Medicare Plan Discontinued in Mountlake Terrace, WA

Today, October 26, is the day PEBB retiree open enrollment begins, and it's also roughly two months before your Medicare Advantage plan stops paying on December 31. If you live in Mountlake Terrace and got a letter saying your plan is discontinued, here is the calendar laid out as a table, followed by what is specific to this city: an older-than-average population, no hospital inside city limits, and a light rail station on Sound Transit's 1 Line for getting to a doctor across the county line.

Your calendar, October 2026 to March 2027

Date	What happens	Your move
Oct 26 to Nov 23, 2026	PEBB retiree open enrollment	PEBB retirees handle changes with HCA, not Medicare.
Nov 1, 2026	OIC's suggested first day to apply for Medigap	If you're going to Original Medicare, apply for a Medigap policy now or soon after.
Dec 7, 2026	Annual Open Enrollment closes	Your plan-ending window picks up the next day.
Dec 8, 2026	Special enrollment period for ending plans opens	Choices still start January 1 if made by December 31.
Dec 31, 2026	Your plan's final day	Have new coverage chosen, including drug coverage.
Jan 1, 2027	New coverage begins	If you chose nothing, you're in Original Medicare with no drug plan (Extra Help recipients get one assigned).
Feb 28, 2027	Special enrollment period closes	A January choice starts Feb 1; a February choice starts Mar 1.
Mar 4, 2027	Medigap guaranteed issue right ends	After this, insurers can ask health questions.

Sources: CMS CY 2027 enrollment guidance; Washington OIC; Washington HCA (PEBB); RCW 48.66.055.

The gap between December 31 and February 28 is where people get hurt. The law gives you until the end of February, but a choice made in January or February leaves you without whatever you didn't replace for one or two months. A run of 63 days or more without drug coverage can also lead to a Part D late penalty that lasts as long as you have Medicare drug coverage. The Washington statewide guide spells out that math.

A note for PEBB retirees

Retired public employees whose Medicare benefits run through PEBB are in a different system. OIC's advice to them is to go straight to HCA rather than Medicare. HCA's retiree window this year is October 26 to November 23, 2026; whatever you change there takes effect January 1, 2027, and if you're happy with your current PEBB plans you don't have to file anything. The PEBB phone line is 1-800-200-1004 (Monday to Friday, 8 to 4:30). One thing to ask before dropping PEBB for a plan you buy on your own: can you get back in later?

Mountlake Terrace by the numbers

Measure	Mountlake Terrace	Snohomish County
Population, April 1, 2026 (OFM)	24,750	879,700
Residents 65+ (ACS 2020-2024)	about 3,800 (plus or minus 404)	124,763
65+ share	16.5%	14.8%
Land area	about 4.1 square miles	about 2,087 square miles
Medicare Advantage and other health plans (CMS, July 2026)	No city figure	91,088 people (59.6%)

Sources: WA OFM; U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024 (B09020) and 2025 Gazetteer; CMS Medicare Monthly Enrollment, July 2026.

One resident in six is 65 or older, a bit above the county.

If your doctors are in King County

State and federal records list no hospital with a Mountlake Terrace address, and Snohomish County borders King County. If your hospital or specialists are on the King County side, that changes how you compare options. A Medicare Advantage plan sold in Snohomish County may or may not include providers in King County, so ask about each one by name for 2027. Original Medicare covers any provider in the country who accepts Medicare, which removes the county-line question entirely.

Getting there: Mountlake Terrace Station is served by Sound Transit's 1 Line, and Community Transit's reduced fare for riders 65 and older, riders with disabilities and Medicare cardholders is $1.00 a bus ride, paid with an ORCA card. Reduced fares only work through ORCA, not tap-to-pay.

Help in and around Mountlake Terrace

Lake Ballinger Center, 23000 Lakeview Drive (425-672-2407), is the senior center the county lists for Mountlake Terrace.
SHIBA offers free Medicare counseling on its statewide line, 800-562-6900 (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays). OIC's listing for the county's local sponsor, checked October 26, 2026, said "Currently not accepting appointments. For assistance, call Medicare at 1-800-633-4227."
1-800-MEDICARE takes calls 24/7 except some federal holidays (TTY 1-877-486-2048). Plan Finder on Medicare.gov sorts 2027 plans by your drugs and pharmacy.
Homage, Community Living Connections for the county, is at 425-513-1900.

Treat this page as a summary: federal Medicare law, Washington insurance law and the dates in your own plan's notice are what bind, so check your next step with Medicare, a SHIBA advisor or a licensed agent before acting.

Mountlake Terrace questions

My Medicare plan is discontinued in Mountlake Terrace. What is my real deadline?

December 31, 2026, if you want no gap. Coverage chosen by then starts January 1, 2027. The special enrollment period for ending plans runs until February 28, 2027, but choices made in January or February start later.

I get Medicare coverage through PEBB. Does this apply to me?

Go to HCA, which runs PEBB. Its retiree enrollment window is October 26 to November 23, 2026, and the PEBB phone line is 1-800-200-1004.

Will a Snohomish County plan cover my doctors in King County?

Not necessarily. Ask about each provider by name for 2027. Original Medicare covers any provider nationwide who accepts Medicare.

Where is the senior center for Mountlake Terrace?

The county lists the Lake Ballinger Center at 23000 Lakeview Drive, Mountlake Terrace, phone 425-672-2407.

Medicare plan discontinued in Mountlake Terrace: your calendar to March 2027