Medicare Plan Leaving DuPont, WA? What to Do

DuPont's own city website says it plainly: Pierce Transit provides shuttle and vanpool service in Pierce County "with the exception of bus and shuttle service in DuPont." Transit here means the ST Express bus at DuPont Station. There's no hospital in the city on the state Department of Health list, and Pierce County's senior center directory doesn't list one in DuPont either. So if your Medicare Advantage plan is ending on December 31, 2026, odds are you'll handle most of this by phone and computer. Good news: you can.

DuPont in numbers

Population (OFM, April 1, 2026): 10,190
Residents 65 and older (Census ACS 2020-2024): about 1,000, or 10.3% (margin of error 189)
Pierce County people with Medicare (CMS, July 2026): 176,141, of whom 51.9% are in Medicare Advantage and other health plans
Hospital inside DuPont (DOH list): None. The nearest civilian hospital on the county list is St. Clare Hospital in Lakewood; Madigan, on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, is a Department of Defense facility.

Sources: WA OFM; U.S. Census Bureau; CMS Monthly Enrollment; WA DOH and CMS hospital files. CMS doesn't publish Medicare enrollment by city.

Doing it from home, step by step

Pull out the letter and the envelope. The notice gives your plan's end date (almost certainly December 31, 2026) and lists your alternatives. Keep the postmarked envelope with it. If you go the Medigap route, the insurer can ask for proof that your plan ended.
Make two lists. Every doctor, clinic and hospital you've used, including the specialist you see once a year, and every prescription with dose and pharmacy.
Go to Medicare Plan Finder and enter your ZIP code, drugs and pharmacy for 2027. You'll see what's available where you live, including stand-alone drug plans. If you don't use a computer, 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227, TTY 1-877-486-2048) can walk through the same comparison with you and help with enrollment. Medicare says it answers 24 hours a day, every day, except some federal holidays.
Decide: another Medicare Advantage plan, or Original Medicare. With another Medicare Advantage plan, confirm St. Clare or whichever hospital you'd use, and each doctor, in its 2027 network. With Original Medicare, add a Part D drug plan, and think about a Medigap policy.
Act by December 31. That way the new coverage begins January 1, 2027 and you never go a day without it.

If December 31 slips by

Medicare won't leave you uninsured. On January 1 you're moved to Original Medicare. But that's all you get: no Part D drug plan, unless you receive Extra Help (CMS reassigns those members to a drug plan), and no Medigap. Because your plan is the one leaving, you have a special enrollment period from December 8, 2026 through February 28, 2027 to fix it, with January choices starting February 1 and February choices starting March 1. If you've had no drug coverage for 63 days or more by the time a Part D plan begins, Medicare can add a late penalty to your premium for as long as you have drug coverage.

One more trap worth knowing. The January 1 to March 31 Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period is only for people who are in a Medicare Advantage plan. If you were moved to Original Medicare and want a new Medicare Advantage plan, February 28 is your last day.

The Medigap piece

Washington law (RCW 48.66.055) treats your plan's exit as a guaranteed issue event: if you move to Original Medicare, insurers must sell you certain Medigap policies regardless of your health. OIC recommends sending the application no earlier than November 1, which lines the policy up to start January 1. The right lasts until March 4, 2027, then it's over. It's a one-time opening, and if you join another Medicare Advantage plan instead you don't use it. For the plan letters and the federal versus state differences, see the Washington guide to Medicare plans being discontinued.

Help you can reach without a bus

SHIBA, the state's free and unbiased Medicare counseling program: 800-562-6900, weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. OIC's page also has a "Send us a message" form. Local SHIBA offices, including Pierce County's sponsor, showed "not accepting appointments" on OIC's site on October 26, 2026, so the statewide line is the one to use.
Pierce County Aging and Disability Resources (Community Living Connections): 253-798-4600 or toll free 800-562-0332. Ask them about transportation options for medical visits from a city without local bus service.
A complaint about how your plan handled this goes to Medicare, not the state. OIC links to Medicare's online complaint form.
City of DuPont, 1700 Civic Drive, 253-964-8121, for local resources.

The Pierce County page has countywide figures and links to the cities around you.

None of this overrides federal Medicare rules, Washington law or the dates printed in your own plan notice; verify your case with 1-800-MEDICARE, SHIBA or a licensed agent first.

DuPont questions

Can I switch Medicare plans by phone from DuPont?

Yes. 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227, TTY 1-877-486-2048) can compare 2027 plans with you and help with enrollment, and Medicare says it answers 24 hours a day, every day except some federal holidays. SHIBA’s statewide line, 800-562-6900, offers free unbiased counseling on weekdays.

Does Pierce Transit SHUTTLE serve DuPont?

The City of DuPont says Pierce Transit provides shuttle and vanpool service in Pierce County with the exception of bus and shuttle service in DuPont. DuPont is served by the ST Express bus at DuPont Station. Pierce County Aging and Disability Resources (253-798-4600) can point you to other transportation options.

Where is the closest hospital to DuPont?

There is no hospital in DuPont on the state Department of Health list. The nearest civilian hospital on the Pierce County list is St. Clare Hospital in Lakewood. Check that the hospital you would use is in any replacement plan’s 2027 network.

Medicare plan leaving DuPont: how to handle it from home