Franklin County has the youngest population of Washington's 39 counties by one measure: only 11.5% of residents were 65 or older in OFM's 2025 estimate. Yet 12,804 people here have Medicare (CMS counts, July 2026), and the ones who do are more likely than average to be on it because of a disability or to also qualify for Apple Health. If your Medicare Advantage plan has told you it is leaving Franklin County after 2026, those two facts shape which rules matter most to you.
Three things that set Franklin County apart
- A bigger under-65 group. 1,324 Franklin beneficiaries (10.3%) qualify for Medicare through disability rather than age. Statewide the figure is 8.0%. That matters because Medigap is harder to get before 65.
- Lots of dual-eligibles. 2,477 people, or 19.3% of beneficiaries, have both Medicare and Apple Health. Only four counties in the state have a higher share. Dual-eligibles get protections other people don't.
- One hospital, with more across the river. The state Department of Health lists one hospital in the county: Lourdes Medical Center in Pasco, a critical access hospital. The acute-care hospitals DOH lists for Benton County are in Kennewick and Richland, on the other side of the Columbia. If any of your doctors or your hospital are on the Benton County side, a network check has to cover both sides of the river.
Franklin County Medicare numbers
| Group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| All Medicare beneficiaries | 12,804 | |
| Original Medicare | 8,045 | 62.8% |
| Medicare Advantage and other health plans | 4,759 | 37.2% |
| Eligible by age | 11,480 | 89.7% |
| Eligible by disability (under 65) | 1,324 | 10.3% |
| Dual-eligible, full Apple Health | 1,493 | 11.7% |
| Dual-eligible, partial | 984 | 7.7% |
| Stand-alone Part D | 5,598 | 43.7% |
| Part D inside a Medicare Advantage plan | 4,520 | 35.3% |
Source: CMS Medicare Monthly Enrollment, July 2026. County population 105,900 (OFM, April 1, 2026); residents 65+ 11,828 (OFM, April 1, 2025).
A 37.2% share in Medicare Advantage and other health plans is well below Washington's 49.7%. Most Franklin beneficiaries are in Original Medicare, though that says nothing about which option fits you. The 4,520 people whose drug coverage sits inside a Medicare Advantage plan are the ones most exposed when a plan leaves: when the plan goes, so does the drug benefit.
If an adult son or daughter is helping you with this, bring them in now rather than in the week before Christmas. Plan comparisons and Medigap applications take a few sittings, and the plan-finder results are easier to judge with a second person looking.
If you're under 65 and on Medicare
This is the group I worry about most in Franklin County, because the usual advice ("switch to Original Medicare and buy a Medigap policy") may not fit.
Washington's guaranteed issue law for discontinued plans, RCW 48.66.055, doesn't carry an age limit, but insurers only have to offer the policies they sell to new enrollees. The federal Medigap guide says federal law generally doesn't require insurers to sell Medigap to people under 65, and Washington isn't on its list of states that require it. OIC says plainly that options are more limited if you're under 65 on disability. My take: before you let a Medicare Advantage plan go in favor of Original Medicare, get a written answer from at least one Medigap insurer that it will issue you a policy. Call SHIBA (800-562-6900) if you get conflicting answers.
Another Medicare Advantage plan is also open to you, the same as anyone. And when you turn 65 you get your own six-month Medigap open enrollment period regardless of what you chose before.
If you have Apple Health or Extra Help
CMS reassigns people with Extra Help from an ending Medicare Advantage plan into a stand-alone Part D plan, so you won't lose drug coverage on January 1 even if you do nothing. Medicare also lets you change your stand-alone drug plan once per calendar month while you have Medicaid or Extra Help. Washington's integrated plans for dual-eligibles are called Apple Health Medicare Connect, and full-benefit duals can move into one once a month. If you aren't enrolled in a Medicare Savings Program yet and money is tight, apply through washingtonconnection.org or at your local DSHS office; HCA says there's no asset test.
The core rules, for everyone else
- Your plan is responsible for your care until December 31, 2026.
- New coverage chosen by that date starts January 1, 2027. That is the only way to avoid any gap.
- The plan-leaving special enrollment period runs December 8, 2026 through February 28, 2027. A January choice starts February 1; February starts March 1.
- No choice at all means Original Medicare on January 1 and no Part D plan, unless you get Extra Help.
- Choosing Original Medicare gives you a Medigap guaranteed issue right in Washington. OIC says apply on or after November 1; the right ends March 4, 2027.
Our Washington-wide guide explains each of these with the citations.
A short to-do list before December
Pull out the plan's letter and confirm the end date. Then make two lists: every prescription with its dose, and every provider you've seen this year, noting which side of the river each one is on. Put both into Medicare Plan Finder for 2027. If the Medicare Advantage options you see don't include your doctors at Lourdes or in the Tri-Cities, that tells you something. If Original Medicare looks better, line up the Part D plan and, if you want one, a Medigap application in November so everything starts January 1. Keep the letter and its envelope together in case an insurer asks for proof of when your plan ended.
Getting help in Franklin County
The local SHIBA sponsor is Catholic Charities Serving Central Washington, whose listed office is on Van Giesen Street in Richland. Its OIC listing gives only the statewide number, 800-562-6900, and on October 26 it showed the same notice as every other local office: not accepting appointments, call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). Call the statewide line on weekdays between 8:30 and 4:30 and ask to be connected to local SHIBA help; that's the route OIC describes.
Southeast Washington Aging and Long Term Care is the Area Agency on Aging for Franklin and seven other counties. Its Community Living Connections office is in Pasco at 2715 St. Andrews Loop, Suite A (509-412-1013). Community Living Connections lists it as serving older adults, persons with disabilities, and their families. Statewide, Community Living Connections answers at 1-855-567-0252.
For rides to a new doctor, Ben Franklin Transit runs Dial-A-Ride for ADA-eligible riders (reservations 509-735-0160; eligibility questions 509-734-5516), and its fare page says riders 65 and older can get a Senior Pass that covers fixed-route and CONNECT trips without a fare.
Federal Medicare rules and Washington law set the rights described here, and the notices your plan mailed set your actual dates; for anything specific to you, check with 1-800-MEDICARE, SHIBA or a licensed agent first.
Franklin County questions
Is there a hospital in Franklin County?
I am 58 and on Medicare for a disability. Can I switch to Original Medicare and buy Medigap?
Where is the SHIBA sponsor for Franklin County?
Will I lose drug coverage if I have Extra Help and do nothing?
Sources
- CMS Medicare Monthly Enrollment, July 2026
- WA OFM population estimates (2026 total; 2025 by age)
- WA DOH hospital data
- WA OIC: Medicare Advantage plan changing or leaving
- WA OIC: Find a local SHIBA office
- Medicare: Choosing a Medigap Policy (2026)
- RCW 48.66.055
- CMS CY 2027 Enrollment and Disenrollment Guidance
- Medicare.gov: Special Enrollment Periods
- HCA: Medicare Savings Program
- Ben Franklin Transit: Dial-A-Ride
- WA Community Living Connections
