Medicare help · The Lowcountry
Hilton Head has one of the highest concentrations of retirees in the country, most of them arrivals from other states, one hospital — now Novant Health Hilton Head Medical Center — and Savannah’s systems across the river.
No cost, no obligation, no pressure.
No cost, no pressure. Prefer to call? (702) 706-6564.
Medicare in Hilton Head Island
Beaufort County offers a broad Advantage menu, every Medigap carrier in South Carolina and the full Part D lineup. The island’s hospital, Hilton Head Hospital, became part of Novant Health in 2024; Beaufort Memorial is up the road in Beaufort, and many islanders see specialists in Savannah, which a South Carolina Advantage plan’s network may or may not include.
Almost everyone on Medicare here came from somewhere else. A Medigap policy from Connecticut or Ohio keeps working; an Advantage plan from there ended when you moved, which opens a Special Enrollment Period and a guaranteed-issue Medigap window that does not come back in a state with no birthday rule. We compare what is sold at your ZIP code with your doctors on both sides of the river.
Major care in the area includes:
Plan networks differ — we check that your doctors and hospital are covered before you enroll.
Sea Pines, Hilton Head Plantation, Palmetto Dunes, Indigo Run, Port Royal Plantation, Shipyard, Forest Beach, Windmill Harbour, Daufuskie Island.
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 Hilton Head Island
Beaufort County typically offers a broad Medicare Advantage menu, every Medigap carrier in South Carolina, and the full Part D lineup, set by ZIP code and changing each plan year.
With Original Medicare and a Medigap policy, yes. With a Medicare Advantage plan sold in Beaufort County, only if the Georgia provider is in that plan’s network, which we confirm 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, 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.