Kittitas County Medicare plan ending December 31: who to call and what to do

Start with who to call, because in Kittitas County the help is closer than you might think, and the calendar is short. If your Medicare Advantage plan won't be back in 2027, your coverage runs through December 31, 2026. Everything below is about using the next nine weeks well.

Who to call in Kittitas County

Sources: Washington OIC SHIBA pages (checked Oct. 26, 2026); Medicare.gov; Community Living Connections directory; DSHS ALTSA Area Agency on Aging list; HopeSource.

About that SHIBA line: every local SHIBA listing on OIC's site said the same thing when checked, that it isn't booking appointments right now and to call Medicare. The statewide number still works. I'd call it first and ask whether a counselor can phone you back.

A county where most people use Original Medicare

CMS counted 10,860 people on Medicare in Kittitas County in July 2026. Only 3,053 of them (28.1%) were in Medicare Advantage and other health plans, compared with 49.7% statewide. The other 7,807, or 71.9%, use Original Medicare.

Source: CMS Medicare Monthly Enrollment, July 2026. People, not plans. "No Part D" is total minus Part D enrollees; shares computed.

What do I take from that? If you got a plan-ending letter, you are one of a fairly small group, roughly 3,000 people countywide in that kind of plan. Your choices are the same as anywhere: another Medicare Advantage plan, or Original Medicare with a separate drug plan.

The "no Part D" row is worth a second look. About 1 in 5 people on Medicare here have no Part D plan at all. Some may have other creditable drug coverage, such as from a former employer. Others may have nothing. If you are about to lose drug coverage with your Medicare Advantage plan, do not slide into that row by accident: a gap of 63 days or more without creditable coverage can mean a Part D late penalty for as long as you have Part D.

The county is not young. OFM counted 10,128 residents 65 and older in 2025, about 21% of the 48,950 people it estimated that year; the April 2026 total is 49,250.

Dates that apply to you

• December 31, 2026: your plan's last day. Anything you choose by now starts January 1, 2027.
• December 8, 2026 to February 28, 2027: your special enrollment period because the plan is ending. January sign-ups start February 1; February sign-ups start March 1.
• January 1, 2027, if you chose nothing: Original Medicare, with no drug plan. People with Extra Help get placed in one by CMS.
• March 4, 2027: last day of your guaranteed issue right to buy certain Medigap policies under RCW 48.66.055, if you move to Original Medicare. OIC advises applying on or after November 1.

The Washington statewide guide to discontinued Medicare plans covers the Medigap plan letters and the Part D cost limits for 2027.

If the cost of the switch worries you

You already pay the Part B premium in a Medicare Advantage plan. Moving to Original Medicare usually adds a separate Part D premium, and a Medigap premium if you buy one. That can be a shock on a fixed income. Two programs exist for exactly this:

Medicare Savings Programs. These Apple Health benefits from the state pay the Part B premium, and for people with the lowest incomes the deductibles and copays too. HCA says there is no asset test. Apply at washingtonconnection.org or on paper; OIC also points people to their local DSHS office. Details: HCA Medicare Savings Program.

Extra Help. This federal program cuts Part D costs. You get it automatically with Medicaid, a Medicare Savings Program or SSI; otherwise you apply through Social Security. People with Extra Help don't owe the late enrollment penalty, and they can change stand-alone drug plans once a month.

The 1,266 dual-eligibles in the county have the widest options of anyone: besides the monthly drug-plan change, people with full Medicaid can join an integrated dual plan (Apple Health Medicare Connect) in any month one is offered here.

The 773 people under 65

If you qualify for Medicare through a disability, OIC is blunt that your options are narrower. Insurers generally don't have to sell Medigap to people under 65 under federal law, and Washington isn't one of the states CMS lists as requiring it. As we read it, Washington's plan-ending guaranteed issue law has no age limit, yet it only covers policies an insurer already offers to new customers, and OIC's approved-plan list shows under-65 rates for only some insurers. So before you drop a Medicare Advantage plan in favor of Original Medicare, get a SHIBA counselor to confirm a Medigap policy is actually available to you. Turning 65 later brings a fresh six-month Medigap open enrollment.

One hospital, and the upper county

The Department of Health lists one hospital in Kittitas County: Kittitas Valley Healthcare in Ellensburg, a critical access hospital at 603 S. Chestnut. If you live in Cle Elum, Roslyn or Ronald, that is the only hospital listed in the county, and any specialist care may be farther still. Before joining a new Medicare Advantage plan, check that Kittitas Valley Healthcare and each of your doctors are in its 2027 network; Original Medicare is accepted by any provider that takes Medicare. HopeSource's Kittitas County Connector runs no-fare rides between Kittitas, Ellensburg, Cle Elum, Ronald and Roslyn seven days a week, which helps if a change means a new clinic in town.

Federal Medicare rules and Washington law govern everything above, and the dates in your own plan letter are the ones that apply; confirm with 1-800-MEDICARE, SHIBA or a licensed agent before changing coverage.

Related pages: Washington statewide guide · Ellensburg

Kittitas County questions

Sources

1. Washington OIC: Get free Medicare help from SHIBA
2. Washington OIC: Find a local SHIBA office
3. Community Living Connections directory
4. DSHS ALTSA Area Agency on Aging contact list
5. HopeSource transportation
6. CMS Medicare Monthly Enrollment, July 2026
7. WA OFM population estimates by age, 2025
8. WA HCA: Medicare Savings Program
9. Medicare: Part D costs and Extra Help
10. RCW 48.66.055
11. Washington OIC: Medicare Advantage plan changing or leaving
12. WA DOH 2025 hospital year-end reports