Wahkiakum County Medicare Plan Leaving in 2027

Wahkiakum County has no hospital. The state's hospital data lists none here, one of only three Washington counties in that position. Anyone on Medicare in Cathlamet, Skamokawa or on Puget Island who needs a hospital already leaves the county for it, and that single fact shapes what a "your plan is ending" letter means here more than anything else.

If your Medicare Advantage plan has told you it ends December 31, 2026, the question isn't just which plan. It's which plan covers the places you actually go.

Where Wahkiakum residents' hospital care sits

Direction	What's there (state and federal data)	What to ask a 2027 option
Inside the county	No hospital listed by WA DOH	Are my local clinic and pharmacy covered?
East, Cowlitz County	An acute care hospital in Longview	Is the Longview hospital in network, and my specialists there?
West, Pacific County	Critical access hospitals in Ilwaco and South Bend	Are they in network if I use them?
South, across the Columbia	Clatsop and Columbia counties, Oregon, share the county's border	Does the plan cover Oregon providers I see, and how?

Sources: WA DOH hospital data (HOFIDAR) for Washington hospitals; U.S. Census county adjacency file for the Oregon border.

Original Medicare doesn't care about county or state lines: any doctor or hospital in the U.S. that accepts Medicare is fine. A Medicare Advantage plan generally uses a network and service area for non-emergency care. Neither answer is automatically right, but in a county with no hospital of its own, the network question carries more weight than usual. Call each provider's office and ask which 2027 Medicare plans it accepts.

Wahkiakum's Medicare numbers

Population, April 1, 2026 (OFM): 4,600
Age 65 and older (OFM, April 2025): 1,616, about 36% of the county
People with Medicare (CMS, July 2026): 1,761
Medicare Advantage and other health plans: 813 (46.2%)
Original Medicare: 948 (53.8%)
Drug coverage inside a Medicare Advantage plan: 794
Stand-alone Part D plan: 610
Dual-eligible (Medicare and Apple Health): 233

Sources: WA OFM; CMS Medicare Monthly Enrollment, July 2026 (people, not plans).

More than a third of the county is 65 or older. Close to half of those on Medicare were in Medicare Advantage and other plans in July, and more people got their drug coverage through a Medicare Advantage plan (794) than through a stand-alone Part D plan (610). That last point is the one to remember if you're thinking of moving to Original Medicare: your drugs would no longer ride along with your health plan, and picking a separate Part D plan becomes your job.

Count back from December 31

The plan pays through the last day of 2026. Work backward from there.

December 31, 2026. Last day to choose and have new coverage begin January 1, 2027. That's the no-gap date.
December 8. A special enrollment period opens for people whose plan is not renewing. It lasts until February 28, 2027, but a January pick starts February 1 and a February pick starts March 1.
December 7. Regular Open Enrollment closes. You can use it too.
November 1. OIC's earliest suggested date to apply for a Medigap policy with your guaranteed issue right.

And past the end: the Medigap guaranteed issue window lasts until March 4, 2027, 63 days after the plan ends.

If you let the date pass without choosing, Medicare enrolls you in Original Medicare on January 1. You keep hospital and doctor coverage under Parts A and B. You lose drug coverage, because Original Medicare doesn't include a Part D plan, unless you get Extra Help, in which case CMS reassigns you to a stand-alone drug plan. Without drug coverage for 63 days or more in a row, a Part D late enrollment penalty can follow you for as long as you have Part D.

The Medigap right, and why it matters in a county without a hospital

Washington's RCW 48.66.055 lets you buy certain Medigap policies without health questions when your Medicare Advantage plan leaves your area, provided you go to Original Medicare. An insurer can't refuse you or charge more for your health during the window. Keep the plan's letter and the envelope it came in as proof.

Why mention it specifically here? Medigap follows Original Medicare, which means coverage that pays its share wherever Medicare is accepted: Longview, the Pacific County hospitals, or across the river in Oregon. That flexibility costs a premium, and it isn't the right fit for everyone. But the chance to buy it without answering health questions comes mostly in windows like this one. The statewide guide lists which plan letters you can buy, based on when you first became eligible.

Getting to appointments from Wahkiakum

Wahkiakum on the Move, the county's bus, has been fare-free since November 2025. It runs Monday through Saturday, with a Longview–Naselle route and local routes for Cathlamet–Skamokawa and Puget Island. Call 360-795-3101 or toll-free 888-795-3101. The county's transit page also notes Medical Transportation for Apple Health members going to covered medical services. The county-run Puget Island ferry crosses to the Oregon side hourly, with foot passengers at $2 and cars under 22 feet at $6.

Help for Wahkiakum residents

The Area Agency on Aging & Disabilities of Southwest Washington, based in Vancouver, is the SHIBA sponsor for Wahkiakum and the county's aging agency. On October 26, 2026, OIC's local SHIBA listing for it said: "Currently not accepting appointments. For assistance, call Medicare at 1-800-633-4227." SHIBA's free statewide line, 800-562-6900, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays, was still listed. The agency's Community Living Connections office in Longview answers at 360-577-4929 or 800-682-2406. Medicare's own line, 1-800-633-4227, is open all day and night, and Plan Finder compares drug costs for your ZIP code.

The 233 residents with both Medicare and Apple Health have extra room to maneuver. Medicaid or Extra Help lets you change stand-alone drug plans once each calendar month, and full Apple Health lets you join an integrated plan for dual-eligibles (Apple Health Medicare Connect) in a month where one is offered here. You still have the same plan-ending window through February 28 as everyone else.

If money is tight, the state's Medicare Savings Programs help with Medicare premiums with no asset test, and qualifying brings Extra Help with it.

The rules above come from federal Medicare law and Washington statute; your plan's notices set the dates that apply to you, so confirm your plan of action with a licensed agent, SHIBA or 1-800-MEDICARE.

Wahkiakum questions

Is there a hospital in Wahkiakum County?

No. Washington's Department of Health data lists no hospital in the county. Nearby hospitals in the state data are in Longview (Cowlitz County) and in Ilwaco and South Bend (Pacific County).

My Medicare plan is ending in 2027. What date matters most?

December 31, 2026. Pick your new coverage by then and it starts January 1, 2027 with no gap. The plan-ending special enrollment period runs through February 28, 2027, but later choices start February 1 or March 1.

Will Original Medicare cover my doctors in Oregon?

Original Medicare covers care from any doctor or hospital in the U.S. that accepts Medicare, so a state line does not matter. A Medicare Advantage plan may limit non-emergency care to its network; ask the plan and the provider.

How can I get to a new doctor without driving?

Wahkiakum on the Move is fare-free and runs Monday through Saturday, including a Longview to Naselle route. Call 360-795-3101. Apple Health members may also qualify for Medical Transportation to covered services.

Wahkiakum County: Your Medicare Plan Ends in 2027