My Medicare Advantage Plan Is Ending: Richland, WA Answers

I want to go back to Original Medicare. Can a Medigap company turn me down?

Not while your guaranteed issue window is open. When a Medicare Advantage plan ends or pulls out of where you live, Washington's RCW 48.66.055 says an issuer has to sell you certain Medigap plans, has to cover the health problems you already have, and can't price you higher because of them. The window opens the day the termination notice reaches you and shuts 63 days after the old coverage stops. With a December 31, 2026 end date, the last day is March 4, 2027.

Washington's menu is longer than what federal law alone promises, so a national article can steer a Richland reader wrong:

When you first qualified for Medicare	Medigap plans available without health questions in Washington
Before January 1, 2020	A through F (high-deductible F included), K or L
On or after January 1, 2020	A, B, D, G (high-deductible G included), K or L

Source: RCW 48.66.055(4) and the Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner. An issuer only has to offer plans it sells to new customers today.

When do I send the application?

OIC's guidance is November 1 or later. Separately, the statute obliges insurers to process an early application; the catch is that the Medigap coverage itself waits for the Medicare Advantage plan to finish. So if you want the policy live on January 1, 2027, with no day uncovered, mail or submit it during November or December 2026.

Attach a copy of the plan's letter. Keep the original and its postmarked envelope in a folder; that envelope is evidence of when you were told.

Another wrinkle: if this was your first Medicare Advantage plan and you joined it less than a year ago (either when you first became eligible for Part A at 65, or after dropping a Medigap policy), you may hold a separate "trial right," which opens more Medigap choices. Ask SHIBA whether it fits your dates.

What if I'd rather stay with a Medicare Advantage plan?

That's allowed. Lock one in on or before December 31 for coverage beginning January 1. Know the trade first: the Medigap protection is tied to returning to Original Medicare. Take another private plan and the right sits unused until it expires in March. Shopping for Medigap in a later year usually brings health questions back.

Anyone who starts the year in a replacement private plan also gets a single do-over between January 1 and March 31, 2027, under the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period.

Network check for Richland: the city has a large acute-care hospital and Lourdes Behavioral Health, a psychiatric hospital, according to state and CMS hospital lists. Look up whichever you'd use, plus every doctor and your pharmacy, in the plan's 2027 directory before you sign.

What if December 31 slips by?

You aren't stranded. People whose plan is ending get a special enrollment period that opens December 8, 2026 and closes February 28, 2027. Pick in January and coverage begins February 1; pick in February and it begins March 1.

But the default is not neutral. With no choice on file, January 1 puts you on Original Medicare, and the drug coverage that was bundled into your plan ends with it. You'd need to choose a stand-alone Part D plan. CMS does that for you only if you get Extra Help. Going 63 days or more without drug coverage can attach a late penalty that rides on your drug premium for as long as you carry Part D.

How many people around Richland are in this spot?

CMS reports Medicare enrollment by county, not by city. Here is Benton County in July 2026, next to the Richland population figures:

Measure	Figure
Richland population (OFM, April 1, 2026)	66,290
Richland residents 65 and older (ACS 2020–2024)	about 10,600 (±516), roughly 17%
Benton County: everyone with Medicare	41,839
Benton County: Original Medicare	28,322
Benton County: Medicare Advantage and other health plans	13,517
Benton County: Medicare and Apple Health (dual-eligible)	5,839

Sources: WA OFM; U.S. Census ACS 2020–2024 5-year; CMS Medicare Monthly Enrollment, July 2026.

Richland's older population runs about the same share as the county's 17.4%. CMS counted 13,517 people countywide in Medicare Advantage and other health plans in July 2026, but it publishes nothing on how many of them got a non-renewal letter. If you compare notes with a neighbor, don't copy their pick. Two people with different prescriptions can land on opposite answers.

Who can I talk to in Richland?

Benton County's SHIBA sponsor, Catholic Charities Serving Central Washington, is listed at 2139 Van Giesen Street, right here in Richland. The OIC listing we pulled up October 26, 2026 read "Currently not accepting appointments. For assistance, call Medicare at 1-800-633-4227." So don't drive over expecting a counselor. Call SHIBA's statewide number, 800-562-6900 (weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), or 1-800-MEDICARE, which answers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except some federal holidays.

Southeast Washington Aging and Long Term Care covers the non-insurance side through Community Living Connections; its nearest office is in Kennewick (509-735-0315). Ben Franklin Transit runs Dial-A-Ride paratransit across the Tri-Cities (reservations 509-735-0160), and riders 65 and up can get a free Senior Pass for fixed routes and CONNECT by contacting BFT. Mid-Columbia Meals on Wheels' Cafe on Fowler, 1834 Fowler Street, hosted a BFT session on October 15 to help riders with the new Dial-A-Ride booking app.

The full calendar and the dual-eligible rules sit on our statewide guide for Washington.

Your plan's letter controls the dates for you, federal Medicare rules and Washington statutes control the rest, and SHIBA, 1-800-MEDICARE or a licensed agent can check your situation before you act.

Quick answers for Richland

Can I apply for a Medigap policy before November 1?

State law obliges insurers to take an early application, yet OIC's own instruction is to wait until November 1. Either way the policy cannot start until your Medicare Advantage coverage ends on December 31, 2026.

I joined my first Medicare Advantage plan less than a year ago. Does anything change?

Possibly. A trial right can widen your Medigap options. Whether it applies depends on your dates, so check with SHIBA at 800-562-6900.

Is there a SHIBA office in Richland?

The county's SHIBA sponsor is listed at 2139 Van Giesen Street in Richland, but on October 26, 2026 OIC's listing said it was not accepting appointments. Call the statewide SHIBA line at 800-562-6900 or 1-800-MEDICARE instead.

What is the last day to use my Medigap guaranteed issue right?

March 4, 2027, for a plan that ends December 31, 2026. The right only applies if you move to Original Medicare.

My Medicare Advantage plan is ending in Richland. What now?