Medicare by region · Columbus, Delaware, Newark, Lancaster & Marion
Franklin, Delaware, Licking, Fairfield and the counties around Columbus — the fastest-growing Medicare market in Ohio, three systems that contract separately, a hospital-owned plan in MediGold, and more OPERS and STRS retirees than anywhere else in the state.
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Medicare in the region
Central Ohio has one of the deepest Medicare menus in the state and a care map split three ways: Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center and the James, OhioHealth’s Riverside, Grant and Dublin hospitals, and Mount Carmel’s East and Grove City campuses. Each signs its own Advantage contracts, and MediGold sells plans built on Mount Carmel, so the first question is never the premium; it is which system your doctors belong to.
Outside the I-270 ring the menu thins quickly. Newark leans on Licking Memorial, Lancaster on Fairfield Medical Center, Marion on OhioHealth Marion General, and the Advantage lineups in those counties are shorter and shifted for 2026. Central Ohio also holds the largest concentration of state, university and school-district retirees in Ohio, whose OPERS, STRS and SERS coverage decides the shape of their Medicare before anything else does.
Local plans to know: MediGold is owned by Mount Carmel and Trinity Health and sells Advantage plans built on that system. OSU Wexner and OhioHealth contract with different carriers, and the James, Ohio State’s cancer hospital, is the referral that decides a lot of central Ohio plan choices. Columbus is also the seat of OPERS and STRS, whose retiree rules shape more Medicare decisions here than any brochure.
Counties: Franklin, Delaware, Licking, Fairfield, Pickaway, Madison, Union, Morrow, Knox, Marion, Fayette.
Each contracts differently with each plan; we check your doctors first.
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. A plan leaving your county opens a Special Enrollment Period.
Your options
All-in-one Part C plans, often $0 premium, that use a local network — so which hospital system your doctors belong to, your county and your prescriptions matter.
How Advantage worksMedigap pairs with Original Medicare and lets you see any provider nationwide that accepts Medicare — Cleveland Clinic, the James, or a clinic in Florida in February.
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 Ohio Medicaid (MyCare Ohio).
About SNPsQuestions from Central Ohio
Franklin and Delaware counties typically offer a wide Medicare Advantage menu, including MediGold, Medical Mutual and the national carriers, every Medigap carrier in Ohio, and the full Part D lineup. Availability is set by county and ZIP code and changes each plan year.
OSU Wexner accepts Original Medicare and therefore any Medigap policy. It contracts with some Advantage plans and not others, and the list changes yearly. If the James or another OSU program is your care, we confirm the plan’s status in writing before you enroll.
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, OH License #1616139), 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 OSHIIP at 800-686-1578.