What is Medicare Platino?
According to Puerto Rico's Health Insurance Administration (ASES), Platino has run since 2006 and provides Medicaid services that wrap around a Medicare Advantage plan's benefits for people with both Medicare and Medicaid (dual eligibles). In Puerto Rico, people with both programs must enroll with a Medicare Advantage organization to coordinate their Medicaid. Platino depends on living in Puerto Rico; Florida has no such program.
What ends and what continues
| Coverage | When you move to Florida |
|---|---|
| Medicare Part A and Part B | Continue. Update your address with Social Security. |
| Medicare Platino plan | Ends: the plan doesn't serve Florida. |
| Puerto Rico Medicaid | Ends. Apply in Florida with DCF. |
| Extra Help (Part D) | Not available in Puerto Rico; in Florida you can get it. |
How long do you have to switch?
- Because you moved: if you tell your plan first, your window starts the month before the move and lasts 2 full months after it. If you tell it afterward, it starts when you move.
- Because you lost Medicaid: 3 full months from when you're no longer eligible or are notified, whichever is later.
- With Medicaid or Extra Help in Florida, you can change your drug plan once a month.
If you leave Medicare Advantage because of the move and go to Original Medicare, you can buy certain Medigap policies without health questions until 63 days after the plan ends.
Florida Medicaid works differently
- MEDS-AD (Florida's program for older or disabled people) doesn't cover people with Medicare unless they're in a nursing home, hospice or home and community-based services. Many people with Medicare and low income get a Medicare Savings Program (QMB, SLMB or QI-1) instead.
- Full Medicaid: through SSI, Medically Needy ("Share of Cost") or long-term care Medicaid. Most people with it get their Medicaid through an SMMC plan (Florida's Statewide Medicaid Managed Care).
- Long-term care: ASES says Puerto Rico's Medicaid doesn't provide these services. Florida has a program, with a screening and a priority wait list.
- D-SNPs: for 2027, CMS lists 127 in all 67 counties. "Coordination-only" D-SNPs take only people with partial help (QMB, SLMB, QI). See D-SNPs in Florida.
Apply through ACCESS Florida or call DCF's customer call center at (850) 300-4323. To compare plans from the companies they work with, you can request a call from a licensed insurance agent.
Related questions
Do I need Part B?
Puerto Rico and Part B sign-up.
Your moving special enrollment period
Dates and how to use it.
What happens to my Medicare?
Each kind of coverage after a move.
Sources
- ASES — Puerto Rico Medicaid and CHIP Managed Care Quality Strategy, October 2024 (Platino)
- Medicare.gov — Special Enrollment Periods
- Medicare.gov — Extra Help (not available in Puerto Rico)
- eCFR — 42 CFR 422.62, Medicare Advantage election periods
- eCFR — 42 CFR 435.403, Medicaid state residence
- Medicare.gov — Choosing a Medigap Policy (March 2026)
- Florida DCF — ESS Program Policy Manual, chapter 2000 (MEDS-AD, MSPs)
- AHCA — D-SNP Contract, Attachment I-B
- CMS — CY2027 Landscape files
- Florida DCF — Public Assistance / ACCESS Florida
More questions in this guide
- Moving from New Jersey to Florida: what happens to my Medicare?
- Moving from New York to Florida: what happens to my Medicare?
- I'm moving from Puerto Rico to Florida. Do I need to sign up for Medicare Part B?
- Moving to Florida from Ohio, Michigan or Illinois: what happens to my Medicare?
- Do I get a special enrollment period when I move to Florida?
- What happens to my Medicare if I move to Florida?
Part of the guide: Moving to Florida with Medicare · All questions
Frequently asked questions
Can I keep my Platino plan while living in Florida?
No. Puerto Rico's Medicare Advantage plans serve Puerto Rico, and a plan must disenroll you when you move out of its service area. Choose a Florida plan or Original Medicare during your window.
Does my Puerto Rico Medicaid transfer to Florida?
No. Each state or territory gives Medicaid to its own residents. In Florida, you apply for Medicaid or a Medicare Savings Program with DCF through ACCESS Florida.
What if I don't choose a new plan?
When your Platino plan disenrolls you, you'll be in Original Medicare. To avoid going without drug coverage, choose a Part D plan or a Medicare Advantage plan with drug coverage during your window.
Medicare in your Florida county
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