A Medicare agent for Raleigh and Wake County

In Raleigh, three hospital systems can mean three different networks

Raleigh is the state capital and the county seat of Wake County, and the largest city in the area. Three hospital systems serve it: WakeMed, Duke Health, and UNC Health. A Medicare Advantage plan can include one of them, two of them, or all three, and that can change from one year to the next. That is the first thing to sort out for Medicare in Raleigh, because a plan that works well for your WakeMed doctor does not always work for your UNC Rex specialist.

The hospitals to put on your list: WakeMed Raleigh Campus at 3000 New Bern Avenue, WakeMed North Hospital at 10000 Falls of Neuse Road, Duke Raleigh Hospital at 3400 Wake Forest Road, and UNC Rex Hospital at 4420 Lake Boone Trail. List each doctor by the office where you see them, not just by the hospital system. Two doctors in the same system can sit in different networks for the same plan.

I am Christian Brinkley, a licensed insurance agent in North Carolina. I help people in Raleigh, Cary, Garner, Knightdale, Wendell, and the rest of Wake County sort this out at home or over the phone. You talk to me, not a call center. It is free, and there is no obligation to enroll.

What a meeting looks like in Raleigh: bring a list of every doctor you see and where you see them, plus your prescriptions and the pharmacy you use. I check each one with you for next year, so you see what I see. If a plan you are considering leaves out your cardiologist at Rex or your surgeon at Duke Raleigh, you know before you sign anything, not after.

Most Raleigh addresses are in Wake County, with small parts of the city in Durham County. Medicare Advantage and Part D plans are offered by county, so the plan list for your address depends on your home county. Your mailing address will not tell you. Check your county before you compare plans.

If you would like a second opinion from someone who does not sell insurance, North Carolina's SHIIP program offers free, unbiased Medicare counseling. Call SHIIP statewide at 1-855-408-1212, Monday through Friday. I am glad to help before or after you talk with them.

For a fall review in Raleigh, bring your current plan's Annual Notice of Change, the letter that lists what changes on January 1. If you are turning 65 and still working, bring your employer coverage notice and ask your benefits office how that plan works with Medicare before you cancel anything. I can map out your enrollment dates with you.

Local sources checked November 7, 2026: WakeMed: Raleigh Campus; WakeMed: North Hospital; Hospitals in Raleigh, NC.

Provider location reference: WakeMed Raleigh Campus, Raleigh, NC.

WakeMed, Duke Raleigh, UNC Rex, and your Medicare plan

Here is why the list matters: Original Medicare, alone or with a Medicare Supplement, works with any doctor or hospital that accepts Medicare. Medicare Advantage plans use networks. A plan might include WakeMed, Duke Health, and UNC Health doctors, or only some of them, and networks can change every year.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by WakeMed, Duke Health, or UNC Health.

Questions about Medicare in Raleigh