Lynnwood Medicare plan non-renewal: what to do if money is tight

Lynnwood has something most Snohomish County cities don't: a Social Security field office, on 33rd Avenue West, plus the county's Community Living Connections office on 196th Street SW. That matters for one group in particular when a Medicare Advantage plan won't renew: people who are stretching to pay for Medicare and might qualify for Extra Help or a Medicare Savings Program. This page is organized around the questions those Lynnwood residents tend to have, then covers the rules everyone needs.

Who lives here

Sources: WA OFM; U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024 (B09020); CMS Medicare Monthly Enrollment, July 2026.

Lynnwood is a little older than the county overall. Countywide, one Medicare beneficiary in seven also has Apple Health. Those people have extra rights when a plan ends.

Questions Lynnwood residents ask about a plan ending

"I can barely afford what I pay now. Is there help?"

Possibly two kinds. Medicare Savings Programs are a state-run Apple Health benefit; depending on the level, the state picks up your Part B premium, or that plus Part A costs, deductibles and copays. The Health Care Authority says there's no asset test for them. Washington Connection (washingtonconnection.org) takes applications online, and paper forms work too. Extra Help is the federal subsidy for drug plan costs. Anyone on Medicaid, SSI or a Medicare Savings Program qualifies for it automatically. Everyone else applies through Social Security. Lynnwood's field office is at 18905 33rd Ave W, Suite 207 (877-575-5197; hours listed as 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays). Apply early, because Extra Help changes what happens when your plan ends.

"I already get Extra Help. What happens if I don't pick anything?"

You're in a better spot than most. CMS reassigns people with Extra Help whose Medicare Advantage plan is ending into a stand-alone Part D plan, unless they already have Part D for 2027. Your medical coverage moves to Original Medicare on January 1. Nothing stops you from picking another plan on your own, and you should look up whether the assigned drug plan lists your prescriptions. Extra Help recipients are also exempt from the late penalty for Part D.

"I'm on both Apple Health and Medicare. Do I get more chances to fix this?"

Yes. On top of the plan-ending window everyone gets, anyone with Medicaid or Extra Help may move into a stand-alone drug plan in any calendar month, effective the first of the following month. Full Medicaid also opens a monthly door into an integrated D-SNP if your area has one; in this state those go by the name Apple Health Medicare Connect. What the monthly option won't do is let you jump from one Medicare Advantage drug plan to another.

"Where can I talk to someone in person in Lynnwood?"

Homage runs the county's Community Living Connections contact at 5026 196th St. SW (425-513-1900), and the county lists the Homage Multicultural Senior Center on Highway 99 (425-355-1112). The city's Lynnwood Senior Center is at 19000 44th Ave W (425-670-5050). For Medicare counseling itself, OIC's county SHIBA listing on October 26, 2026 said the local sponsor was not taking appointments and sent callers to Medicare at 1-800-633-4227, which is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except some federal holidays. SHIBA's statewide number, 800-562-6900, still works on weekdays from 8:30 in the morning to 4:30 in the afternoon.

The rules that apply to everyone

Your plan keeps paying through December 31, 2026. Anything you sign up for by that date takes effect January 1, 2027, so there's no uncovered day. Plans that are leaving also trigger a special enrollment period, December 8, 2026 to February 28, 2027, though a January pick begins February 1 and a February pick begins March 1.

Without Extra Help, choosing nothing leaves you on Original Medicare from January 1 with no drug plan at all, and 63 straight days without creditable drug coverage can trigger a Part D penalty that stays for as long as you have Medicare drug coverage. Going the Original Medicare route also unlocks a Washington guaranteed issue right: certain Medigap policies must be sold to you without health screening until March 4, 2027, and OIC says to send applications on or after November 1. If you qualify for QMB, the fullest Medicare Savings Program level, HCA says it covers Part A and B premiums, deductibles and copays other than prescriptions, so ask SHIBA whether a Medigap policy would add anything for you. The statewide guide for Washington has the full plan lists and edge cases.

Getting to a new clinic from Lynnwood

Lynnwood City Center Station is on Sound Transit's 1 Line, and Community Transit's Ride Store there offers drop-in help with reduced-fare enrollment on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Community Transit's reduced bus fare for riders 65+, riders with disabilities and Medicare cardholders is $1.00, paid by ORCA card. If you are enrolled in certain state benefit programs, ask about the subsidized annual pass, which the agency says allows travel at no charge on Community Transit, King County Metro, Sound Transit and Everett Transit.

Records also list a rehabilitation hospital with a Lynnwood address. If you use it or expect to, check it by name in any plan's 2027 network.

What finally decides your case is federal Medicare law, Washington statute and the dates in your plan's own notice, so get a confirmation from Medicare's hotline, a SHIBA counselor or a licensed agent before switching.

Related pages: Washington statewide guide · Snohomish County · Arlington · Edmonds · Everett · Lake Stevens · Marysville · Mill Creek · Monroe · Mountlake Terrace · Mukilteo · Snohomish

More Lynnwood questions

Sources

1. WA OFM: April 1, 2026 population of cities, towns and counties
2. U.S. Census Bureau: ACS 2020-2024 5-year, table B09020 (population 65+)
3. CMS Medicare Monthly Enrollment, July 2026 (Washington counties)
4. SSA open data: Field office addresses
5. Washington HCA: Medicare Savings Program
6. Medicare.gov: Part D costs and late enrollment penalty
7. Medicare.gov: Special Enrollment Periods
8. CMS: CY 2027 MA and Part D Enrollment and Disenrollment Guidance
9. Washington HCA: Apple Health Medicare Connect
10. Washington Community Living Connections: local contacts
11. Snohomish County: Senior Centers listing (2026, PDF)
12. City of Lynnwood: Lynnwood Senior Center
13. Washington OIC: Get free Medicare help from SHIBA
14. Washington OIC: Find a local SHIBA office (checked Oct 26, 2026)
15. Community Transit: Reduced fare programs
16. Sound Transit: Lynnwood City Center Station
17. WA DOH hospital data (HOFIDAR, data.wa.gov)
18. RCW 48.66.055: Medigap guaranteed issue (Washington)