SeaTac's own senior program says it has a SHIBA volunteer for open enrollment and insurance questions, right at the SeaTac Community Center on 24th Avenue South. That's the most useful local lead for anyone whose Medicare Advantage plan is ending, with one caveat explained below. First, the bigger picture: what happens on January 1 if you don't act, and a short list for this week.
What January 1 looks like if you let it ride
Your Medicare Advantage plan pays through December 31, 2026, then it's gone. If you haven't picked a replacement, Medicare drops you into Original Medicare on January 1, 2027. That isn't zero coverage. Part A and Part B continue. But look at what goes missing:
| What your old plan did | What Original Medicare alone does on January 1 |
|---|---|
| Included drug coverage (most plans do) | No drug plan, unless you get Extra Help, in which case CMS assigns you one |
| Capped your yearly costs for covered services | No yearly limit on out-of-pocket costs |
| Set copays for doctor visits | Usually 20% of the Medicare-approved amount after the Part B deductible |
| Used a network | Any provider in the U.S. that accepts Medicare |
Sources: Medicare & You 2027 (comparison chart); Medicare.gov costs page; CMS CY2027 enrollment guidance.
The drug row is the expensive one. Without a Part D plan you pay full pharmacy prices, and if the gap in creditable drug coverage stretches to 63 days or more, Medicare can add a late penalty to the drug plan you eventually join, and it stays on your premium for as long as you have Medicare drug coverage. Extra Help members are spared the penalty.
You do get extra time: because your plan is ending, a special enrollment period runs from December 8, 2026 to February 28, 2027. But choices made in January start February 1, and in February start March 1. Every one of those days is a day without drug coverage. Pick by December 31 and the new coverage starts January 1.
This week's list
- Find the plan's letter. Check the end date and keep the envelope; a Medigap insurer can ask for proof.
- Write down your medicines, doses and pharmacy, plus every doctor and the hospital you'd use. SeaTac has no hospital in the DOH and CMS lists, so yours is in another city.
- Call to book help. Try the SeaTac Senior Desk at 206-973-4690 to ask about the SHIBA volunteer, or call SHIBA statewide at 800-562-6900.
- Look up 2027 options on Medicare Plan Finder or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE.
- Pick a road: another Medicare Advantage plan in King County, or Original Medicare with a stand-alone drug plan and, if you want, a Medigap policy.
About that SHIBA volunteer
The City of SeaTac's Senior Program page says a SHIBA volunteer is available to help with open enrollment and other insurance questions, by appointment through the Senior Desk at 206-973-4690, usually for about an hour. The program runs out of the SeaTac Community Center, 13735 24th Ave S, weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The caveat: on October 26, 2026, OIC's directory listed both of King County's SHIBA sponsor organizations as "Currently not accepting appointments" and pointed people to 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). The city page and the state page may not match on any given day. Call the Senior Desk to see whether the volunteer is booking. If not, the statewide SHIBA line is 800-562-6900, 8:30 to 4:30 on weekdays, and the counseling is free and unbiased.
SeaTac and King County numbers
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| SeaTac population (OFM, April 1, 2026) | 33,210 |
| SeaTac residents 65+ (ACS 2020–2024, ±637) | about 4,100 (12.8%) |
| King County people with Medicare (CMS, July 2026) | 368,813 |
| King County, Medicare Advantage and other health plans | 53.6% |
| King County people with Medicare who show no Part D enrollment | 69,439 |
Sources: WA OFM; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 (B09020); CMS Medicare Monthly Enrollment, July 2026 (county level). Last row computed as total enrollees minus Part D enrollees; some of these people have other creditable drug coverage, such as from an employer.
That last row is a reminder that Part D isn't automatic. Nearly 70,000 people on Medicare in the county had no Part D plan in July. Some of them probably get drugs covered through an employer, a retiree plan or the VA; the CMS count can't say how many. If your Medicare Advantage plan was your only drug coverage, you can't afford to join them by accident in January.
If you take the Original Medicare road
Washington law gives you a guaranteed issue right to certain Medigap plans when your Medicare Advantage plan ends and you move to Original Medicare: no health questions, pre-existing conditions covered. OIC says to apply on or after November 1. You have until March 4, 2027. The plan letters depend on when you first became eligible; see the statewide guide.
Getting to appointments: SeaTac/Airport and Angle Lake stations are on the 1 Line, and a Regional Reduced Fare Permit, which a Medicare card qualifies you for, makes a Metro trip $1. The city's senior page also mentions the Hyde Shuttle.
Federal Medicare law and Washington's insurance rules frame this page, and your own plan's notice sets your personal deadlines; check your situation with SHIBA, 1-800-MEDICARE or a licensed agent before you choose.
SeaTac questions
Does SeaTac have local SHIBA help?
If I do nothing, will I lose Medicare?
What is the last day to pick a plan with no gap?
Sources
- City of SeaTac: Senior Program
- OIC: Find a local SHIBA office
- Medicare & You 2027
- Medicare.gov: Medicare costs
- Medicare.gov: Part D costs and late penalty
- CMS CY2027 enrollment and disenrollment guidance
- CMS Medicare Monthly Enrollment, July 2026
- WA OFM April 1, 2026 population
- Census ACS 2020–2024, table B09020
- RCW 48.66.055
- Sound Transit 1 Line schedule
- King County Metro: Regional Reduced Fare Permit
