No cost, no obligation, no pressure.
No cost, no pressure. Prefer to call? (702) 706-6564.
Medicare in Kapaa
Kapaa and the North Shore have Kauai County’s Medicare menu: HMSA’s neighbor island Akamai Advantage plans and a few national carriers, every Medigap company licensed in Hawaii and the full Part D lineup, with no Kaiser Senior Advantage on the island. Samuel Mahelona Memorial Hospital, a public critical-access hospital with a 24-hour emergency department and most of its beds in long-term care, is the East Side’s hospital; Wilcox Medical Center in Lihue is the island’s main hospital.
Princeville and Hanalei retirees are often mainland transplants, and the same rule applies as everywhere else in Hawaii: a Medigap policy from home keeps working, an Advantage HMO from home generally does not, and changing your legal residence opens a Special Enrollment Period. We help make the move cleanly.
Major care in the area includes:
Plan networks differ — we check that your doctors and hospital are covered before you enroll.
Kapaa, Wailua, Wailua Homesteads, Anahola, Kilauea, Princeville, Hanalei, Haena.
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 Kapaa
Kauai County typically offers HMSA’s neighbor island Akamai Advantage plans and a small number of national-carrier Advantage plans, every Medigap company licensed in Hawaii, and the full Part D lineup. Kaiser Senior Advantage is not sold on Kauai.
Changing your legal residence to Kauai County opens a Special Enrollment Period to choose from the plans sold here. A Medigap policy from home usually keeps working, though the premium may be re-rated; an Advantage plan from home ends when you move. We handle both directions.
Nothing. Independent agents are paid by the carriers when you enroll, so comparing plans and reviewing your coverage each year is free to you.
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.