Medicare Advantage Plan Terminated in Garfield County

In July 2026, CMS counted exactly 100 people in Garfield County enrolled in Medicare Advantage and other health plans. One hundred, out of 746 on Medicare. If you're one of them and your plan just told you it's leaving, you belong to a small group in a county where almost everyone else already has Original Medicare. That's actually useful information, and I'll explain why below.

Garfield's Medicare figures

CMS counts, July 2026	People	Share of Garfield's Medicare enrollees
Everyone on Medicare	746	100%
Original Medicare	646	86.6%
Medicare Advantage and other health plans	100	13.4%
Dual-eligible (Medicare plus Apple Health)	97	13.0%
Under 65, on Medicare because of a disability	62	8.3%
In a stand-alone Part D drug plan	478	64.1%
Getting drugs through a Medicare Advantage plan	89	11.9%

Data: CMS monthly Medicare enrollment file for July 2026 (statewide comparison: 49.7% in Medicare Advantage and other health plans). Each figure counts people.

Context: OFM puts the county at 2,300 residents as of April 2026, spread over about 711 square miles of farm country between the Snake River and the Blue Mountains, roughly 3 people per square mile. Of those residents, 682 were 65 or over in OFM's 2025 age estimates, nearly three in ten.

What being in the 13% means for you

Statewide, Medicare is split close to half and half between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage and other health plans. Garfield is nothing like that. Nearly 87% of local beneficiaries use Original Medicare, and 478 people carry a stand-alone Part D card. So if you're considering Original Medicare for 2027, it is already the most common setup in the county.

The flip side: if you prefer to stay in Medicare Advantage, you're picking from whatever is offered in a very small market. OIC's page says there is at least one Medicare Advantage plan in every Washington county in 2027. Check Medicare Plan Finder with your Garfield ZIP code and see what actually appears, then check networks carefully (next section).

And note the dual-eligible line. 97 people, about 13% of the county's Medicare enrollees, also have Apple Health. That's a little below the statewide share of 15.1%, but still about one in eight local beneficiaries. If you're one of them, the rules give you extra room, covered below.

Care across the state line

The county hospital is Garfield County Memorial Hospital in Pomeroy, a critical access hospital on the CMS list. For specialists and bigger errands, the county's own transit service points toward Lewiston and Clarkston. The Garfield County Transportation Authority, based at 32 Port Way in Pomeroy, runs intercity rides to the Lewiston–Clarkston valley for medical appointments and shopping, open to everyone; call (509) 843-0200, extension 251.

That geography matters for your choice. Lewiston is in Idaho. Medicare Advantage plans may restrict non-emergency care to a network and a service area, so before joining one, ask each Idaho doctor or clinic you use whether they're in that plan's network for 2027, not just the Pomeroy providers. Garfield also borders Wallowa County, Oregon, if any of your care runs south.

Original Medicare doesn't care about state lines: any provider in the U.S. that accepts Medicare can bill it. For many people here that's the deciding factor.

The rules, briefly

Your current plan covers you through December 31, 2026.
Choose by that date and your new coverage starts January 1, 2027 with no gap.
A plan-ending special enrollment period adds extra time, December 8, 2026 through February 28, 2027. Choose in January and coverage starts February 1; choose in February and it starts March 1.
If you do nothing, Medicare places you in Original Medicare on January 1 with Parts A and B, but no drug plan, unless you get Extra Help.
Moving to Original Medicare gives you a guaranteed issue right to a Medigap policy under Washington law (RCW 48.66.055). The Insurance Commissioner says apply November 1 or later; the right ends March 4, 2027. You're a Washington resident, so Washington's broader plan list applies even if your doctors are in Idaho.

Every detail, with the exceptions, is on our statewide guide to a discontinued Medicare plan.

For Garfield's dual-eligibles and Extra Help members

Members with Apple Health or Extra Help get special handling when a Medicare Advantage plan shuts down: CMS assigns them a stand-alone Part D plan, as long as they haven't already picked 2027 drug coverage. The assignment isn't binding; swap it for one that fits your prescriptions. On top of that, you can change stand-alone drug plans once each month. Full Apple Health enrollees may also enroll in an integrated special needs plan (Washington's name for these is Apple Health Medicare Connect ) in any month, where one serves Garfield County.

Not on Apple Health, but money is tight? Look at Washington's Medicare Savings Programs. Depending on income, the state covers your Part B premium, and the QMB tier also picks up Medicare deductibles and copays. HCA says savings and property don't count against you. Getting into one also brings Extra Help, which removes the Part D late penalty entirely.

For everyone else, the penalty is real. If 63 or more days pass in a row without creditable drug coverage, Medicare adds 1% of the base premium ($41.33 for 2027) for each uncovered month, for as long as you have Medicare drug coverage. Four uncovered months would mean about $1.70 more every month, since Medicare rounds the penalty to the nearest dime. Join a drug plan that starts January 1 and the question never comes up.

Where to get help from Pomeroy

SHIBA. The local SHIBA sponsor OIC lists for Garfield County is the WA-ID Volunteer Center at 1424 Main Street in Lewiston, Idaho, (208) 746-7787, Monday through Thursday. On October 26, 2026 its listing read: "Currently not accepting appointments. For assistance, call Medicare at 1-800-633-4227." Phone SHIBA's statewide counselors instead at 800-562-6900, Monday to Friday between 8:30 and 4:30. No drive to Idaho needed.
Southeast WA Aging and Long Term Care, the Area Agency on Aging, has a Pomeroy office at 695 Main, 509.843.3563, for help with benefit applications and in-home support.
Medicare's own line, 1-800-633-4227, takes calls 24 hours a day, every day except some federal holidays.

Federal Medicare law and Washington statutes set this framework. Your plan's own letter fixes the dates for your situation, so before choosing, have SHIBA, Medicare's helpline or a licensed agent look it over.

Garfield County FAQ

How many people in Garfield County are in Medicare Advantage and other health plans?

CMS counted 100 people in Medicare Advantage and other health plans in July 2026, 13.4% of the county's 746 Medicare beneficiaries. The other 646 were in Original Medicare.

I see doctors in Lewiston, Idaho. Does that affect my choice?

Yes. Original Medicare works with any U.S. provider that accepts Medicare. A Medicare Advantage plan may limit non-emergency care to its network, so ask each Idaho provider whether they are in the plan's 2027 network.

Who is Garfield County's SHIBA sponsor?

OIC's listing points to the WA-ID Volunteer Center across the state line in Lewiston, Idaho, which showed "not accepting appointments" on October 26, 2026. The statewide SHIBA number, 800-562-6900, works Monday to Friday, and Medicare (1-800-633-4227) answers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week except some federal holidays.

Can I get a ride to medical appointments in Lewiston or Clarkston?

Garfield County Transportation Authority in Pomeroy runs intercity rides to the Lewiston-Clarkston valley for medical appointments and shopping. Call (509) 843-0200, extension 251.

Medicare Advantage plan terminated in Garfield County: a short guide for a small county