Port Townsend is the Jefferson County seat, and the town skews older than the county. Census survey data for 2020 to 2024 put 43.6% of residents at 65 or older, about 4,550 people (margin of plus or minus 295), against 40.7% for Jefferson County on the same survey. OFM counted 10,780 residents on April 1, 2026, close to a third of the county. If a Medicare Advantage plan has told you it is dropping you, here is what the next few months look like from here.
Your Port Townsend calendar, November through March
Local help and federal deadlines, merged into one list. The clinic dates come from the fall flyer published by Aging & Adult Services of Coastal Washington, the county's SHIBA sponsor.
| Date | What it is |
|---|---|
| Sun., Nov. 1 | OIC's suggested first day to send a Medigap application if you are leaving Medicare Advantage. |
| Tue., Nov. 3, 1 to 4 p.m. | SHIBA walk-in clinic, Port Townsend Community Center, 620 Tyler St. |
| Tue., Nov. 17, 1 to 4 p.m. | SHIBA walk-in clinic, same place. |
| Mon., Nov. 23 | Last day of PEBB retiree open enrollment, for retired public employees with PEBB coverage. |
| Tue., Dec. 1, 1 to 4 p.m. | Last scheduled Port Townsend SHIBA clinic of the season. |
| Mon., Dec. 7 | Regular Medicare open enrollment closes. |
| Tue., Dec. 8 | Your special enrollment period opens because your plan is ending. |
| Thu., Dec. 31 | Final day of the old plan. Choose by this day for coverage on January 1. |
| Fri., Jan. 1, 2027 | New coverage starts, or Original Medicare without a drug plan if you chose nothing. |
| Sun., Feb. 28, 2027 | Special enrollment period ends. February choices start March 1. |
| Thu., Mar. 4, 2027 | Washington's Medigap guaranteed-issue right for your situation expires. |
Sources: AASCW 2026 open enrollment clinic flyer; Washington OIC; HCA; CMS CY 2027 Enrollment and Disenrollment Guidance; RCW 48.66.055.
Clinics are first-come, first-served, and the sponsor says volunteers have limited capacity. Bring your prescriptions with doses, your Medicare card and, if you have one, your Medicare.gov login. OIC's online directory still showed this office as "Currently not accepting appointments" on October 26, so a quick call to the sponsor at 360-209-8338 before you walk over is worth it. Their office is at 2500 W. Sims Way, Suite 203.
Don't skip the drug plan
Across Jefferson County, 9,539 people had a stand-alone Part D plan in July 2026 and 2,384 got their drug coverage inside a Medicare Advantage plan (CMS). If you're in that second, smaller group and you move to Original Medicare, you have to choose a stand-alone drug plan yourself. Nobody does it for you unless you get Extra Help.
Some federal guardrails help. For 2027, no Part D plan can charge a deductible above $700, and once your out-of-pocket spending on covered drugs reaches $2,400, you pay nothing more for covered Part D drugs that year. But plans differ in which drugs they list and which pharmacies they prefer. Put your exact prescriptions and your usual Port Townsend pharmacy into Medicare Plan Finder; don't pick a plan on premium alone.
Don't let it slide into the new year, either. Going 63 days or more in a row without creditable drug coverage can mean a late penalty added to your Part D premium for as long as you have Part D. People with Extra Help are exempt.
The county's hospital is in town
Jefferson Healthcare on Sheridan Street is a critical access hospital and the only hospital listed for Jefferson County in state and federal data. If you're considering another Medicare Advantage plan, confirm it is in the plan's 2027 network, along with your primary care practice and any specialists in Poulsbo, Port Angeles or Seattle. With Original Medicare, any provider that accepts Medicare works, here or anywhere in the country.
If your income is limited
Jefferson County had 1,403 people enrolled in both Medicare and Apple Health in July 2026. If you are one of them, three things change for you. CMS automatically moves Extra Help members from an ending Medicare Advantage plan into a stand-alone drug plan unless they already have 2027 drug coverage. You can switch stand-alone drug plans once a month. And you never owe the Part D late penalty.
If you don't have Apple Health but money is tight, a Medicare Savings Program can pay your Part B premium and sometimes more. HCA says there is no asset test. Apply at washingtonconnection.org. Being in a Savings Program makes you eligible for Extra Help automatically.
Other places to call
- SHIBA statewide line: 800-562-6900, Monday to Friday, 8:30 to 4:30.
- Medicare: 1-800-633-4227, every hour of every day except some federal holidays.
- The regional Area Agency on Aging (Olympic AAA, now Aging & Adult Services of Coastal Washington): 360-385-2552.
- Jefferson Transit, where every route is zero-fare: 360-385-4777. Dial-A-Ride paratransit is available for residents who can't use the regular bus.
For county-wide figures see our Jefferson County page, and for the full set of federal and state rules, the Washington statewide guide.
Treat this as a map, not the final word: your plan's letter sets your personal dates, federal Medicare law and Washington law set the rules, and 1-800-MEDICARE, SHIBA or a licensed agent can confirm how they apply to you.
Port Townsend questions
When is the next SHIBA clinic in Port Townsend?
My Port Townsend plan is dropping me. Do I lose my drug coverage?
Is Jefferson Healthcare covered if I switch plans?
Sources
- AASCW 2026 open enrollment clinic flyer (Clallam-Jefferson)
- Aging & Adult Services of Coastal Washington: SHIBA
- U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024, table B09020
- WA OFM April 1, 2026 population estimates
- CMS Medicare Monthly Enrollment, July 2026
- Medicare.gov: Part D costs
- Washington OIC: Is your Medicare Advantage plan changing or leaving?
- Washington OIC: Find a local SHIBA office (checked Oct 26, 2026)
- CMS CY 2027 Enrollment and Disenrollment Guidance
- HCA: Medicare Savings Programs
- Jefferson Transit
