A licensed agent for Grand Rapids, not a call center
Medicare help in Grand Rapids does not have to mean an 800 number and a stranger reading a script. Lara Goulson is an independent agent licensed in Michigan who serves Grand Rapids by phone and video, compares plans from multiple carriers, and answers to you rather than to any one insurance company. Working with her is free, in English, Spanish, or Hebrew.
Grand Rapids Medicare by the numbers, 2026
Kent County has 60 Medicare Advantage plans open to general enrollment for 2026, and 36 of them charge a $0 monthly plan premium. Another 20 Special Needs Plans serve residents who qualify for them. Those counts are computed directly from the official CMS Landscape file, and every figure in this section is verified against the named source. The number that separates similar looking plans is the in network out of pocket maximum. Across these plans it averages $5,978, but the range runs from $4,000 all the way to $9,250. That spread is why two plans that look alike on paper can behave very differently in a hard year. A plan comparison starts from this picture (Goulson analysis of CMS CY2026 Landscape data).
- Grand Rapids residents in Kent County can choose from 60 Medicare Advantage plans for 2026, including 27 plans with a $0 monthly premium.Connie Health, 2026
- Kent County has roughly 124,000 Medicare eligible beneficiaries, and about 75 percent of them are enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans, well above the national rate.Connie Health analysis of CMS data, 2026
- The three major health systems serving Grand Rapids are Corewell Health, which operates Butterworth and Blodgett hospitals, Trinity Health Grand Rapids, and University of Michigan Health-West in nearby Wyoming.Michigan Health and Hospital Association member listing, 2026
- Michigan's State Health Insurance Assistance Program is called the Michigan Medicare/Medicaid Assistance Program, or MMAP, and offers free unbiased counseling at 1-800-803-7174.Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, 2026
- Priority Health, headquartered in Grand Rapids and owned by Corewell Health, is Michigan's second largest health insurer with about 1.3 million members, including roughly 240,000 Medicare Advantage enrollees.Becker's Payer Issues, accessed 2026
What Annual Enrollment means for Grand Rapids in 2026
Annual Enrollment for Grand Rapids runs October 15 through December 7, 2026, and any change you make takes effect January 1, 2027. During that window you can switch from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan or back, move between the Medicare Advantage plans open to Kent County residents, roughly 60 for 2026, and join, drop, or change a Part D prescription drug plan. These weeks matter more here than in most markets: about three out of four Kent County beneficiaries are enrolled in Medicare Advantage, so a shift in how a plan covers Corewell Health, Trinity Health Grand Rapids, or University of Michigan Health-West can affect much of the city. Even if you are happy with your plan, read the Annual Notice of Change letter your carrier sends, because networks and drug lists shift every year. A no cost review with Lara Goulson at (818) 472-5484 catches those changes before they cost you money, and Michigan's MMAP counselors at 1-800-803-7174 offer free unbiased help as well.
The Michigan rules that shape your options
Three of the rules that most shape Medicare choices in Grand Rapids are set at the state level, not by the federal program. The first is Medigap switching: Michigan decides how and when you can move from one Medigap plan to another, so the moment to ask about a future switch is before you enroll, not after. The second is coverage before 65: the state sets its own protections for people who have Medicare but are not yet 65. The third is oversight: Michigan's insurance department supervises the plans sold here. For free, unbiased counseling, Michigan runs MMAP, the Michigan Medicare/Medicaid Assistance Program, at 1-800-803-7174. The full Michigan guide below explains each of these rules in plain language, and Lara, licensed in Michigan, can walk you through how they apply to your situation by phone or video at no cost.
What independent actually means for you
Independent means Lara Goulson works for you, not for any single insurance company. She is a licensed independent agent in Michigan, and no carrier sets her a sales quota, so the recommendation is built around you. In a market like Grand Rapids, where Kent County offers 60 Medicare Advantage plans for 2026, that matters: she compares options from multiple carriers side by side, checks how each plan covers the Corewell Health, Trinity Health Grand Rapids, and University of Michigan Health-West networks, and explains the tradeoffs in plain language. Her help costs you nothing, because carriers pay agent compensation and your premium is the same whether you enroll through her or directly with the carrier. She stays reachable after you enroll, in English, Spanish, or Hebrew, at (818) 472-5484. And if your best move is keeping the plan you already have, she will say exactly that.
Ready when you are
Bring your questions, your Annual Notice of Change letter, or just your curiosity. Lara will lay out your Grand Rapids options in plain language and you keep every decision in your own hands.
Free plan review for Grand Rapids residents, by phone or video: (818) 472-5484.
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