Medicare plan discontinued in Camas: don't lose your prescriptions

About 3,600 Camas residents are 65 or older, by the Census Bureau's 2020–2024 estimate, out of a city OFM now puts at 28,490. That's roughly 13%, a smaller older population than Vancouver's or next-door Washougal's. Smaller doesn't mean spared: across Clark County, 67% of people on Medicare were in Medicare Advantage and other health plans in July 2026 (CMS counts), which is the group that gets a letter when a plan leaves.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates (table B09020). City figures have margins of error, so they are rounded.

Medicare enrollment isn't published city by city, so I lean on the county numbers. Of Clark County's 108,542 beneficiaries, 70,297 got Part D drug coverage through a Medicare Advantage plan, and only 19,768 had a stand-alone drug plan. That's why this page spends most of its time on prescriptions.

The drug coverage gap to plan for

When a Medicare Advantage plan with drug coverage ends, the prescription benefit goes with it at midnight on December 31, 2026. Switching to Original Medicare does not bring a drug plan along. You have to pick one. (The exception is Extra Help: CMS slots those members into a stand-alone drug plan automatically, provided they haven't already lined up their own for 2027.)

Here's how the calendar plays out for a Camas resident who chooses Original Medicare:

Based on the CMS CY2027 enrollment guidance (non-renewal special enrollment period, December 8, 2026 to February 28, 2027) and Medicare.gov's Part D penalty rule.

The 63-day line is the one Medicare uses for the late enrollment penalty. A stretch of 63 straight days or longer with no Part D or other creditable drug coverage lets Medicare tack a penalty onto your premium: 1% of the national base beneficiary premium for each full month you went without. That base is $41.33 for 2027, so each uncovered month adds about 41 cents a month, and it stays on your premium for as long as you have Medicare drug coverage. Extra Help recipients don't pay it.

A February pick technically keeps you under 63 days. I still wouldn't plan around it. Fifty-nine days without coverage means paying the pharmacy's full price for every refill in January and February, and a single brand-name inhaler or insulin pen can make that ugly fast.

Two federal numbers to keep in mind when you compare Part D plans for 2027: the deductible ceiling is $700, and once you've paid $2,400 out of pocket on covered drugs, the rest of the year costs you nothing for them.

If you'd rather stay in Medicare Advantage

You can join another Medicare Advantage plan offered in Clark County. Choose by December 31 and it starts January 1, drugs included if the plan has drug coverage. Before you pick, check that your doctors are in its 2027 network. Camas has no hospital inside city limits on state or CMS lists; the county's acute-care hospitals are in Vancouver. If you also see doctors across the river in Oregon, ask about each of them too.

What applies no matter which road

• Your old plan's last day is December 31, 2026.
• The special enrollment period for an ending plan runs December 8, 2026 through February 28, 2027.
• If you sit it out, January 1 finds you in Original Medicare minus any drug plan.
• Moving to Original Medicare also opens a Medigap guaranteed issue right under Washington law until March 4, 2027. OIC says apply on or after November 1.

The Washington-wide guide covers Medigap plan letters, PEBB retiree coverage and the under-65 rules.

Help for Camas residents

SHIBA in Clark County is sponsored by the regional aging and disability agency based in Vancouver. Its OIC listing, as of October 26, 2026, read "Currently not accepting appointments. For assistance, call Medicare at 1-800-633-4227." SHIBA's statewide number, 800-562-6900, was still listed for weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. You can also run your drug list yourself on Medicare Plan Finder.

If a new doctor means a new trip, C-TRAN's on-demand service The Current has a Camas/Washougal zone. C-VAN paratransit covers approved riders within three-quarters of a mile of fixed routes in Camas, and C-TRAN says The Current serves parts of Camas where C-VAN doesn't. Call 360-695-8918 to check an address.

Everything here is drawn from federal Medicare rules and Washington law, yet your plan's notice is what fixes your own dates. Get it confirmed by 1-800-MEDICARE, SHIBA or a licensed agent before making a switch.

Related pages: Washington statewide guide · Clark County · Battle Ground · Ridgefield · Vancouver · Washougal

Camas FAQ

Sources

1. U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024, table B09020
2. WA OFM April 1, 2026 population
3. CMS Medicare Monthly Enrollment, July 2026
4. Medicare.gov: Part D costs and late enrollment penalty
5. CMS July 28, 2026 Parts C and D announcement (base beneficiary premium)
6. CMS CY2027 Enrollment and Disenrollment Guidance
7. WA OIC: Medicare Advantage plan changing or leaving
8. WA OIC: Find a local SHIBA office
9. C-TRAN paratransit service