Miami-Dade County at a glance
From CMS's public county-level Medicare file. The figure describes the county as a whole, not any one person's options.
Medicare in Miami-Dade County (CMS data)
CMS counts 527,506 people in Miami-Dade County as eligible for Medicare, and about 75% of them (396,635) are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan (CMS, September 2026).
Miami-Dade County's Medicare population
In CMS's September 2026 county file, Miami-Dade County had the largest Medicare-eligible population of Florida's 67 counties, and about three in four of those residents were enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan.
The exact share was about 75%. That is a description of the county as a whole, not advice for any one person. Everyone else gets Medicare another way, most often Original Medicare, and the two paths work differently on provider networks, how costs are shared and how coverage travels outside the area.
If the two paths are new to you, read what Medicare is for a plain-language overview of Parts A, B, C and D.
Reviewing your coverage during the Annual Enrollment Period in Miami-Dade County
People with Medicare in Miami-Dade County can review their coverage each year from October 15 through December 7, and changes made then take effect on January 1.
Each fall, people with Medicare in Miami-Dade County can review their current coverage during the Annual Enrollment Period, October 15 through December 7. Plans can update their costs, provider networks and covered drugs from one year to the next, and may also change which counties they serve, so each member receives an Annual Notice of Change that explains what will be different. Reading it, and checking your own doctors and prescriptions against the plan, is the usual first step. Our Annual Enrollment Period guide explains what you can do in that window. If a life event such as a move opens a different window, the Special Enrollment Periods guide covers the common ones.
Where SHINE counsels in Miami-Dade County
SHINE (Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders) is Florida's State Health Insurance Assistance Program. Its Miami-Dade listing includes the Alliance for Aging SHINE office in Miami, the Aventura Library, the Coral Gables Youth Center, the Coral Reef Library, the Hammocks Library and the Key Biscayne Community Center. Hours vary by site, and most sites ask for an appointment, with English and Spanish listed for several.
Calling ahead is the reliable way in. Florida's statewide SHINE line and the state's insurance consumer helpline are listed on the Medicare in Florida guide.
Medicare enrollment periods in Miami-Dade County
Medicare's enrollment windows are set by federal rules, so they are the same in Miami-Dade County as everywhere else. The 2026 Annual Enrollment Period: October 15 – December 7, 2026. Changes made during the Annual Enrollment Period take effect January 1, 2027.
IEP
Initial Enrollment Period
The Initial Enrollment Period is your personal seven-month window around your 65th birthday. It opens three months before the month you turn 65 and closes three months after. This is when most people enroll in Medicare for the first time.
AEP
Annual Enrollment Period
The Annual Enrollment Period runs from October 15 through December 7 each year. During AEP, people with Medicare can enroll in, change, or drop a Medicare Advantage plan or a Part D plan. Changes made during AEP take effect on January 1 of the following year.
MA OEP
Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period
The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs from January 1 through March 31. During this window, people already enrolled in Medicare Advantage can make one change: to a different Medicare Advantage plan, or back to Original Medicare, with or without a Part D plan. The change takes effect the first of the month after the plan gets the request.
SEP
Special Enrollment Periods
Special Enrollment Periods open when specific life events happen, such as losing employer coverage or moving to a new area. The timing depends on the event, and Medicare.gov explains the rules for each one.
Where to get Medicare help in Miami-Dade County
These public programs are listed by official sources. Each one links to the page it came from.
SHINE counseling in Miami-Dade County
Florida's SHINE program lists counseling sites across Miami-Dade County, which its listing calls Dade County, including the Alliance for Aging SHINE office on NW 107th Avenue in Miami, the Aventura Library and the Coral Gables Youth Center, mostly by appointment. The listing gives 305-671-6356 for appointments, in English and Spanish.
Medicare counseling (SHIP)
Florida's State Health Insurance Assistance Program is SHINE (Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders), offered by the Florida Department of Elder Affairs. Trained volunteers provide unbiased, confidential, one-on-one help with Medicare questions. Phone: 1-800-96-ELDER (1-800-963-5337).
Source: SHINE (floridashine.org)
State insurance consumer help
In Florida, the Division of Consumer Services at the Florida Department of Financial Services offers information and assistance for insurance consumers. Its helpline is 1-877-MY-FL-CFO (1-877-693-5236), Monday through Friday.
How a licensed independent agent helps in Miami-Dade County
A licensed independent insurance agent can explain how the parts of Medicare fit together, walk through the enrollment windows that apply to you, and review the plans the agent offers in Miami-Dade County. The review is educational, and there is no obligation to enroll.
Counselors at a State Health Insurance Assistance Program do not sell insurance. An agent can help with an application, but can only discuss the plans that agent offers, which is why the plan-availability disclosure appears next to the request button on this page.
Before a review, it can help to read about the Annual Enrollment Period and the Special Enrollment Periods that open after certain life events. The Medicare in Florida guide covers the statewide counseling program and consumer contacts.
Have questions? Review your options with a licensed agent.
Review your Medicare options in Miami-Dade County
Answer a few questions and a licensed agent will follow up to walk through the plans they offer in your area. Educational, no pressure, and no obligation to enroll.
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FAQ
Medicare questions from Miami-Dade County
Other county guides in Florida
The same educational guide for other Florida counties.
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Related reading
Medicare in Florida
Enrollment periods, statewide counseling and consumer help in Florida.
Read more
Medicare Annual Enrollment Period
What the October 15 through December 7 window allows.
Read more
What is Medicare?
A plain-language beginner's guide.
Read more
Medicare Special Enrollment Periods
Life events that open a window outside AEP.
Read more