West Richland Medicare Plan Non-Renewal: Help and Dates

Who can help, starting closest to home

Here is who is actually reachable from West Richland, in the order I'd try them.

SHIBA, by phone. Washington's Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors give neutral Medicare counseling at no charge. The statewide line is 800-562-6900, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Benton County's local SHIBA sponsor is Catholic Charities Serving Central Washington in Richland, but its OIC listing on October 26, 2026 said "Currently not accepting appointments" and sent people to Medicare's number. Call; don't drive.
1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227, TTY 1-877-486-2048). Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except some federal holidays. Medicare.gov lists calling them as one way to join a plan.
Bill Shane Senior Center, 616 N 60th, on the edge of Glen Memorial Park (509-967-2847). It isn't an insurance office, but it is home to the West Richland Senior Association and hosts a monthly luncheon with a speaker on the second Tuesday. See the city's senior center page.
Southeast Washington Aging and Long Term Care, the county's Area Agency on Aging, with an office in Kennewick (509-735-0315), for help that isn't about insurance: meals, in-home care, caregiver support.
Rides. Ben Franklin Transit gives anyone 65 or older a Senior Pass good on fixed routes and CONNECT at no charge; contact BFT customer service at Three Rivers Transit Center in Kennewick (509-735-5100) for the pass. Yoke's Fresh Market in West Richland sells BFT tickets. Dial-A-Ride paratransit bookings: 509-735-0160.

West Richland's numbers

	West Richland	Benton County
Population (OFM, April 1, 2026)	18,820	223,200
Age 65 and older	about 2,200 (ACS 2020–2024, ±234)	38,301 (OFM, 2025)
Share 65 and older	about 12.5%	17.4%
Hospitals inside the city	none listed	4 listed
Medicare Advantage and other health plans (CMS, July 2026)	no city count	13,517 of 41,839
On Medicare under 65 due to disability	no city count	3,948

Sources: WA OFM; U.S. Census ACS 2020–2024 5-year (city 65+); OFM 2025 age estimates; WA DOH and CMS hospital lists; CMS Medicare Monthly Enrollment, July 2026 (county-level only).

Two things jump out. First, West Richland is younger than the county around it: about one resident in eight is 65 or older, against about one in six countywide. That doesn't change your rules, but CMS figures are county-only, so the Benton County column is the closest picture available.

Second, no hospital is listed inside city limits. The closest ones on the state and CMS lists are in Richland and Kennewick. When you check any 2027 Medicare Advantage plan, search its directory for the hospital you'd actually be taken to from here, not just your primary care doctor.

What happens if you don't do anything

Your current plan pays claims through December 31, 2026. If you make no choice, Medicare doesn't drop you; it moves you into Original Medicare, Parts A and B, on January 1, 2027. Hospital and doctor bills are still covered under Medicare's normal rules.

What doesn't carry over:

Drug coverage. It ended with the old plan. Original Medicare doesn't add a Part D plan by itself. The exception is people on Extra Help, whom CMS reassigns to a stand-alone drug plan unless they already chose one. Everyone else who goes 63 days or more without drug coverage risks a Part D late enrollment penalty that stays as long as they keep Part D.
A cap on medical spending. Original Medicare by itself has no yearly out-of-pocket limit. Medicare Advantage plans have one; a Medigap policy can fill the same role on the Original Medicare side.
The January to March do-over. The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (January 1 to March 31) is only for people who are in a Medicare Advantage plan. If you default into Original Medicare, your window to join a Medicare Advantage plan under the special enrollment period closes February 28, 2027.

So "do nothing" is a choice too, just one made without comparing anything.

Dates to put on the fridge

December 31, 2026: last day of the old plan, and the last day to choose something that begins January 1 with no gap. December 8, 2026 through February 28, 2027: your special enrollment period; picks made in January begin February 1, picks in February begin March 1. March 4, 2027: end of your Medigap guaranteed issue window.

The Medigap right, in brief

If you head back to Original Medicare, Washington law gives you a window to buy certain Medigap policies with no health screening. OIC says apply on or after November 1; get it in by December 31 if you want it working on January 1. The plan letters you can choose from depend on whether you were first eligible for Medicare before 2020 or on or after January 1, 2020, and the details are on our Washington statewide guide. Joining another Medicare Advantage plan leaves the right unused.

If you're on Medicare before 65

Benton County had 3,948 people on Medicare because of a disability rather than age in July 2026. If that's you, the Medigap option is shakier. OIC says options for people under 65 are more limited, federal rules generally don't require insurers to sell Medigap below 65, and Washington isn't on CMS's list of states that require it. Washington's plan-ending guaranteed issue law has no age cutoff, but an issuer only has to offer policies it currently sells to new enrollees. Call SHIBA before you give up anything. When you turn 65 with Part B, you get a fresh six-month Medigap open enrollment period.

The dates on your own plan's notice are the ones that count; federal Medicare rules and Washington law cover the rest. If anything here doesn't match your letter, check with 1-800-MEDICARE, SHIBA or a licensed agent.

West Richland questions

Is there a hospital in West Richland?

None is listed inside city limits on the WA Department of Health and CMS hospital lists. The nearest listed hospitals are in Richland and Kennewick, so check those in any Medicare Advantage network you consider.

If I land in Original Medicare on January 1, can I still join a Medicare Advantage plan?

Yes, through your special enrollment period, which ends February 28, 2027. You cannot use the January to March Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, because that is only for people already in a Medicare Advantage plan.

I am under 65 and on Medicare. Can I still buy Medigap?

Possibly, but options are limited. Washington's guaranteed issue law for plans that end has no age cutoff, yet insurers only have to offer what they sell to new enrollees. Call SHIBA at 800-562-6900 before deciding.

Does the Bill Shane Senior Center give Medicare counseling?

The city describes it as a senior activity center and home of the West Richland Senior Association, not a counseling office. For neutral Medicare counseling, call SHIBA at 800-562-6900 or 1-800-MEDICARE.

West Richland: your Medicare plan is not renewing. Start with who can help.