Olympia is the Thurston County seat and the home of the state capitol, and that shapes who reads a Medicare plan-ending letter here. Most readers will be ordinary Medicare Advantage members, but some are public-sector retirees whose coverage runs through a state program with its own deadline that opens today, October 26. Below are the questions I'd expect from Olympia readers, answered plainly.
How many people around Olympia are affected?
CMS publishes Medicare enrollment by county, not by city, so the Thurston County figures are the closest thing to an Olympia count:
| Measure | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Olympia residents, April 1, 2026 | 58,630 | OFM |
| Olympia residents 65 and older | about 11,000 (19.7%) | ACS 2020-2024, margin plus or minus 827 |
| Thurston County Medicare enrollees, July 2026 | 70,541 | CMS |
| Of those, in Medicare Advantage and other health plans | 37,289 (52.9%) | CMS |
| Washington statewide share in those plans | 49.7% | CMS |
Sources: WA OFM; Census ACS 5-year table B09020; CMS Medicare Monthly Enrollment, July 2026. CMS counts people, not plans, and its Medicare Advantage figure includes cost plans and PACE.
Translation: slightly more than half of Thurston County's Medicare enrollees are in Medicare Advantage and other health plans, and Olympia's older population is about the same share of residents as the county's.
I retired from the state. Is this my problem or PEBB's?
Retirees covered through PEBB (the state's Public Employees Benefits Board) should start there. OIC's own advice to that group is to call the Health Care Authority, which runs PEBB. The PEBB retiree enrollment window is open from today until November 23, 2026; whatever you change takes effect New Year's Day, and HCA says staying put requires no paperwork. The PEBB line is 1-800-200-1004 (Monday to Friday, 8:00 to 4:30). Before leaving PEBB for a plan you'd buy on your own, find out from HCA whether you'd be allowed back later.
If your plan is an individual Medicare Advantage plan you picked yourself, everything below applies.
Which Medigap policies can I buy without answering health questions?
Washington's RCW 48.66.055 treats a departing plan as a guaranteed-issue event for anyone who switches to Original Medicare. During that window a Medigap company can't refuse you, exclude a pre-existing condition or charge extra over your health history. The list of lettered plans depends on when you were first eligible for Medicare:
| When you were first eligible for Medicare | Lettered Medigap plans open to you, no health screening |
|---|---|
| Before Jan. 1, 2020 | A through F (high-deductible F included), K, L |
| Jan. 1, 2020 or later | A, B, D, G (plus the high-deductible G), K, L |
Source: RCW 48.66.055 and the Washington OIC plan-changing page. An insurer only has to offer the policies it is selling to newcomers.
Timing: OIC says apply November 1 or later. The right ends 63 days after your plan's last day, so March 4, 2027. An application sent in November or December can have the policy in place on January 1. Pick another Medicare Advantage plan and you are passing on this right.
What happens on January 1 if I set the letter aside?
Start with what doesn't change: the old plan keeps paying claims through December 31, 2026, and anything you choose by that day takes effect January 1. If you let it lapse, Medicare puts you into Original Medicare by default. Hospital and doctor coverage (Parts A and B) carry on. Prescription coverage ends with the old plan, and nobody signs you up for a replacement drug plan, with one exception: if you get Extra Help, CMS reassigns you to a stand-alone drug plan. You can still act after New Year's: the special window for people whose plans left opens December 8 and lasts until February 28, 2027, with January picks starting February 1 and February picks starting March 1. The Washington statewide guide explains the Part D late penalty if a gap stretches past 63 days.
Do I need to check the Olympia hospitals?
If another Medicare Advantage plan is on your list, yes. Thurston County's two acute-care hospitals are both in Olympia, one on the west side near Capital Mall and one in the northeast; the only other hospital in the county is a psychiatric hospital in Lacey. Look up both in every plan's 2027 provider directory, then do the same for your primary care doctor and each specialist. Original Medicare skips networks entirely: a provider anywhere in the U.S. who takes Medicare will do.
Who in Olympia gives neutral advice?
- SHIBA, the state's free Medicare counseling, is based at the Olympia Senior Center, 222 Columbia Street NW, run by Senior Services for South Sound. On October 26, 2026, OIC's local listing said this office was not accepting appointments and to call 1-800-633-4227. The sponsor's own page said phone counselors could be reached at 360-586-6181, ext. 134, and that it runs monthly "Medicare - Getting Started" classes on Zoom. Statewide SHIBA: 800-562-6900, Monday to Friday, 8:30 to 4:30.
- Medicare's national line, 1-800-633-4227 (TTY 1-877-486-2048), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week except some federal holidays.
- Lewis/Mason/Thurston Area Agency on Aging, 2404 Heritage Court SW: 360-664-2168.
- Getting there: Intercity Transit runs its buses and Dial-A-Lift on a zero-fare basis. Customer service is at the Olympia Transit Center, 205 Franklin Street NE, 360-786-1881.
More county detail, including the Part D numbers, is on the Thurston County page.
Your plan's mailed notice controls your own dates, and federal Medicare rules and Washington law control the rest; before changing coverage, run your situation past Medicare's phone line, a SHIBA counselor or an agent licensed in Washington.
More Olympia questions
I'm a PEBB retiree in Olympia. Who do I call about my Medicare plan?
Where is SHIBA in Olympia?
If I was first eligible for Medicare in 2020 or later, can I buy Medigap Plan G without health questions?
Will both Olympia hospitals take Original Medicare?
Sources
- Washington OIC: Is your Medicare Advantage plan changing or leaving?
- HCA: PEBB retiree open enrollment
- RCW 48.66.055
- CMS Medicare Monthly Enrollment, July 2026
- WA OFM April 1, 2026 population estimates
- U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024, table B09020
- Washington OIC: Find a local SHIBA office (checked Oct 26, 2026)
- Senior Services for South Sound: SHIBA
- Intercity Transit: Zero Fare
- CMS CY 2027 Enrollment and Disenrollment Guidance
