Medicare Advantage Plan Discontinued in Lewis County, WA

Lewis County leans harder toward Medicare Advantage than Washington as a whole. CMS counted 23,261 people on Medicare in the county in July 2026, and 13,188 of them, 56.7%, were in Medicare Advantage or other private health plans. Statewide it's 49.7%. CMS doesn't publish how many people get plan-ending letters, so the county share is the closest local measure.

The Lewis County figures

CMS counts, July 2026	Lewis County	Share of county total	Washington share
People with Medicare	23,261	100%	100%
Private plans (Medicare Advantage and others)	13,188	56.7%	49.7%
Original Medicare	10,073	43.3%	50.3%
Prescriptions covered through a private plan	12,633	54.3%	47.5%
Dual-eligible (Medicare and Apple Health)	3,909	16.8%	15.1%
Full Apple Health benefits	2,242	9.6%	9.5%
Partial (help with Medicare costs only)	1,667	7.2%	5.6%
Medicare based on disability	2,593	11.1%	8.0%

Source: CMS Medicare Monthly Enrollment, July 2026; shares computed from CMS counts. Counts are people, not plans, and the private-plan figure includes cost plans and PACE. OFM estimates 20,494 Lewis County residents were 65 or older in April 2025, 24.0% of the population.

Three numbers stand out. First, 12,633 people get their prescriptions through a private plan. When a plan ends, its drug coverage ends the same night, so the drug decision is the urgent one. Second, 3,909 people have both Medicare and Apple Health, a higher share than the state's. Third, 2,593 people are on Medicare because of a disability, also above the state rate. Both groups have rules that differ from the standard script, so this page spends time on them.

What doesn't change, wherever you live in the county

Your plan keeps covering you through the last day of 2026. Pick replacement coverage by that day and it begins January 1. Open Enrollment runs through December 7; the plan-ending special enrollment period then carries you from December 8 through February 28, 2027 (a January choice takes effect February 1, a February choice March 1).

If you don't choose, January 1 puts you in Original Medicare, Parts A and B intact, with no drug coverage, unless you receive Extra Help. Going 63 straight days or more without drug coverage can trigger a Part D late penalty that sticks for as long as you have Part D. Moving to Original Medicare also unlocks a Washington guaranteed issue right to buy certain Medigap policies with no health screening; OIC suggests applying from November 1, and the window closes March 4, 2027. The statewide Washington page on discontinued plans has the full rule set.

If you have Apple Health and Medicare

Dual-eligible residents get the same plan-ending window as everyone else, plus several extra doors:

CMS steps in on drugs. Extra Help recipients (Medicaid and Medicare Savings Program enrollees get it automatically) whose private plan is ending are moved by CMS into a separate drug plan for the new year. The only people skipped are those who already have 2027 drug coverage. If the assigned plan doesn't suit your prescriptions, pick another.
Monthly drug-plan changes. Medicaid or Extra Help lets you change separate drug plans every calendar month, starting the month after. It is not a pass to hop from one private plan with drug coverage to another.
Integrated plans. Full Apple Health clients may also enroll in, or move between, integrated D-SNPs monthly, wherever such a plan is sold. Washington's name for them is Apple Health Medicare Connect. Check whether one is available in Lewis County through Medicare Plan Finder or by calling Medicare.
Rides to medical appointments. Apple Health clients who need a ride to a covered appointment can call Paratransit Services, the state's Medicaid transportation broker for southwest Washington, at 800-846-5438.

If you're paying Medicare premiums yourself and money is tight, check whether you qualify for a Medicare Savings Program. HCA doesn't count assets for these programs. Apply at washingtonconnection.org or through DSHS.

On Medicare because of a disability?

For the 2,593 people in this group, the Medigap road is narrower. Insurers generally have no federal duty to offer Medigap below age 65, and CMS doesn't list Washington among the states that impose one. As we read it, the state's plan-termination statute sets no minimum age, but insurers only have to offer policies they sell to new customers. OIC says options are more limited for people under 65 on Medicare due to disability. Before dropping a Medicare Advantage option, call SHIBA at 800-562-6900 and ask what's actually available to you.

Two hospitals, a long highway, and a fare-free bus

Lewis County covers 2,403 square miles of land, from the I-5 corridor east past Morton to Packwood. The Department of Health lists two hospitals: an acute care hospital in Centralia on Scheuber Road, and Arbor Health Hospital in Morton, a critical access hospital. If you live in the east county, make sure any plan you consider includes Arbor Health and your clinic. If you see specialists in Olympia or Longview, ask about those offices as well.

Lewis County Transit runs its fixed routes fare-free until further notice. Its corridor routes include express service to Grand Mound, Tumwater and Olympia (Green), an express to Kelso (Purple), and a US 12 route to Packwood that stops at Arbor Health in Morton. Service runs 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays and 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekends. For riders who can't use a regular bus, LIFTT is the free ADA door-to-door service within three-quarters of a mile of a fixed route; you apply first, then book at 360-330-5555.

Help based in Chehalis

Lewis County's SHIBA sponsor is Timber River Connections at 2545 N National Ave in Chehalis (360-748-0061). When I checked OIC's local listings on October 26, 2026, it was shown as not accepting appointments, with callers sent to Medicare. The statewide SHIBA line, 800-562-6900, was still listed for weekday calls between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Medicare itself answers at 1-800-633-4227 around the clock, except some federal holidays.

The Lewis-Mason-Thurston Area Agency on Aging runs Community Living Connections from 1651 S. Market Blvd. in Chehalis: 360-748-2288 or toll-free 1-888-545-0910. Community Living Connections lists it as serving older adults, persons with disabilities, and their families.

Washington law and federal Medicare rules are what actually govern here, and the dates printed in your plan's mail are the ones that count for you; check anything important with Medicare, SHIBA or a licensed agent before deciding.

Lewis County Medicare questions

I'm on both Apple Health and Medicare in Lewis County. Do my prescriptions stop being covered when the plan ends?

Extra Help recipients without 2027 drug coverage are placed by CMS in a separate drug plan. You can trade it for another, and dual-eligible people may change drug plans monthly.

I live near Morton. What should I check on a new plan?

Whether Arbor Health Hospital in Morton and your local clinic are in the plan's 2027 network, along with any specialists you see in Centralia, Olympia or Longview. Original Medicare works with any provider that accepts Medicare.

Is Timber River Connections taking SHIBA appointments?

OIC's listing showed it not accepting appointments on October 26, 2026. SHIBA's statewide number, 800-562-6900, takes weekday calls, and Medicare answers at 1-800-633-4227.

Does the bus cost anything in Lewis County?

Lewis County Transit fixed routes are fare-free until further notice, including the US 12 route to Packwood with a stop at Arbor Health. LIFTT paratransit riders also travel free.

Medicare Advantage plan discontinued in Lewis County: what to do now