If you live in Mount Vernon, most of the offices that can help you with a discontinued Medicare plan are in town. The county seat holds an acute care hospital, a Social Security field office, the regional aging network's Skagit office and the transit hub. So I'm putting the local help first on this page and the rules second.
Who's where in Mount Vernon
| Office | Address | What to ask them |
|---|---|---|
| Northwest Regional Council, Aging & Disability Resources (Community Living Connections) | 301 Valley Mall Way, Suite 100; 360.428.1301 | Help applying for programs that pay Medicare costs; caregiver and in-home support |
| Social Security field office (from SSA's open data) | 710 E College Way, Suite A; (866) 931-7108 | Applying for Extra Help with drug costs; Medicare card or Part B questions |
| Mount Vernon Senior Center (Skagit County Public Health with the city) | 1401 Cleveland Ave.; 360-416-1585; weekdays 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Whether Medicare counseling sessions are scheduled |
| Skagit Station customer service (Skagit Transit) | 105 East Kincaid Street; weekdays 8:30 to 4, closed 11:30 to 12:30 | A free Reduced Fare Permit with your Medicare card |
| Skagit Valley Hospital | 1415 Kincaid Street | Which 2027 Medicare Advantage networks the hospital will be in |
Sources: WA Community Living Connections directory; SSA field office open data (check ssa.gov/locator before visiting); Skagit County senior center newsletter, May 2026; Skagit Transit; CMS Hospital General Information.
A note on the senior center: its May 2026 newsletter listed SHIBA appointment mornings. Since then, every local SHIBA listing on OIC's site reads "Currently not accepting appointments. For assistance, call Medicare at 1-800-633-4227." (as of our October 26, 2026 check). Call the center before you go, and use the statewide SHIBA line at 800-562-6900 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 to 4:30) in the meantime. 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) is open 24/7 except some federal holidays.
Mount Vernon's place in the county
Mount Vernon had 36,090 residents in April 2026, about 27% of Skagit County. The Census Bureau's 2020–2024 survey counts roughly 6,520 residents 65 and older (margin ±511), or 18.4% of the city, a younger mix than the county's 22.6%. CMS doesn't publish Medicare enrollment by city. Countywide, it counted 36,053 people with Medicare in July 2026, with 16,302 (45.2%) in Medicare Advantage and other health plans.
The number I'd point Mount Vernon readers to is this one: 4,210 Skagit residents are dual-eligible, meaning they have both Medicare and Apple Health (Washington Medicaid). That's 11.7% of everyone on Medicare in the county, 2,331 with full Medicaid benefits and 1,879 with partial help. If you're one, your options when a plan ends are wider than most people's, and a couple of the rules work differently.
If you have Apple Health or Extra Help
- CMS may move you automatically. When a Medicare Advantage plan folds, CMS places its Extra Help members into a stand-alone Part D plan, skipping anyone who already arranged 2027 drug coverage. Nothing stops you from choosing another one. Compare the plan CMS picks against your prescriptions and your Mount Vernon pharmacy before January.
- You can change drug plans monthly. Apple Health or Extra Help lets you move into a different stand-alone Part D plan one time per calendar month, starting the 1st of the next month. It is a drug-plan-only door; it can't be used to trade one Medicare Advantage drug plan for another.
- Integrated plans for full Medicaid. Full Apple Health recipients may enroll in an integrated D-SNP, a plan designed for people with both programs, in any month, if your area has one. Washington's Health Care Authority calls these Apple Health Medicare Connect.
- No late penalty. People with Extra Help don't pay the Part D late enrollment penalty.
Not on Apple Health but money is tight? Washington's Medicare Savings Programs help pay Part B premiums, and at the lowest income tier also deductibles and copays. HCA says there's no asset test. Apply online at washingtonconnection.org, on paper, or at a DSHS office. Qualifying for one of these programs also qualifies you for Extra Help automatically, so do this before you pick a 2027 plan, not after.
The rules everyone in Mount Vernon shares
Your plan keeps paying through December 31, 2026. Anything you choose by that date starts January 1, 2027, so there's no break in coverage. Because your plan is the one leaving, you get a special enrollment period from December 8, 2026 to February 28, 2027 on top of regular Open Enrollment; choices in January begin February 1, and in February begin March 1.
Do nothing and Medicare enrolls you in Original Medicare on January 1. Parts A and B continue, but you'd have no Part D drug plan unless you get Extra Help (see the reassignment above).
Moving to Original Medicare also opens a guaranteed issue right under RCW 48.66.055 to buy a Medigap policy without health screening. The Insurance Commissioner says apply November 1 or later; the right ends March 4, 2027. If you're in the QMB level of the Medicare Savings Program, the state already pays your Part A and B deductibles and copays, so ask SHIBA whether a Medigap policy would add anything for you.
More detail on all of it, including PEBB retirees and under-65 enrollees, is in our Washington guide for discontinued Medicare plans. The Skagit County page covers the county's hospitals and drug coverage numbers.
Before you sign anything
Call Skagit Valley Hospital's billing office and your doctors and ask, plan by plan, whether they'll take it in 2027. Put your drug list and pharmacy into Medicare Plan Finder. Keep your plan's letter and its envelope; a Medigap insurer may want a copy. And if anyone pushes you to decide on the spot, walk away and call SHIBA.
Federal Medicare law and Washington law write these rules, and the letter in your hand fixes your real dates, so before switching, run it by SHIBA, 1-800-MEDICARE or a licensed agent.
Mount Vernon questions
Where do Mount Vernon residents apply for Extra Help in person?
Can I get Medicare counseling at the Mount Vernon Senior Center?
My Medicare Advantage plan ends and I'm on Apple Health. Will I lose drug coverage January 1?
What is the no-gap deadline for Mount Vernon residents?
Sources
- WA Community Living Connections directory
- SSA field office open data
- Mount Vernon Senior Center newsletter, May 2026
- Skagit Transit reduced fares
- CMS Medicare Monthly Enrollment, July 2026
- U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024, table B09020
- WA OFM April 1, 2026 population estimates
- CMS CY2027 MA and Part D Enrollment and Disenrollment Guidance
- Medicare.gov: Special Enrollment Periods
- WA HCA: Medicare Savings Programs
- WA HCA: Apple Health Medicare Connect
- WA OIC: Is your Medicare Advantage plan changing or leaving?
