Medicare Plan Dropped in Ellensburg, WA: Help and Dates

Ellensburg is a college town, and the numbers show it. The Census Bureau's 2020–2024 survey puts about 2,100 of its roughly 21,000 residents at 65 or older, near 10%, while OFM counts about 21% of Kittitas County as a whole in that age group. That doesn't make a Medicare plan letter any less urgent if you're one of them. Your Medicare Advantage plan pays through December 31, 2026; here is how I would use the time.

Ellensburg and Kittitas County at a glance

	Ellensburg	Kittitas County
Population	21,500 (OFM, April 2026)	49,250 (OFM, April 2026)
Age 65+	about 2,100, near 10% (ACS 2020–2024, ±318)	10,128, about 21% (OFM 2025)
People with Medicare	no city count	10,860 (CMS counts, July 2026)
Medicare Advantage and other health plans	no city count	28.1%
Original Medicare	no city count	71.9%
Hospital (WA DOH)	Kittitas Valley Healthcare, 603 S. Chestnut	same; the county's only listed hospital

CMS reports Medicare enrollment by county only. ACS city figures are survey estimates with the margin shown.

Two things follow. Original Medicare is the more common setup in this county, about 7 in 10 people on Medicare, so it is a well-understood option here, though that alone doesn't make it right for you. And because the one listed hospital in the county is here in town, the first network question for any Medicare Advantage plan is simple: is Kittitas Valley Healthcare in it for 2027?

An Ellensburg to-do calendar

When	What to do
This week	Find the plan letter and keep it with the postmarked envelope. List doctors, the hospital, your pharmacy and every prescription.
Now through Nov. 23	If your retiree coverage comes through PEBB, its open enrollment is open; call PEBB at 1-800-200-1004 before doing anything through Medicare.
Early November	If a disability makes the bus hard and a plan change might mean a new clinic, apply for Central Transit paratransit now. Eligibility decisions can take up to 21 days.
From Nov. 1	Going to Original Medicare and want a Medigap policy? OIC says to apply on or after this date.
By Dec. 7	Fall Open Enrollment closes. Choices made by now start Jan. 1.
By Dec. 31	Your own deadline. Choices made through the plan-ending special enrollment period (opens Dec. 8) still start Jan. 1, 2027.
Jan. 1, 2027	New coverage starts, or Original Medicare with no drug plan if you chose nothing.
Feb. 28, 2027	Special enrollment period ends. January choices start Feb. 1, February choices start March 1.
March 4, 2027	Medigap guaranteed issue right ends, 63 days after the plan.

Sources: CMS CY2027 enrollment guidance; Washington OIC; RCW 48.66.055; HCA PEBB; Ellensburg Central Transit.

A note for public-sector retirees

Ellensburg is home to Central Washington University, a state school. If your Medicare coverage comes through the Public Employees Benefits Board, your choices are made through PEBB, not through Medicare's Plan Finder. OIC tells PEBB members to contact the Health Care Authority directly. PEBB's retiree open enrollment runs October 26 through November 23, 2026, with changes effective January 1, 2027. Before you leave PEBB coverage for an individual plan, ask whether you can ever come back.

The two paths, briefly

Join another Medicare Advantage plan available in Kittitas County. Check Kittitas Valley Healthcare, your doctors and your pharmacy by name, then run your drugs through Medicare Plan Finder. Remember the trade: a network in exchange for a yearly out-of-pocket limit on covered services.

Or move to Original Medicare, add a stand-alone Part D plan, and decide on Medigap. A plan leaving the area gives you the right to buy certain Medigap plans with no health questions under RCW 48.66.055. That right is time-limited and you only use it by going to Original Medicare. If you pass on it and want Medigap later, expect medical underwriting. The Washington guide for people whose Medicare plan is being discontinued has the plan letters and Part D limits.

If you do nothing at all, Medicare puts you in Original Medicare on January 1 without drug coverage, unless you have Extra Help, in which case CMS reassigns you to a drug plan. A gap of 63 days or more can mean a Part D late penalty, added for as long as you have Medicare drug coverage.

Getting to appointments in Ellensburg

Central Transit is the City of Ellensburg's fare-free bus service (509-925-8680). Its ADA paratransit is door to door within city limits, also zero fare, running 6:55 a.m. to 8:15 p.m. every day except six holidays. You apply online at adaride.com, by phone at 877-232-7433, or through HopeSource at 606 West 3rd Avenue (509-933-2287); the application includes a section from a medical professional. Once approved, rides are booked at least a day and no more than 14 days ahead. Outside town, HopeSource's Kittitas County Connector links Ellensburg with Kittitas, Cle Elum, Ronald and Roslyn.

Who to ask

SHIBA statewide line, 800-562-6900, weekdays 8:30–4:30. The local sponsor, Kittitas County Health Network on Dolarway Road, showed "Currently not accepting appointments" on OIC's site on October 26, 2026, with a pointer to 1-800-MEDICARE.
1-800-MEDICARE, 1-800-633-4227, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except some federal holidays.
Community Living Connections, 206 West 1st Ave., 509-925-8765.

What controls your case is federal Medicare law, Washington insurance law and the dates in your own plan notice; check with 1-800-MEDICARE, SHIBA or a licensed agent before making the switch.

Ellensburg FAQ

I'm a PEBB retiree in Ellensburg. Does this page apply to me?

Partly. Your plan choices go through PEBB and the Health Care Authority, not Medicare Plan Finder. PEBB retiree open enrollment runs October 26 through November 23, 2026; call 1-800-200-1004.

Is Kittitas Valley Healthcare covered if I switch?

Under Original Medicare, any hospital that accepts Medicare is covered. Under a Medicare Advantage plan, check that plan's 2027 network by name.

How long does Central Transit paratransit approval take?

Central Transit says eligibility decisions may take up to 21 days, so apply early if a plan change might mean new appointments.

What is the latest I can pick new coverage in Ellensburg without a gap?

December 31, 2026. Choices made by then start January 1, 2027. The special enrollment period continues to February 28, 2027, but later choices start February 1 or March 1.

Medicare plan dropped in Ellensburg, WA? A calendar to work from