"Non-renewal" is the word on the envelope, and it trips people up. It doesn't mean you lost Medicare. It means the private company running your Medicare Advantage plan told CMS it won't offer that plan in your area for 2027. Federal rules say the company has to mail you that notice at least 90 days before the plan ends, so for a December 31, 2026 end date it should have been mailed by early October. If you live in Bremerton and that letter is on your kitchen table, the answers below are written for you.
Does my coverage stop right away?
No. Your plan keeps paying claims through December 31, 2026. See your doctors, fill prescriptions, and use it normally for the rest of the year. The notice also has to lay out the alternatives open to you. A plan dropping Kitsap from its map and a plan quitting Medicare altogether are handled the same way by CMS, so the rights below apply in both cases.
How many people around me are in this spot?
CMS doesn't publish Medicare enrollment by city, only by county. Across Kitsap County, 67,198 people had Medicare in July 2026, and 27,016 of them were in Medicare Advantage and other health plans. That's about 40%, a smaller share than the roughly 50% statewide. How many of them are in a plan that is leaving, nobody outside the plans can tell you, and I won't guess.
Bremerton itself skews young for Kitsap. The Census Bureau's 2020–2024 survey estimated about 5,800 Bremerton residents 65 or older, roughly 13% of the city, compared with about 20% countywide on the same survey.
| Bremerton | Kitsap County | |
|---|---|---|
| Population, April 1, 2026 (OFM) | 46,310 | 291,800 |
| Age 65+ (ACS 2020–2024) | about 5,800 (12.9%) | 54,611 (19.7%) |
| Dual-eligible Medicare and Apple Health (CMS, July 2026) | County only | 7,138 |
| Partial duals (Medicaid helps with Medicare costs) | County only | 2,780 |
| Civilian hospital in the city (DOH data) | None listed | St. Michael Medical Center, Silverdale |
Sources: WA OFM; U.S. Census ACS 5-year table B09020; CMS Medicare Monthly Enrollment July 2026; WA DOH hospital data.
What's my real deadline?
Treat December 31, 2026 as the deadline. A choice made by then takes effect January 1, 2027, and you never go a day without coverage. You can still use regular Open Enrollment until December 7, and after that a special enrollment period opens just for people with a non-renewed plan. It runs December 8, 2026 through the end of February 2027. The catch is timing: sign up in January and coverage starts February 1; sign up in February and it starts March 1.
What if I just don't respond?
On January 1, 2027 you'd be in Original Medicare (Part A and Part B). You'd have hospital and doctor coverage. You would not have drug coverage, because the drug benefit ended with the old plan, and Original Medicare doesn't add a Part D plan by itself. Stay without creditable drug coverage for 63 straight days or longer and Medicare can tack a late penalty onto your Part D premium for as long as you have Medicare drug coverage. The 2027 national base beneficiary premium used to figure that penalty is $41.33.
I have Apple Health or Extra Help. Is it different for me?
Somewhat, and in your favor. Kitsap had 7,138 dual-eligible residents in July: 4,358 with full Apple Health benefits and 2,780 partial duals, whose Medicaid helps with Medicare costs. When an Extra Help member's Medicare Advantage plan goes away, CMS places that person in a stand-alone drug plan, unless 2027 drug coverage is already arranged. That placement isn't a life sentence; you're free to pick another drug plan. People with Medicaid or Extra Help can also switch stand-alone drug plans once a calendar month, and people with full Apple Health can use a monthly window to join an integrated D-SNP (Apple Health Medicare Connect is the state's name for these plans), where one is offered.
If you are on a tight budget and don't have either, apply. The state's Medicare Savings Programs help pay Medicare premiums and have no asset test, and qualifying for one makes you automatically eligible for Extra Help. You can apply at washingtonconnection.org or through DSHS.
Can I buy a Medigap policy without a health check?
Yes, if you go to Original Medicare. Washington law (RCW 48.66.055) gives you a guaranteed issue right because your plan is leaving. OIC tells people to apply no earlier than November 1, and the right lasts until 63 days after the plan ends: March 4, 2027. Washington covers more plan letters than federal law requires; the statewide plan-discontinued guide lists them by the year you first became eligible. Pick a new Medicare Advantage plan and the Medigap right simply goes unused.
How do I get to appointments if my doctors change?
The city has no civilian hospital on the DOH list (Naval Hospital Bremerton is a military facility); the county's listed hospital is in Silverdale. Kitsap Transit's reduced fare on routed buses and local foot ferries is $1.00 one way if you show a Medicare card. Its ACCESS paratransit service serves seniors and people with disabilities who can't use regular buses; once approved you book one to seven days ahead at 360-479-7272. The Port Orchard foot ferry crosses to Bremerton seven days a week, and Washington State Ferries runs a Seattle/Bremerton route if some of your specialists are in King County.
Who gives unbiased help in Bremerton?
Kitsap's SHIBA sponsor, Peninsula Community Health Services, is on Warren Avenue in Bremerton. On October 26, 2026, OIC's listing for it read: "Currently not accepting appointments. For assistance, call Medicare at 1-800-633-4227." So call SHIBA's statewide line instead, 800-562-6900, weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. It's free. 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week except some federal holidays. The Kitsap County Division of Aging and Long Term Care answers at 360-337-5700. Neighbors to the south can see the Port Orchard page, and the Kitsap County page has the full county numbers.
Federal Medicare law and Washington statute set these rules, and the dates printed in your own plan's notice are the ones that count; double-check with SHIBA, a licensed agent or 1-800-MEDICARE before signing anything.
More Bremerton questions
What does a Medicare Advantage "non-renewal" letter mean?
I get Extra Help. Will I lose drug coverage on January 1?
Is there a hospital in Bremerton?
Can I see a SHIBA counselor in Bremerton?
Sources
- 42 CFR 422.506 (non-renewal notice)
- CMS Medicare Monthly Enrollment, July 2026
- WA OFM April 1, 2026 population
- U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024, table B09020
- WA DOH hospital data (HOFIDAR)
- CMS CY2027 enrollment and disenrollment guidance
- Medicare.gov Part D costs and late enrollment penalty
- HCA Medicare Savings Programs
- RCW 48.66.055
- WA OIC: Find a local SHIBA office
- Kitsap Transit fares
- Kitsap Transit ACCESS
- Kitsap Transit Port Orchard foot ferry
- Washington State Ferries schedules
