Franklin 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 Franklin County (CMS data)
CMS counts 211,395 people in Franklin County as eligible for Medicare, and about 56% of them (118,880) are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan (CMS, September 2026).
Franklin County's Medicare population
In CMS's September 2026 county file, Franklin County had the second-largest Medicare-eligible population of Ohio's 88 counties, after Cuyahoga.
About 56% of Franklin County's Medicare-eligible residents were enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan that month. The others get their Medicare in other ways, most often through Original Medicare, with or without a supplement or other coverage. The split describes the county, not what any one person should choose.
If you are sorting out the difference between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage, start with what Medicare is and how its parts work.
Public help for Franklin County residents
Ohio's area agencies on aging coordinate local services and supports for older adults and people with disabilities, including benefits information. The Ohio Department of Aging assigns Franklin County to the Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging, which also serves seven other central Ohio counties.
For Medicare questions specifically, Ohio's State Health Insurance Assistance Program is OSHIIP, the Ohio Senior Health Insurance Information Program, which offers in-depth, one-on-one counseling. Its phone line and the Ohio Department of Insurance consumer line are on the Medicare in Ohio guide.
Medicare enrollment periods in Franklin County
Medicare's enrollment windows are set by federal rules, so they are the same in Franklin 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 Franklin County
These public programs are listed by official sources. Each one links to the page it came from.
Area agency on aging for Franklin County
The Ohio Department of Aging lists the Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging as the area agency on aging for Franklin County, along with Delaware, Fairfield, Fayette, Licking, Madison, Pickaway and Union counties. The department's line, 1-866-243-5678, connects callers to the area agency on aging serving their community.
Medicare counseling (SHIP)
Ohio's State Health Insurance Assistance Program is the Ohio Senior Health Insurance Information Program, known as OSHIIP. It offers in-depth, one-on-one counseling and assistance with Medicare. Phone: 1-800-686-1578.
Source: SHIP TA Center (shiphelp.org)
State insurance consumer help
The Ohio Department of Insurance lists a Consumer Services line at 1-800-686-1526 and a Medicare & OSHIIP line at 1-800-686-1578.
Source: Ohio Department of Insurance
How a licensed independent agent helps in Franklin 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 Franklin 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 Ohio guide covers the statewide counseling program and consumer contacts.
Have questions? Review your options with a licensed agent.
Review your Medicare options in Franklin 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 Franklin County
Other county guides in Ohio
The same educational guide for other Ohio counties.
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Related reading
Medicare in Ohio
Enrollment periods, statewide counseling and consumer help in Ohio.
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