Florida Health Insurance and Medicare Help

Reviewed by Steve Turner, CLU, REBC · Florida License W333468 · NPN 18030539 · November 2026

Florida is my home state. My office is at 14502 N Dale Mabry Hwy in Tampa, and I help Floridians choose individual and family plans, Medicare coverage, and small-business benefits. I’m appointed with Florida Blue and can also compare plans from other carriers. You can meet me at the office or work with me by phone, video, and e-signature from anywhere in the state. The insurance companies pay my commission, so my help costs you nothing.

Florida has its own rules and its own market. Here’s what’s different about buying coverage here.

Buying your own health insurance in Florida

Floridians enroll in Marketplace (ACA) plans through HealthCare.gov. Florida has the largest Marketplace in the country; almost one in five Marketplace enrollees nationwide lives here.

• 2027 open enrollment: November 1, 2026 to January 15, 2027. Enroll by December 15 for coverage starting January 1; enroll after that, and coverage starts February 1.
• Your county sets your options. Plan lists and prices vary by county, so a plan your friend in Orlando has may not be available in Pinellas. I start every quote with your county.
• 2027 changes: Cigna is leaving the Marketplace, so Cigna members must choose a new plan. Full-price premiums rose about 10% on average for 2027, but most Florida enrollees qualify for subsidies that offset some or all of that.
• Don’t let your plan auto-renew without checking. Networks, drug lists, and subsidy amounts change every year.

Medicaid and Florida KidCare

Florida hasn’t expanded Medicaid. That means some adults with very low incomes earn too little for Marketplace subsidies but still don’t qualify for Medicaid. If that’s your situation, I’ll tell you plainly and point you to the options that exist, rather than sell you a plan you can’t afford.

Children are different. Florida KidCare covers many kids whose parents earn too much for Medicaid, so a family can have parents on a Marketplace plan and children on KidCare. I’ll help you sort out which applies before you enroll anyone.

Medicare in Florida

• Medicare Advantage is sold county by county. Your plan choices in Hillsborough differ from those in Pasco or Pinellas, and moving counties can mean changing plans.
• Florida protects Medigap buyers under 65. Federal law doesn’t require insurers to sell Medicare Supplement plans to people on Medicare because of a disability or end-stage renal disease. Florida does: you get a six-month guaranteed-issue window once you’re enrolled in Part B, and another when you turn 65.
• Compare Medigap prices by county. The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation publishes Medigap premiums for each county, and I’ll walk you through them.
• Key dates: Annual Enrollment runs October 15 to December 7. If you’re in a Medicare Advantage plan, you can switch once between January 1 and March 31.
• Florida SHINE offers free, unbiased counseling (floridashine.org).

Small-business benefits in Florida

If you own a Florida business with a few employees, I’ll compare a small-group health plan with a reimbursement arrangement (QSEHRA or ICHRA) so you can see what each costs before you commit. You can add dental, vision, and life coverage.

Florida communities I serve

Tampa Bay

• Feather Sound: job changes, early retirement, and turning 65
• Carrollwood: growing families, retirement, mid-40s life
• Lutz: growing families, retirement, mid-40s life
• Westchase: families, kids and small businesses
• Clearwater: retirees from across the country
• Also serving: I serve all communities in Florida. Here are just a few: Largo, St. Petersburg, Brandon, Wesley Chapel, Citrus Park, Saint Petersburg,

Everywhere else in Florida: I work with clients statewide by phone and video. Plan options depend on your county, so tell me where you live when we talk.

Florida questions

Do you only sell Florida Blue? No. I’m appointed with Florida Blue and can also compare plans from other carriers that sell in your county. I’ll show you the options side by side, including the ones I don’t recommend, and why.

I’m under 65 and on Medicare because of a disability. Can I buy a Medigap plan in Florida? Yes. Florida gives you a six-month guaranteed-issue window after you enroll in Part B, even though federal law doesn’t require it. Premiums are usually higher before 65, and you get a second window when you turn 65.

I’m moving to Florida and already have Medicare. What happens to my plan? If you have a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan from another state, it usually won’t work here, and the move gives you a Special Enrollment Period to choose a Florida plan. A Medigap policy moves with you, though the premium may change. Call me before or right after you move to avoid any gap.

Talk with Steve

Call or text (813) 388-8373, seven days a week, 7 a.m.–8 p.m., or book a call.