If your plan dropped you and you live in Renton, the first problem most people hit this fall is not the rules. It's finding a person to talk to. So this page starts with who answers the phone, then gets to what you actually have to decide before December 31, 2026.
Who to call from Renton, in order
- SHIBA's statewide line, 800-562-6900 (weekdays, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.). SHIBA is the state's free, unbiased Medicare counseling program, run by the Office of the Insurance Commissioner. King County's local SHIBA sponsors are Solid Ground and the Chinese Information and Service Center, both in Seattle. When we looked on October 26, 2026, OIC's page listed both as "Currently not accepting appointments" and sent callers to 1-800-MEDICARE. The statewide number still works for asking to be connected.
- 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except some federal holidays. Medicare staff can look up what's offered at your ZIP code and process a switch over the phone.
- Community Living Connections, 206-962-8467. This is the front door to Seattle - King County Aging & Disability Services, the Area Agency on Aging for Renton. Useful if the plan change is tangled up with home care, caregiving or paying bills.
- A licensed agent, if you want one. Ask up front which companies they're appointed with. You never have to buy through them.
A note on the city's own center: the Don Persson Renton Senior Activity Center at 211 Burnett Ave N serves adults 50 and older, but the city's page posts a temporary closure during 2026 and gives two different reopening windows. Call 425-430-6633 before going.
What the numbers say about Renton
| Item | Figure | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Renton population, April 2026 | 109,800 | Medicare isn't counted at city level |
| Renton residents 65+ | about 13,800 (13.1%) | Roughly 4% of the county's older residents |
| King County Medicare enrollees | 368,813 | The closest Medicare count available |
| Share in Medicare Advantage and other health plans | 53.6% | Above the statewide 49.7% |
| King County people whose Part D comes inside a Medicare Advantage plan | 190,884 people | Their drug coverage ends with the plan |
| Hospital in the city | UW Medicine/Valley Medical Center | Check it by name in any new network |
Sources: WA OFM (April 1, 2026); Census ACS 2020–2024 table B09020; CMS Medicare Monthly Enrollment, July 2026, King County; WA DOH and CMS hospital files.
That fifth row is the one I'd stare at. In King County, 190,884 people get their Part D drug coverage bundled inside a Medicare Advantage plan. When the plan ends, the drug coverage ends with it. Anyone in that group who lands in Original Medicare without picking a separate drug plan walks into January with no prescription coverage at all.
If Valley Medical is your hospital
Valley Medical Center on S 43rd Street is Renton's acute-care hospital in the DOH and CMS lists. Many Renton residents have doctors there or in its clinics. If you go the Medicare Advantage route again, confirm that Valley, your primary care office and each specialist are in the plan's 2027 network, not just "in the area." If you go with Original Medicare, network questions mostly disappear: any provider that accepts Medicare will do.
The decision itself, briefly
Your current plan pays through December 31. From there you have two roads. One is a different Medicare Advantage plan available in King County. The other is Original Medicare with a stand-alone Part D plan, plus a Medigap policy if you want help with deductibles and the 20% coinsurance Part B leaves you.
Timing:
- Open Enrollment is open now and closes December 7.
- Your plan-leaving special enrollment period runs December 8, 2026 to February 28, 2027.
- Anything you pick by December 31 begins January 1. Wait until January and it begins February 1; February means March 1.
If you pick nothing at all, Medicare enrolls you in Original Medicare on January 1. Parts A and B continue, but nothing replaces the drug coverage unless you get Extra Help, in which case CMS reassigns you to a stand-alone drug plan.
On Medigap: Washington gives you a guaranteed issue right when your plan ends, provided you go to Original Medicare. Insurers have to sell you certain plans and can't price on your health. OIC's advice is to apply on or after November 1; the right runs out March 4, 2027. Details on plan letters are in the statewide guide.
Getting to a new doctor without driving
The Renton center's page points older residents to several ride options, among them Metro's Access paratransit, the Hyde Shuttle door-to-door van for older adults, and a volunteer program that takes King County seniors to medical appointments. For regular buses, a Regional Reduced Fare Permit drops a Metro fare to $1; being 65 or holding a Medicare card is enough to apply.
If the plan change squeezes your budget
Medicare Savings Programs, run through the Health Care Authority, help pay Medicare premiums and sometimes deductibles and copays, and HCA says they have no asset test. Apply at washingtonconnection.org. Getting into one of these programs also qualifies you automatically for Extra Help with drug costs.
Federal Medicare rules and Washington insurance law set the framework here, but the dates in your own plan notice are what count for you; run your situation past 1-800-MEDICARE, SHIBA or a licensed agent before you sign anything.
Renton residents ask
Is Renton’s senior center open for Medicare help?
Will Valley Medical Center be in my new plan?
What if I don’t pick anything?
How long do I have?
Sources
- OIC: Find a local SHIBA office
- OIC: Get free Medicare help from SHIBA
- City of Renton: Don Persson Renton Senior Activity Center
- CMS Medicare Monthly Enrollment, July 2026
- WA OFM April 1, 2026 population
- Census ACS 2020–2024, table B09020
- CMS Hospital General Information
- DSHS Area Agency on Aging contact list
- Community Living Connections
- CMS CY2027 enrollment and disenrollment guidance
- OIC: Is your Medicare Advantage plan changing or leaving?
- HCA: Medicare Savings Program
- King County Metro: Regional Reduced Fare Permit
