Medicare plan dropped in Longview, WA? Answers and local help

Longview holds about a third of Cowlitz County's people (38,450 of 114,900, OFM April 2026) and its only state-listed hospital, PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center on Delaware Street. The questions below are the ones that matter most, answered plainly. The short version: your plan works through December 31, 2026, and the cleanest move is to have something new picked by then.

Longview's Medicare picture

CMS reports Medicare enrollment by county only; Longview's figures are population estimates. Counts are people, not plans.

Two numbers there should get your attention. Two-thirds of county enrollees were in Medicare Advantage and other health plans, against roughly half statewide. And 19,173 of them get their drug coverage bundled inside that plan. When the plan ends, the drug coverage ends with it, which is why most of this page is about prescriptions.

Questions Longview readers ask

My letter says the plan ends. Do my benefits stop now?

No. You keep the same doctors, pharmacy and card through December 31, 2026. Federal rules required the plan to mail you notice at least 90 days ahead, and it must describe your other options. Keep that letter and its envelope.

What exactly happens on January 1 if I ignore it?

Medicare puts you in Original Medicare, Parts A and B. Hospital and doctor bills keep getting paid under Original Medicare's rules. What disappears is the drug coverage. Nobody adds a Part D plan for you, unless you get Extra Help, in which case CMS reassigns you to a stand-alone drug plan. Everyone else is paying cash at the pharmacy counter from New Year's Day until they enroll.

Is there a penalty for waiting?

There can be. Medicare charges a Part D late enrollment penalty if you go 63 or more days in a row without creditable drug coverage. It's 1% of the national base beneficiary premium for each uncovered month, and that base is $41.33 for 2027. It is added to your premium for as long as you have Part D. Extra Help members don't pay it. The special enrollment period for people whose plan is ending lasts from December 8, 2026 to February 28, 2027, and a February choice starts March 1, which leaves a 59-day gap: under the 63-day line, but still two months of full-price prescriptions. Don't plan on cutting it that close.

What are the 2027 Part D limits if I go the stand-alone route?

No Part D plan can charge a deductible above $700 in 2027, and covered drug costs are capped at $2,400 out of pocket for the year, after which you pay nothing more for covered Part D drugs. Plans still differ on which drugs they list and which pharmacies they use, so run your own list through Medicare Plan Finder.

Will my new coverage work at the Longview hospital?

Under Original Medicare, any hospital that takes Medicare is in. Under a Medicare Advantage plan, it depends on the plan's 2027 network, so look up the hospital and each doctor by name before enrolling. Do the same for any Vancouver or Portland specialist.

I'm thinking about Original Medicare plus a supplement. Can I get one?

Yes. A plan leaving your area gives you a guaranteed issue right under Washington law (RCW 48.66.055) and federal law: the insurer has to sell you certain Medigap plans, cover pre-existing conditions and can't charge more for your health. OIC suggests applying on or after November 1. The window ends March 4, 2027. Our Washington guide for discontinued Medicare plans lists the plan letters.

I have Medicare and Apple Health. Anything different?

A few things. You can change stand-alone drug plans once a month, and if you have full Medicaid you may be able to join Apple Health Medicare Connect, the state's integrated dual plan, in any month one is offered. Not on Apple Health but struggling with costs? HCA's Medicare Savings Programs have no asset test, and qualifying for one also qualifies you for Extra Help.

Where to go in Longview

• Community Living Connections (Area Agency on Aging & Disabilities of Southwest Washington), 760 Ocean Beach Hwy, Suite G: 360-577-4929, or 800-682-2406 toll free.
• SHIBA: that agency is also Cowlitz's SHIBA sponsor, but its OIC listing, checked October 26, 2026, said it isn't accepting appointments right now and pointed people to 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). The statewide SHIBA line, 800-562-6900, is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 to 4:30.
• RiverCities Transit, 360-442-5663. If your new doctor is across town, the reduced bus fare is 50 cents one way for riders 65 and older and for anyone with a Medicare card. Passes are sold at the Longview Transit Center (1135 12th Avenue), the Longview Library on Louisiana Street and City Hall on Broadway. LIFT paratransit is available to riders whose disability keeps them off the fixed routes.

Washington law and federal Medicare rules control all of this, and the dates printed in your own plan notice are the ones that count; confirm your next step with 1-800-MEDICARE, SHIBA or a licensed agent.

Related pages: Washington statewide guide · Cowlitz County · Kelso

Quick answers for Longview

Sources

1. WA OFM April 1, 2026 population
2. U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024, table B09020
3. CMS Medicare Monthly Enrollment, July 2026
4. WA DOH 2025 hospital year-end reports
5. Medicare: Part D costs and late enrollment penalty
6. CMS CY2027 enrollment and disenrollment guidance
7. Washington OIC: Medicare Advantage plan changing or leaving
8. RCW 48.66.055
9. WA HCA: Medicare Savings Program
10. RiverCities Transit fixed route fares
11. RiverCities Transit LIFT fares
12. Washington OIC: Find a local SHIBA office