Medicare Plan Leaving Aberdeen, WA? What to Do

Aberdeen has something many small Washington cities don't: a hospital inside the city. The state Department of Health lists Harbor Regional Health (Grays Harbor Community Hospital), which CMS classifies as an acute care hospital, in Aberdeen. If your Medicare Advantage plan is ending on December 31, 2026, the first question I'd ask about any replacement is simple: does it cover the hospital down the road, and the doctors who work with it?

Aberdeen beside the rest of Grays Harbor

	Aberdeen	Grays Harbor County
Population, April 1, 2026 (OFM)	17,240	78,150
Age 65+ (ACS 2020–2024)	about 3,200 (18.8%)	17,980 (23.3%)
Hospital in the city (DOH)	Harbor Regional Health	Two listed: Aberdeen and Elma
People with Medicare (CMS, July 2026)	CMS reports counties only	22,691
Original Medicare share	CMS reports counties only	74.3%
Dual-eligible (Medicare and Apple Health)	CMS reports counties only	4,231

Sources: WA OFM; U.S. Census ACS 5-year table B09020 (Aberdeen margin ±431 people); WA DOH hospital data; CMS Medicare Monthly Enrollment, July 2026.

The city is a bit younger than the county; roughly one Aberdeen resident in five is 65 or older, against nearly one in four countywide. But the Medicare pattern is a county story, and in Grays Harbor about three-quarters of people with Medicare already use Original Medicare. Statewide it's closer to half in Medicare Advantage and other health plans and half not.

Late October and November: gather, then compare

Your plan still pays every claim through December 31. Use these weeks to collect three things: the plan's letter (and the envelope with its postmark), a list of every doctor and pharmacy you use, and a list of your prescriptions with doses.

Keep the letter and envelope somewhere safe. If you end up buying a Medigap policy, the insurer may ask for a copy to prove your guaranteed issue right, and the postmark shows when it was mailed.

Then compare. One choice is a different Medicare Advantage plan offered in Grays Harbor; OIC says at least one is available in every county for 2027. Call Harbor Regional Health's billing office and your doctors and ask which 2027 Medicare plans they take. The other choice is Original Medicare with a stand-alone Part D plan and, if you want it, a Medigap policy. Original Medicare doesn't use networks; any provider that takes Medicare will do.

November 1 matters if you are leaning toward Medigap. OIC tells people with a plan-ending letter to apply no earlier than that date. Washington law (RCW 48.66.055) actually says your guaranteed issue right starts when you receive the termination notice and requires insurers to accept an early application, though the policy can't start until the Medicare Advantage plan ends. Following OIC's November 1 advice keeps things simple.

December: decide

December 7 ends regular Open Enrollment, and December 8 opens a special enrollment period for people whose plan isn't renewing. The date that matters more is December 31. Anything you sign up for by then begins January 1, 2027, so there is no day without drug coverage and, if you applied for Medigap in time, no day without the supplement either.

If you do nothing at all, Medicare moves you to Original Medicare on January 1. You keep Part A and Part B, but not drug coverage. Extra Help members are the exception: CMS assigns them a stand-alone drug plan.

January through early March: the late window

The plan-ending special enrollment period runs through February 28, 2027. A choice in January starts February 1; one in February starts March 1. You'd be paying full price at the pharmacy in between. Stretch a drug-coverage gap to 63 days and Medicare can attach a penalty to your Part D premium for as long as you have Medicare drug coverage.

The Medigap guaranteed issue right lasts a few days longer, to March 4, 2027, which is 63 days after the plan ends. After that, insurers can ask health questions and turn you down. That right only applies if you're on Original Medicare; joining another Medicare Advantage plan means you don't use it. The Washington guide for discontinued plans lists the Medigap plan letters you can buy.

Help in Aberdeen

Aging & Adult Services of Coastal Washington (once named Olympic Area Agency on Aging) is Grays Harbor's SHIBA sponsor and has its office at 2700 Simpson Avenue. On October 26, 2026, OIC's local listing for it read, "Currently not accepting appointments. For assistance, call Medicare at 1-800-633-4227." SHIBA's statewide line, 800-562-6900, was still listed, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays, and the counseling is free and unbiased. The same agency's Community Living Connections number is 360-532-0520. 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) takes calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week except some federal holidays.

If a new plan means new doctors, Grays Harbor Transit runs several Aberdeen routes, including The WAVE (5), North and South Aberdeen (10N and 10S) and Aberdeen–Hoquiam (20), from the Aberdeen station at 101 S G St. Route 40 heads to Olympia. Riders with a disability that keeps them off the fixed routes can apply for HarborFlex paratransit at 360-532-2770.

The Grays Harbor County page goes deeper on under-65 and Apple Health questions, which are common in this county.

Federal Medicare law and Washington's insurance code are what this page describes, and your plan's own mailings decide your actual dates; SHIBA, 1-800-MEDICARE or a licensed agent can confirm the details for you.

Aberdeen questions

Is Harbor Regional Health covered if my Medicare Advantage plan ends?

Your current plan's coverage ends December 31, 2026. Under Original Medicare you can use any hospital that accepts Medicare. If you consider another Medicare Advantage plan, ask the hospital and the plan whether it is in that plan's 2027 network.

When should I apply for a Medigap policy in Aberdeen?

OIC says to apply no earlier than November 1. Apply by December 31, 2026 for a January 1 start. The guaranteed issue right lasts until March 4, 2027, and only applies if you move to Original Medicare.

What should I keep from my plan?

Keep the termination letter and the postmarked envelope it came in. A Medigap insurer may ask for a copy to prove your guaranteed issue right.

Where is SHIBA in Aberdeen?

Grays Harbor's SHIBA sponsor, Aging & Adult Services of Coastal Washington, is at 2700 Simpson Avenue. OIC's October 26, 2026 listing showed it not taking appointments, so call the statewide SHIBA line at 800-562-6900 or 1-800-MEDICARE.

Medicare Plan Leaving Aberdeen: What to Do, Month by Month