Medicare Advantage plan discontinued in Grant County: what changes January 1

Grant County stretches across about 2,680 square miles of land, from Grand Coulee Dam in the northeast corner to Mattawa, and its hospitals sit in four different towns. That geography is the first thing I'd think about if a Medicare Advantage plan told me it was leaving the county after December 31, 2026. Any replacement has to work for the drive you actually make when you're sick.

Four hospitals in four towns

Source: WA DOH hospital financial data and 2025 year-end report list; CMS Hospital General Information. "Critical access" is the federal designation for small rural hospitals.

Three of the four are critical access hospitals. If you're comparing another Medicare Advantage plan, check your local hospital first, then any hospital outside the county your doctor refers you to, whether that's in Wenatchee, Spokane or the Tri-Cities. A plan that covers Moses Lake well may not cover the place you'd be transferred.

What Grant County's Medicare numbers say

People with Medicare, July 2026

18,302

Original Medicare

11,470 (62.7%)

Medicare Advantage and other health plans

6,832 (37.3%)

Part D in a stand-alone drug plan

8,041

Part D inside a Medicare Advantage plan

6,573

Dual eligible (Medicare and Apple Health)

3,548 (19.4%)

Medicare through disability

1,951

Residents 65 and older (OFM, April 1, 2025)

17,407 of 106,250

Source: CMS Medicare Monthly Enrollment, July 2026 (people, not plans); WA OFM age estimates. Percentages computed.

Here's how I read that. Grant County leans toward Original Medicare: about five in eight enrollees are already on it, and more people here get Part D from a stand-alone drug plan than from a Medicare Advantage plan.

The flip side: roughly 3 in 8 are in Medicare Advantage and other health plans, and 6,573 people get their prescriptions through a Medicare Advantage plan. For anyone in a plan that's leaving, the drug coverage is the piece that disappears quietly.

Under 65, or on Apple Health too

Grant County has 1,951 people on Medicare because of a disability and 3,548 who also qualify for Apple Health. Both groups should slow down before copying what a 70-year-old neighbor does.

If you're under 65, Medigap is the sticking point. Federal law generally doesn't make insurers sell Medigap to people under 65, and Washington isn't on the CMS list of states that require it. As we read it, Washington's law for plans that end has no age limit, but an insurer only has to offer what it already sells to new customers. OIC itself says options are more limited for this group. Call SHIBA before giving up a plan that has drug coverage built in.

If you have Apple Health, you get more chances to fix things later: Medicaid or Extra Help allows a switch of stand-alone drug plans once each calendar month, and full Apple Health members can move into an integrated plan (HCA calls them Apple Health Medicare Connect) in any month where one is offered.

The drug coverage problem

Let the deadline pass without a choice and you're shifted to Original Medicare when 2027 begins. Parts A and B keep working. But Original Medicare has no drug plan built in, and nobody adds one for you. The exception is Extra Help: CMS assigns those enrollees a stand-alone drug plan.

Then there's the late enrollment penalty. Medicare applies it once you've gone 63 straight days or longer with no Part D and no other creditable drug coverage. Each uncovered full month adds 1% of the national base premium, and the surcharge rides along with your Part D premium for as long as you have Medicare drug coverage. Extra Help enrollees are exempt.

Example (hypothetical): someone who misses every window and goes all of 2027 without drug coverage would carry a penalty of about 12% of the base premium. At the 2027 base of $41.33, that works out to about $5.00 a month (Medicare rounds to the nearest 10 cents), recalculated as the base changes, for as long as they have Part D. Small per month, long-lasting, and on top of a full year of paying cash at the pharmacy.

The fix is simple: join a drug plan or a plan with drug coverage by December 31 so it starts January 1. Federal limits for 2027 help when you compare: a Part D deductible tops out at $700, and once your own spending on covered drugs hits $2,400 the plan pays the rest of the year.

Dates for Grant County residents

• Through December 31, 2026: your current plan still covers you.
• December 8, 2026 to February 28, 2027: the special enrollment period for people whose plan is leaving. A December sign-up takes effect on New Year's Day, a January sign-up on the first of February, a February sign-up on the first of March.
• January 1, 2027: new coverage begins, or Original Medicare without drug coverage if you chose nothing.
• March 4, 2027: last day of your Medigap guaranteed issue right.

Washington adds a strong protection here. Under RCW 48.66.055, when your Medicare Advantage plan ends and you move to Original Medicare, insurers must sell you certain Medigap plans without health screening. OIC's guidance is to send the application on November 1 or later; applying by December 31 lets the policy begin January 1. Join another Medicare Advantage plan instead and that right goes unused. The statewide guide lists which Medigap plan letters qualify.

Getting around the county

Grant Transit Authority has charged no fares on its buses since September 1, 2022 (vanpool excepted). For people who can't manage the fixed routes because of a disability, GTA's ACCESS program offers curb-to-curb rides; call 509-766-1688 or toll-free 800-406-9177 to apply. GTA's DART dial-a-ride covers areas like Wilson Creek, Royal City, Mattawa and Grand Coulee at 509-765-0898, ext. 101.

For longer trips, People For People's Route 100 runs Moses Lake, Ephrata, Quincy and Wenatchee with no fare, and Route 102 goes to the Tri-Cities. Its door-to-door service for older adults and people with disabilities in Grant County books at 509-765-9249, ext. 555.

Local contacts

• SHIBA: OIC lists Action Health Partners in East Wenatchee (888-452-0731) as Grant County's SHIBA sponsor. On October 26, 2026, the listing said, "Currently not accepting appointments. For assistance, call Medicare at 1-800-633-4227." The statewide SHIBA line, 800-562-6900, is open 8:30 to 4:30 on weekdays.
• Aging & Adult Care of Central Washington, the Area Agency on Aging for Grant, Adams, Chelan, Douglas, Lincoln and Okanogan counties. Its Community Living Connections contact for Grant County is at 1336 South Pioneer Way in Moses Lake, 509-766-2568.
• 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), 24/7 except some federal holidays, and Medicare Plan Finder.
• Money help: HCA's Medicare Savings Programs help with premiums and don't look at savings or property; applications go through washingtonconnection.org.

What controls in the end is federal Medicare law, Washington law and the dates printed in your own plan's notice, so have 1-800-MEDICARE, SHIBA or a licensed agent confirm how it applies to you before you switch.

Related pages: Washington statewide guide · Moses Lake

Grant County questions

Sources

1. CMS Medicare Monthly Enrollment, July 2026
2. WA DOH 2025 hospital year-end reports
3. CMS Hospital General Information
4. Medicare.gov: Part D costs and late enrollment penalty
5. WA OIC: Is your Medicare Advantage plan changing or leaving?
6. RCW 48.66.055
7. Grant Transit Authority rider programs
8. Grant Transit Authority zero fares
9. People For People transportation
10. DSHS Area Agency on Aging contact list