Palm Beach 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 Palm Beach County (CMS data)
CMS counts 370,910 people in Palm Beach County as eligible for Medicare, and about 48% of them (179,293) are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan (CMS, September 2026).
Palm Beach County's Medicare population
In CMS's September 2026 county file, Palm Beach County had the third-largest Medicare-eligible population of Florida's 67 counties, and it was split fairly evenly between the two main ways of getting Medicare coverage.
CMS publishes a county-by-county count of people eligible for Medicare and how many are enrolled in Medicare Advantage. In the September 2026 file, a little under half of Palm Beach County's Medicare-eligible residents were in a Medicare Advantage plan. The rest get their Medicare another way, most often through Original Medicare, sometimes alongside other coverage.
A county-wide number says nothing about which choice fits any one person. Doctors, prescriptions, travel and budget all matter. If the difference between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage is new to you, start with what Medicare is and how its parts fit together.
SHINE counseling in Palm Beach County
SHINE (Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders) is Florida's State Health Insurance Assistance Program, and its trained volunteers do not sell insurance. In Palm Beach County, SHINE's listing points to the Area Agency on Aging in West Palm Beach and to community sites such as a senior center in Palm Beach Gardens, with counseling by appointment.
SHINE's listing says its counselors are currently counseling by phone, so the helpline is the place to start. Statewide SHINE contacts and Florida's insurance consumer helpline are on the Medicare in Florida guide.
Medicare enrollment periods in Palm Beach County
Medicare's enrollment windows are set by federal rules, so they are the same in Palm Beach 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 Palm Beach County
These public programs are listed by official sources. Each one links to the page it came from.
SHINE counseling in Palm Beach County
Florida's SHINE program lists the Area Agency on Aging in West Palm Beach among its counseling sites for Palm Beach County, by appointment. The listing asks people to call the helpline at 866-684-5885 to request SHINE counseling.
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 Palm Beach 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 Palm Beach 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 Palm Beach 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 Palm Beach 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.
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Medicare Annual Enrollment Period
What the October 15 through December 7 window allows.
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What is Medicare?
A plain-language beginner's guide.
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Medicare Special Enrollment Periods
Life events that open a window outside AEP.
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