Kitsap County had 67,198 people on Medicare in July 2026, and 27,016 of them were in Medicare Advantage and other health plans. That is about 4 in 10. The other 6 in 10 (40,182 people) were on Original Medicare. If a plan sent you a letter this fall saying it won't be back in Kitsap for 2027, you are part of that smaller group, and the decision in front of you has a hard date on it: December 31, 2026.
Kitsap's Medicare picture in one table
| Measure | Kitsap County | Washington |
|---|---|---|
| People with Medicare (July 2026) | 67,198 | 1,586,306 |
| In Medicare Advantage and other health plans | 27,016 (40.2%) | 788,606 (49.7%) |
| On Original Medicare | 40,182 (59.8%) | 797,700 (50.3%) |
| Dual-eligible (Medicare and Apple Health) | 7,138 (10.6%) | 239,101 (15.1%) |
| On Medicare because of a disability | 4,732 (7.0%) | 127,500 (8.0%) |
| Drug coverage through a stand-alone Part D plan | 23,017 | 503,353 |
| Drug coverage inside a Medicare Advantage plan | 25,169 | 752,773 |
| Residents 65 and older (OFM, April 2025) | 62,345 (21.6%) | n/a |
Source: CMS Medicare Monthly Enrollment, July 2026 (counts are people, not plans); WA OFM population estimates. Percentages computed from those counts.
What those numbers say about your situation
Kitsap leans toward Original Medicare more than the state does. Statewide the split is close to even. Here it is roughly 60/40. That describes the county; it doesn't decide which option fits you.
The drug-coverage lines are worth a second look. Add the two Part D figures and you get 48,186 people. That leaves about 19,000 Kitsap beneficiaries who had no Medicare drug plan at all in July. CMS doesn't say why. Some may have retiree coverage from an employer, or drug coverage through the military, which brings up the next point.
If you're a military retiree
The county's history is tied to the Navy; the state's county profile notes the federal government commissioned a shipyard at Bremerton in 1891. If you are TRICARE-eligible and have Part A and Part B, TRICARE For Life is the wraparound coverage that works with Medicare, and the TRICARE site says it is automatic once Parts A and B are in effect. Before you trade a discontinued Medicare Advantage plan for anything else, call the TRICARE For Life line listed on tricare.mil (866-773-0404) and ask how each choice lines up with your TRICARE benefits, including pharmacy. I'm not going to guess at your answer here; it depends on your own record.
One hospital on the state's list, and a lot of water
The Washington Department of Health's hospital data lists one acute care hospital in Kitsap County: St. Michael Medical Center in Silverdale. Kitsap has about 395 square miles of land and another 171 of water, and getting across it, or to specialists in neighboring King and Pierce counties, can mean a bridge, a ferry or a drive around the Sound. Washington State Ferries runs Seattle/Bremerton and Seattle/Bainbridge Island routes.
Here is why that geography belongs in a Medicare decision. Medicare Advantage plans may limit non-emergency care to a network and a service area. Original Medicare lets you see any doctor or hospital in the country that accepts Medicare. So if your care already crosses the water, ask a direct question of any 2027 option: are my Silverdale, Seattle or Tacoma doctors covered, and on what terms? Plan Finder at medicare.gov/plan-compare lets you enter your drugs and pharmacy for your ZIP code; for doctors, call the office and ask which 2027 Medicare plans it takes.
Dates for the Kitsap fridge door
- Through December 31, 2026: your current plan still pays. Keep your appointments and refill prescriptions as usual.
- November 1, 2026: the earliest date OIC tells people with a plan-ending letter to apply for a Medigap policy.
- December 8, 2026 to February 28, 2027: a special enrollment period just for people whose plan isn't renewing. You can also use regular Open Enrollment, which runs until December 7.
- December 31, 2026: make your choice by this day and it starts January 1. This is the date I'd circle.
- January 1, 2027: if you chose nothing, you are on Original Medicare with no drug plan attached. People with Extra Help are the exception; CMS reassigns them to a stand-alone Part D plan.
- March 4, 2027: the Medigap guaranteed issue window closes, 63 days after the plan ends.
A choice made in January starts February 1, and one made in February starts March 1. Those later dates leave a hole in your drug coverage, and a hole of 63 days or more can trigger a Part D late penalty that lasts as long as you have Medicare drug coverage. The statewide guide to a discontinued plan walks through each of these windows in more depth.
The two paths, without a sales pitch
Another Medicare Advantage plan. If you join one effective January 1, you also get one more change between January 1 and March 31 if it doesn't work out.
Original Medicare, plus a Part D plan, plus an optional Medigap policy. Because your plan is leaving, Washington law (RCW 48.66.055) gives you a guaranteed issue right: an insurer has to sell you certain Medigap plans without health questions and can't charge you more for your health. If you first became eligible for Medicare before 2020, that covers Plans A through F (including high-deductible F), K and L. If you first became eligible on or after January 1, 2020, it covers A, B, D, G (including high-deductible G), K and L. Keep your plan's letter and the envelope it came in; an insurer may ask for proof.
The trade-off I'd weigh hardest: the Medigap right is use-it-or-lose-it. Pass on it now and buying a Medigap policy later usually means answering health questions.
Help inside the county
Kitsap's SHIBA sponsor is Peninsula Community Health Services, at 400 Warren Ave. in Bremerton. When we checked OIC's listing on October 26, 2026, it said: "Currently not accepting appointments. For assistance, call Medicare at 1-800-633-4227." I'm passing that along as written. The statewide SHIBA line, 800-562-6900 (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday), was still listed, and SHIBA counseling is free and unbiased. 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) answers around the clock, except some federal holidays.
The Kitsap County Division of Aging and Long Term Care is the county's Area Agency on Aging and its Community Living Connections contact: 360-337-5700 or 1-800-562-6418. It lists offices in the Givens Community Center in Port Orchard, at WorkSource in Silverdale, and at Fishline in Poulsbo.
If paying for coverage is the problem, the state's Medicare Savings Programs help with Medicare premiums and have no asset test. Extra Help lowers Part D costs and comes automatically with Apple Health or a Medicare Savings Program. To get to a new doctor, Kitsap Transit charges a $1.00 reduced fare on routed buses to riders who show a Medicare card, and its ACCESS paratransit serves seniors and people with disabilities who can't use regular buses.
City pages for Bremerton, Port Orchard, Poulsbo and Bainbridge Island go further into each place.
This page summarizes federal Medicare rules and Washington law; the notices from your own plan set your exact dates, so check anything that matters with 1-800-MEDICARE, SHIBA or a licensed agent before you act.
Kitsap County questions
How many people in Kitsap County are in Medicare Advantage and other health plans?
My plan is leaving Kitsap County. When do I have to decide?
I have TRICARE For Life. What should I do about my plan ending?
Is there a hospital in Kitsap County?
Can I get local SHIBA help in Bremerton?
Sources
- CMS Medicare Monthly Enrollment, July 2026
- WA OFM April 1, 2026 population estimates
- WA OFM population by age, 2025
- WA OIC: Is your Medicare Advantage plan changing or leaving?
- WA OIC: Find a local SHIBA office
- RCW 48.66.055 (Medigap guaranteed issue)
- CMS CY2027 enrollment and disenrollment guidance
- WA DOH hospital data (HOFIDAR)
- TRICARE For Life
- Kitsap Transit fares
- Kitsap Transit ACCESS
- Washington State Ferries schedules
- Community Living Connections county directory
- WA DES Kitsap County profile
