My Medicare Advantage Plan Is Ending: Ridgefield, WA

Ridgefield is growing fast. OFM's April 2026 estimate is 16,820 residents; the Census Bureau's 2020–2024 survey averaged about 13,400. The two use different methods, but a gap of roughly a quarter in a few years tells you a lot of people here are new. The older population is smaller than you might guess: the survey puts about 1,700 Ridgefield residents at 65 and up (the margin of error is a few hundred), close to 13% of the city.

That combination matters if your Medicare Advantage plan just told you it won't be around in 2027. If you've only had Medicare a year or two, or you joined a Medicare Advantage plan when you moved here, you may have rights longtime enrollees don't. Find yourself below.

First, the part that's the same for everybody

Your plan covers you through December 31, 2026. Pick new coverage by that day and it starts January 1, 2027. Federal rules also give members of an ending plan a special enrollment period from December 8, 2026 to February 28, 2027; a choice in January takes effect February 1, in February, March 1. Make no choice and Medicare defaults you to Original Medicare when the year turns, but nothing replaces your drug coverage unless you get Extra Help. Across Clark County, 67% of Medicare enrollees were in Medicare Advantage and other health plans in July 2026 (CMS counts); CMS doesn't publish how many got non-renewal letters.

If you became eligible in 2020 or later

When a plan leaves, Washington law lets you buy a supplement with no medical underwriting, on one condition: you go back to Original Medicare. The plans you can pick depend on the year you first became eligible:

First eligible for Medicare	Guaranteed issue Medigap plans in Washington
Before January 1, 2020	A through F (high-deductible F too), K, L
January 1, 2020 or later	A, B, D, G (high-deductible G too), K, L

Source: RCW 48.66.055 and WA Office of the Insurance Commissioner, checked October 26, 2026.

Plans C and F aren't sold to people new to Medicare since 2020, which is why the second row swaps in D and G. OIC tells people to apply no earlier than November 1. The right ends 63 days after your plan does, March 4, 2027.

If you tried Medicare Advantage for the first time less than 12 months ago

You may hold a federal "trial right." Two versions exist. If you joined a Medicare Advantage plan when you first got Part A at 65 and you're still inside that first year, you can move to Original Medicare and buy any Medigap policy sold in Washington. If you dropped a Medigap policy to try Medicare Advantage for the first time and it's been less than a year, you may be able to get that Medigap policy back. Trial rights overlap with the plan-ending right; when both apply, ask SHIBA which gives you the wider choice.

If you're about to turn 65 and already have Part B

Some people are on Medicare early through disability. Federal Medicare rules give you a six-month Medigap open enrollment period that begins the first month you are both 65 and enrolled in Part B. If that birthday is coming up soon, it can widen your options beyond the plan-ending right. SHIBA can help line up the dates.

If you moved to Ridgefield from somewhere else

Plan service areas are county by county. If your issue is that you moved out of a plan's area, rather than the plan leaving, the rules differ, so call 1-800-MEDICARE about that. Read your letter carefully: a non-renewal or service-area-reduction notice gives the end date and your alternatives. Your doctors may also be new. Ridgefield has no hospital in city limits on state or CMS lists; Clark County's acute-care hospitals are in Vancouver. Confirm whatever hospital you'd use and any Portland-area specialists against a new plan's network, or remember that Original Medicare works with any provider nationwide that accepts Medicare.

For the full statewide picture, including PEBB retirees and the under-65 rules, see the Washington guide to discontinued Medicare plans.

Local help and getting around

SHIBA's Clark County sponsor is the Area Agency on Aging & Disabilities of Southwest Washington, 201 NE 73rd St. in Vancouver (email [email protected]). Heads up: OIC's local listing on October 26, 2026 showed that the office was not taking appointments and sent people to Medicare's own line, 1-800-633-4227. Statewide SHIBA, 800-562-6900, was still listed for weekdays, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

C-TRAN's regular C-VAN paratransit doesn't cover Ridgefield. Instead, C-TRAN's on-demand service The Current has a Ridgefield/La Center zone and links to other routes, which can get you toward a new clinic in Vancouver. Riders 65 and over or on Medicare can apply for C-TRAN's Honored fare with ID.

This page reflects federal Medicare rules and Washington law; your plan's mailed notice decides your dates. Have 1-800-MEDICARE, SHIBA or a licensed agent check your case before you enroll in anything new.

Ridgefield questions answered

I turned 65 last year and joined a Medicare Advantage plan that is now ending. Do I have extra rights?

Possibly. Besides the guaranteed issue right that comes with a plan ending, you may have a federal trial right if you joined Medicare Advantage when first eligible at 65 and are still within the first year. Ask SHIBA at 800-562-6900 which right gives you more choices.

Which Medigap plans can I get if I was first eligible for Medicare in 2020 or later?

For anyone first eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020, the Washington guaranteed issue menu is A, B, D, G or high-deductible G, K and L. It only applies if you leave Medicare Advantage for Original Medicare. OIC's advice is to send the application November 1 or later, and the right expires March 4, 2027.

Does C-VAN paratransit serve Ridgefield?

C-TRAN says Ridgefield and La Center are served by its on-demand service The Current rather than C-VAN. The Current has a Ridgefield/La Center zone with connections to other routes.

Are there Medicare enrollment numbers for Ridgefield itself?

No. CMS publishes enrollment by county. In July 2026, 67% of Clark County's Medicare enrollees were in Medicare Advantage and other health plans.

Your Medicare Advantage plan is ending in Ridgefield. Which rules fit you?