What to do when your Medicare plan is leaving Marysville

Marysville is the second-largest city in Snohomish County, at 76,820 residents in OFM's April 2026 count, and about 10,200 of its people are 65 or older. If your Medicare Advantage plan is leaving Marysville after this year, the piece most likely to cost you money is not your doctor visits. It's your prescriptions. Here is why, with the numbers, and what to do about it.

The numbers behind the advice

CMS publishes Medicare enrollment by county, not city. Marysville's 65+ share (14.0%) is close to the county's 14.8%.

Read the two Part D rows together. In this county, about 88,000 people get drug coverage bundled inside a Medicare Advantage plan, compared with about 36,000 who buy a separate drug plan. Bundled coverage is convenient until the plan ends. Then the drug coverage vanishes on the same day as the medical coverage, and nothing replaces it automatically for most people.

What ends on December 31, and what doesn't

Your plan pays claims through December 31, 2026. On January 1, 2027:

• If you picked another Medicare Advantage plan by December 31: it starts that day, usually with its own drug coverage. Check your drugs against its 2027 list.
• If you picked Original Medicare plus a Part D plan by December 31: both start that day. A Medigap policy can start then too, if you applied for one.
• If you picked nothing: Medicare places you in Original Medicare. Parts A and B continue. There is no drug plan unless you get Extra Help, in which case CMS assigns you one.

The Part D penalty, worked out

Medicare can charge a late enrollment penalty if you go 63 days or more in a row without Part D or other creditable drug coverage. It's 1% of the national base beneficiary premium for each full month you went without, and it sticks to your premium for as long as you have Part D.

You have a special enrollment period from December 8, 2026 through February 28, 2027 because your plan is ending. Two ways that plays out:

1. You join a drug plan in February. It starts March 1. January and February were uncovered, which is 59 days, just under the 63-day trigger. No penalty, but two months of paying the full pharmacy price.
2. You miss February 28 altogether. Unless you qualify for some other enrollment period, your next regular chance is Open Enrollment next fall, for coverage starting January 1, 2028. That could mean a full year without drug coverage. For illustration only, 12 uncovered months at the 2027 base premium would add about $5 a month (Medicare rounds the penalty to the nearest ten cents) to your premium, every month, for as long as you have Part D. The base premium changes each year.

People who get Extra Help don't pay this penalty. Everyone else should treat December 31 as the real deadline for drug coverage. The statewide guide covers how the cap and deductible work in more detail.

If you go to Original Medicare

Original Medicare alone has no yearly cap on what you pay for medical care. A Medigap policy fills much of that. Because your plan is ending, Washington's guaranteed issue law lets you buy certain Medigap policies without health questions, as long as you move to Original Medicare. OIC's advice is to apply on or after November 1; the right runs until March 4, 2027, which is 63 days after the plan's end. This is a one-time opening. If you skip it and want Medigap later, insurers can generally use your health history.

Hospitals: what the records show for Marysville

The one hospital that state and federal records list with a Marysville address is Smokey Point Behavioral Hospital on 156th Street NE, which CMS classifies as psychiatric. For general acute care, the county's hospitals are in Arlington, Everett, Edmonds and Monroe. If you are picking a new Medicare Advantage plan, check that the hospital you would actually use is in its 2027 network by name.

Help in and near Marysville

• SHIBA: statewide line 800-562-6900, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays. On October 26, 2026, OIC's listing for the county's local sponsor said it was not taking appointments and directed callers to 1-800-MEDICARE.
• 1-800-MEDICARE: 1-800-633-4227, TTY 1-877-486-2048, open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except some federal holidays. They can look up which 2027 drug plans cover your prescriptions.
• Marysville Community Center, 1015 State Ave., is on the county's senior center list (recreation office 360-363-8450). The city's Parks, Culture & Recreation department runs 55+ social activities and outings, partly funded by a county Human Services grant (360-363-8400).
• Tulalip Tribal Senior Center, on Totem Beach Road, is also on the county's list for tribal elders.
• Homage handles the county's Community Living Connections referrals at 425-513-1900.

These dates come from federal Medicare rules and Washington law, but the letter your plan sent is what sets your personal timeline; double-check with 1-800-MEDICARE, SHIBA or a licensed agent.

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

Marysville FAQ

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. Medicare.gov: Part D costs and late enrollment penalty
5. CMS: CY 2027 Part D base beneficiary premium (July 28, 2026)
6. CMS: CY 2027 MA and Part D Enrollment and Disenrollment Guidance
7. Medicare.gov: Special Enrollment Periods
8. RCW 48.66.055: Medigap guaranteed issue (Washington)
9. Washington OIC: Is your Medicare Advantage plan changing or leaving?
10. WA DOH hospital data (HOFIDAR, data.wa.gov)
11. CMS Hospital General Information
12. Snohomish County: Senior Centers listing (2026, PDF)
13. City of Marysville: Senior social activities and outings
14. Washington OIC: Get free Medicare help from SHIBA
15. Washington OIC: Find a local SHIBA office (checked Oct 26, 2026)