Medicare by region · Myrtle Beach, Conway, North Myrtle Beach, Murrells Inlet & Georgetown
Horry and Georgetown counties — sixty miles of coast that retire more people every year than most whole states’ counties, three hospital systems, and a menu that changes every October.
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Medicare in the region
The Grand Strand is a relocation market first. Retirees arrive from the Northeast and the Midwest already on Medicare, and the first question is rarely which plan is cheapest; it is what the move did to the plan they had. An Advantage plan from Ohio ends at the county line, which opens a Special Enrollment Period and a guaranteed-issue Medigap window; a Medigap policy from New Jersey keeps working, though the premium may be re-rated.
For everyone, the network question is four systems that contract on their own terms: HCA’s Grand Strand Medical Center in Myrtle Beach, Conway Medical Center, Tidelands Health in Murrells Inlet and Georgetown, and McLeod Health Seacoast in Little River. We compare what is sold at your ZIP code with your doctors and your hurricane plan in hand.
What shapes the choice here: Horry County is one of the fastest-growing Medicare markets in the country, and its menu is deep. The care is split four ways — Grand Strand Medical Center, Conway Medical Center, Tidelands and McLeod Seacoast — and most of the people choosing among them arrived from Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania or New Jersey already on Medicare. A move opens the windows described on our moving guide; hurricane season opens another.
Counties: Horry, Georgetown.
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. Moving to South Carolina, losing a plan, or a FEMA hurricane declaration each open a Special Enrollment Period.
Your options
All-in-one Part C plans, often $0 premium, that use a local network — so your providers, your county and your prescriptions matter.
How Advantage worksMedigap pairs with Original Medicare and lets you see any provider nationwide that accepts Medicare — MUSC, Prisma, Duke or Emory across the line, or the hospital in your county seat.
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 Healthy Connections Medicaid.
About SNPsQuestions from the Grand Strand
Horry County typically offers a wide Medicare Advantage menu, every Medigap carrier in South Carolina, and the full Part D lineup; Georgetown County’s menu is somewhat smaller. Availability is set by county and changes each plan year.
A permanent move gives you a Special Enrollment Period to pick a plan sold in your new county, and leaving a Medicare Advantage plan because you moved out of its service area is a federal guaranteed-issue event: you can buy certain Medigap plans without health questions, generally within 63 days of the old coverage ending. South Carolina has no birthday rule afterward, so decide inside the window.
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, SC 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 I-CARE (South Carolina SHIP) at 800-868-9095.