Medicare Plan Dropped in Tukwila? Help for 2027

In King County, 58,692 people have both Medicare and Apple Health (Medicaid). That's about 16% of everyone on Medicare in the county, according to CMS's July 2026 counts. If you're in Tukwila and part of that group, a Medicare Advantage plan ending plays out differently for you than for your neighbor without Apple Health. You have more chances to fix things, and a couple of safety nets. This page starts there, then covers the rules that apply to everyone.

If you have Medicare and Apple Health

King County, July 2026	People
All Medicare enrollees	368,813
Dual-eligible, total	58,692
Full dual (full Apple Health benefits)	39,947
Partial dual (help with Medicare costs only)	18,745
On Medicare because of a disability	21,859

Source: CMS Medicare Monthly Enrollment, July 2026, King County. CMS does not report these by city.

What's different for you:

Drug coverage doesn't simply vanish. People on Extra Help whose Medicare Advantage plan is closing get placed by CMS into a stand-alone drug plan for the new year. That placement is skipped if you already lined up 2027 drug coverage on your own. Watch your mail for the notice, then confirm the plan you were placed in covers your medicines at a pharmacy you can get to.
You get monthly do-overs. Medicaid or Extra Help lets you move to another stand-alone drug plan once in any calendar month, starting the 1st of the month after. It is a drug-plan tool only; it won't move you from one Medicare Advantage drug plan to another.
Integrated plans for full duals. With full Apple Health benefits, you may enroll in, or change to, an integrated special needs plan for dual eligibles in any month such a plan is available locally. Washington's Health Care Authority brands these Apple Health Medicare Connect.
No late penalty. Extra Help members are exempt from the Part D late enrollment charge.

None of that is a reason to wait. Rides, prior authorizations and pharmacy setups all take time, and January is a bad month to discover your new plan doesn't cover a medicine.

If you don't have Apple Health but money is tight

Medicare Savings Programs are a type of Apple Health benefit that helps pay Medicare premiums and, at some levels, deductibles and copays. HCA states these programs carry no asset test, so savings don't count against you. Apply at washingtonconnection.org or at a DSHS office. Qualifying for one of these programs also makes you automatically eligible for Extra Help with drugs. If you end up qualifying for Extra Help or Medicaid but aren't yet in a drug plan, Medicare's LI NET program can give temporary Part D coverage.

The rules for every Tukwila resident

Your plan covers you through December 31, 2026. Choose new coverage by that day and it starts January 1. On top of Open Enrollment, a plan that's ending opens a special window for you that runs from December 8 until February 28, 2027. Use it in January and coverage begins February 1; use it in February and it begins March 1.

Your options are another Medicare Advantage plan in King County, or Original Medicare with a stand-alone Part D plan and, if you want it, a Medigap policy. Make no choice and January 1 finds you in Original Medicare with no drug plan attached, apart from the Extra Help placement described above.

About Medigap: Washington law gives anyone whose Medicare Advantage plan is ending a guaranteed issue right to certain Medigap plans if they move to Original Medicare, with OIC advising applications no earlier than November 1 and the window closing March 4, 2027. If Apple Health or a Medicare Savings Program already helps with your Medicare costs, ask SHIBA whether a Medigap policy would add anything before you pay a premium for one. Plan details are in the statewide guide.

Tukwila at a glance

Population, April 1, 2026: 23,290 (OFM)
Residents 65+: about 2,600, or 12.0% (ACS 2020–2024, ±364)
Hospital with a Tukwila address in the DOH/CMS lists: none
Light rail: Tukwila Int'l Blvd station on the 1 Line, between SeaTac/Airport and Rainier Beach

Sources: WA OFM; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024; WA DOH and CMS; Sound Transit 1 Line schedule.

Rides to appointments and people to ask

Apple Health covers rides to covered medical appointments through a regional broker. HCA lists Hopelink at 1-800-923-7433 as the broker for King County. If a plan change means a new clinic, set up rides early.

The city's senior programs at the Tukwila Community Center, 12424 42nd Avenue South, serve adults 55 and older on weekdays from 8:30 to 4:30 with a lunch program, fitness and blood pressure checks. It's a good place to ask about local resources.

For Medicare advice, SHIBA's statewide line is 800-562-6900 (weekday business hours, 8:30 to 4:30), and the counseling is free and unbiased. One of King County's two SHIBA sponsors, the Chinese Information and Service Center, says its SHIBA help comes from bilingual staff and volunteers in Cantonese, Mandarin and Vietnamese. On October 26, 2026 OIC listed both King County sponsors as not taking appointments, with callers referred to 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). For questions about your Apple Health side, Community Living Connections answers at 206-962-8467.

Federal Medicare and Medicaid rules plus Washington law govern all of this, and the notices from your own plan and from HCA set your dates; have SHIBA, Medicare's helpline or a licensed agent confirm your case first.

Tukwila residents ask

With Apple Health too, does my drug coverage stop on January 1?

Not if you receive Extra Help: CMS places you in a stand-alone Part D plan for 2027 unless you already chose one yourself. Confirm the plan it picked covers your medicines.

Can I change plans after January if I have Medicaid?

Yes. Medicaid or Extra Help allows one stand-alone drug plan change per calendar month. Full Apple Health members may also move into an integrated plan for dual eligibles (Apple Health Medicare Connect) in any month one is available.

Who gives Medicaid rides to appointments in King County?

HCA lists Hopelink, 1-800-923-7433, as the nonemergency medical transportation broker for King County.

Where would a Tukwila resident be hospitalized, network-wise?

Outside the city: no hospital with a Tukwila address shows up in the DOH or CMS data. Make sure the one you would use is listed in your 2027 plan’s directory.

Medicare plan dropped in Tukwila? Start here, especially if you have Apple Health