Island County: your Medicare plan ends December 31. Plan around the water.

Island County has more water than land: about 309 square miles of it against 209 of dry ground, according to the Census Bureau. That one fact shapes how a Medicare plan change plays out here more than anything in the plan's letter. Whidbey and Camano residents reach a lot of their specialists by bridge, by ferry or by a long drive, so the question "which doctors will my new coverage let me see?" carries extra weight on the islands.

The county's Medicare numbers

Source: CMS Medicare Monthly Enrollment, July 2026. "Not enrolled in Part D" is total beneficiaries minus Part D enrollees. Counts are people, not plans.

Read the table this way. Island County leans further toward Original Medicare than the state as a whole, 58.5% against 50.3%. Medicare Advantage and other health plans still covered 11,352 islanders in July 2026, but a bigger share of your neighbors already use Original Medicare than statewide. And the population is old: OFM counted 26,609 residents 65 and older in 2025, 30% of the county, compared with about a quarter in neighboring Skagit.

The row I'd look twice at is the last one. Over a quarter of people on Medicare here (7,205) had no Part D enrollment. CMS doesn't say why. Some likely have other creditable drug coverage; Whidbey Island is home to Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, and TRICARE says beneficiaries aren't required to have Part D to keep its pharmacy coverage. But if you were getting your drugs through a Medicare Advantage plan that's now ending, that coverage stops on December 31, and you are not in that group. You'll need replacement drug coverage.

One hospital on the islands, and a name that confuses people

The federal CMS hospital list shows one hospital in Island County: WhidbeyHealth Medical Center in Coupeville, a critical access hospital. Watch out for Island Hospital: despite the name, it's in Anacortes, in Skagit County. If a plan's directory lists "Island Hospital," that's the Fidalgo Island hospital, not one on Whidbey.

If you see specialists off-island, in Skagit, Snohomish or King County, that's where the choice between the two roads gets concrete:

• Another Medicare Advantage plan generally means a network and service area for non-emergency care. Ask WhidbeyHealth, your island primary care office and every off-island specialist whether they'll be in that plan's 2027 network. A plan that's fine in Oak Harbor may not include the Everett or Seattle specialist you see twice a year.
• Original Medicare lets you use any provider in the U.S. that accepts Medicare, usually without referrals. For people who winter elsewhere or see specialists across the water, that's often the deciding factor. Its downside is no annual out-of-pocket cap, which is why people pair it with a Medigap policy and a Part D plan.

Your one-time Medigap opening

In a county where nearly a third of residents are 65 or older, the guaranteed issue right deserves a careful look. Because your plan is ending, Washington law (RCW 48.66.055) lets you buy a Medigap policy without medical underwriting if you switch to Original Medicare. The insurer can't refuse you, can't exclude a pre-existing condition and can't raise the price over your health history.

• The Office of the Insurance Commissioner advises applying on or after November 1, 2026.
• Apply by December 31 and the policy can begin January 1, the same day your old plan is gone.
• The right ends March 4, 2027. After that, most applications go through health questions again.
• First eligible for Medicare before 2020: Plans A through F (including high-deductible F), K or L. First eligible on or after January 1, 2020: A, B, D, G (including high-deductible G), K or L.
• Keep the plan's letter and its postmarked envelope for the application.

Choose a new Medicare Advantage plan instead and you leave this right unused. That's a legitimate choice, just make it knowingly.

Deadlines that apply to every islander

Your plan pays through December 31, 2026. Pick replacement coverage by that day and it starts January 1, 2027. Because the plan is leaving, a special enrollment period runs from December 8, 2026 to February 28, 2027; January picks start February 1, February picks start March 1. If you take no action, Medicare enrolls you in Original Medicare on January 1 with no Part D plan attached, unless you get Extra Help, in which case CMS assigns you one. For the full set of rules see our statewide guide to a discontinued Medicare plan.

Help on Whidbey and Camano

SHIBA. OIC lists two local sponsors for Island County: Island Senior Resources in Langley ((360) 321-1600), which covers Whidbey communities from Clinton to Oak Harbor, and Edmonds Waterfront Center for Camano Island. On October 26, 2026 both listings said "Currently not accepting appointments. For assistance, call Medicare at 1-800-633-4227." Call SHIBA's statewide line, 800-562-6900, weekdays 8:30 to 4:30, or 1-800-MEDICARE, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week except some federal holidays.

Island Senior Resources (listed by Community Living Connections as Senior Services of Island County) is also the county's Community Living Connections contact, with three sites: Bayview Senior Center in Langley (360-321-1600), The Center in Oak Harbor at 917 E Whidbey Avenue (360.675.0311), and Camano Senior Center at 606 Arrowhead Road (360.387.6201). Northwest Regional Council in Bellingham is the Area Agency on Aging for the region.

Getting there. Island Transit has been fare-free since 1987, including its paratransit service. Buses meet the Clinton and Coupeville ferries and connect with Skagit Transit at March's Point and Skagit Station in Mount Vernon. Trip planning: (360) 678-7771 on Whidbey, (360) 387-7433 on Camano. Driving to a Port Townsend appointment? Island Transit notes that car reservations are required on the Coupeville–Port Townsend ferry; walk-ons don't need one.

Money help. If premiums strain your budget, apply for a Medicare Savings Program through Washington Connection before choosing a plan. These programs have no asset test, and approval brings Extra Help with drug costs automatically.

Oak Harbor readers have their own page: Medicare changes for 2027 in Oak Harbor.

The rules described here are federal Medicare law plus Washington statute; the end date on your plan's own notice is what applies to you, and SHIBA, 1-800-MEDICARE or a licensed agent can confirm it before you change anything.

Related pages: Washington statewide guide · Oak Harbor

Whidbey and Camano questions

Sources

1. CMS Medicare Monthly Enrollment, July 2026
2. U.S. Census 2025 Gazetteer, counties
3. WA OFM population estimates by age, 2025
4. WA DES Island County profile
5. CMS Hospital General Information
6. TRICARE: Beneficiaries eligible for TRICARE and Medicare
7. WA OIC: Is your Medicare Advantage plan changing or leaving?
8. WA OIC: Find a local SHIBA office
9. RCW 48.66.055
10. Island Transit: How to ride
11. Island Transit: Regional connections
12. WA Community Living Connections
13. WA HCA: Medicare Savings Programs