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Moving to Washington with Medicare

Original Medicare works the same in Washington as in any other state, and a Medigap policy usually stays with you. A Medicare Advantage plan from your old state generally doesn't serve Washington, so a permanent move gives you a Special Enrollment Period to join a Washington plan: if you tell your plan before you move, it starts the month before the move and ends 2 full months after. Medicaid doesn't transfer; you apply for Apple Health.

By the Benefits Life Editorial Team, licensed insurance agents · Reviewed November 9, 2026

What moves with you and what doesn't

Medicare has pieces that are national and pieces that are local. Moving to Washington permanently affects each one differently:

Coverage	What happens when you move to Washington	What to do
Original Medicare (Part A and Part B)	Moves with you. Same card, same coverage.	Update your address with Social Security.
Medigap	Usually stays with you. The premium may change.	Tell the company your new address. Check if it's a SELECT policy.
Medicare Advantage	Generally doesn't serve Washington if bought in another state.	Choose a Washington plan during your moving Special Enrollment Period.
Stand-alone Part D	Plans are approved by region. Washington shares a region with Oregon; a plan from any other state generally isn't offered here.	Join a plan offered in Washington during the same window, unless your plan already serves Washington.
Medicaid and Medicare Savings Programs	Don't transfer between states.	Apply for Apple Health once you live in Washington.

Original Medicare: update your address

Part A and Part B are federal, so nothing about them changes when you move to Washington. Any doctor, hospital or supplier in Washington that accepts Medicare can treat you. What you do need to change is your address: Medicare gets it from Social Security. Update it online with a my Social Security account, by calling 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778), or at a local office. If you get Railroad Retirement benefits, update it with the Railroad Retirement Board instead. Your plans also need your new address.

Medicare Advantage and Part D: your moving Special Enrollment Period

A Medicare Advantage plan is approved for a service area, usually a list of counties, and a stand-alone Part D plan is approved for a region. A Medicare Advantage plan from Arizona, California or Idaho generally doesn't serve Washington, even if the same company sells plans here. When you move permanently out of your plan's area, federal rules (42 CFR 422.62) give you a Special Enrollment Period to join a plan where you now live:

If you tell your plan before you move, the window starts the month before the month you move and lasts until 2 full months after the month you move.
If you tell your plan after you move, it starts the month you tell the plan and lasts 2 more full months.

Example: you move to Spokane in April and told your plan in February. Your window runs from March 1 through June 30. Ask the new plan which start date to choose so you don't have a gap.

Don't let it lapse. If you leave a Medicare Advantage plan's area and don't join a new plan, the plan must disenroll you and you return to Original Medicare. If that happens without Part D, you could be without drug coverage, and going 63 days or more without creditable drug coverage can mean a late penalty.

Washington and Oregon share a Part D region

CMS groups Washington and Oregon into one Part D region, so the same stand-alone Part D plans are offered in both states. If you're moving from Oregon, your stand-alone plan may keep working; tell it your new address and check its pharmacy network in your new town. A move from any other state means choosing a Washington plan. For 2027, CMS lists 8 stand-alone Part D plans in Washington. See Part D in Washington.

The same moving window applies if you move within Washington to a county where your Medicare Advantage plan isn't offered. See when you can change your Medicare plan.

Medigap: keep it, or shop with care

A standard Medigap policy pays its share of Medicare-covered care from any provider in the U.S. that accepts Medicare, so it keeps working in Washington. You can keep it as long as you have Original Medicare and pay the premium. Tell the company your new address: Medigap premiums are often priced by where you live, so the company may reprice it for your Washington ZIP code.

Washington has its own rules about when you can switch from one Medigap policy to another without health questions, and they differ from many other states'. Read Medigap in Washington before you cancel a policy that works, and make sure any new policy has approved you in writing first.

Guaranteed-issue rights that come with a move

Federal law gives you a guaranteed right to buy a Medigap policy, without health questions, in two moving situations:

You move out of your Medicare Advantage plan's service area and go back to Original Medicare. You can buy Medigap Plan A, B, D, G, K or L (or C or F if you were eligible for Medicare before 2020) sold in Washington. Apply as early as 60 days before your plan coverage ends and no later than 63 days after it ends.
You have a Medicare SELECT policy and move out of its area. You can buy a standard Medigap policy instead.

Keep the disenrollment letter from your old plan: it is your proof.

Medicaid doesn't transfer: apply for Apple Health

Medicaid is a state program, so your old state's Medicaid, its Medicare Savings Program and any Medicaid-based plan end when you no longer live there. Washington's Medicaid program is Apple Health. If you are 65 or older, blind or have a disability, or want a Medicare Savings Program, apply through Washington Connection or the DSHS Customer Service Contact Center at 1-877-501-2233. Points to know:

Washington's Medicare Savings Programs (QMB, SLMB and QI-1) have had no resource test since January 1, 2023, so you may qualify in Washington even if your savings were too high in your old state. See Medicare Savings Programs in Washington.
Losing Medicaid gives you a Special Enrollment Period to change your Medicare Advantage or Part D coverage.
If you qualify for both Medicare and full Apple Health, you may be able to join a D-SNP. See D-SNPs in Washington and Apple Health and Medicare.
If you need long-term care, Apple Health long-term care has its own medical and financial tests, decided by DSHS. Community Living Connections (1-855-567-0252) can point you to local aging services.

Extra Help with Part D costs is a federal program run by Social Security. If you had it only because of your old state's Medicaid, apply for Apple Health or for Extra Help directly so it doesn't lapse. See Extra Help in Washington.

WA Cares Fund, Washington's long-term care insurance program, is earned by working in Washington and paying a premium on your wages, and contributions stop when you retire. Moving here in retirement doesn't make you eligible. See WA Cares Fund.

Permanent move or seasonal stay?

Only a change in your permanent residence opens the moving Special Enrollment Period. Your permanent residence is generally where you live most of the year and the address you use for things like voting, taxes and your driver's license; a P.O. box doesn't count. If you spend summers in Washington and keep your home elsewhere, your plan stays with that home. A Medicare Advantage plan must disenroll you after more than 6 months in a row outside its area (up to 12 with a visitor/traveler program) under 42 CFR 422.74. Washingtonians who spend winters away should read Medicare for snowbirds.

Washington driver's license and address records

Washington law gives new residents 30 days after becoming a resident to get a Washington driver's license (RCW 46.20.021); the Department of Licensing also issues state ID cards if you don't drive. A Washington license or ID, voter registration and your address with Social Security all help show that Washington is your permanent residence, which matters for your moving Special Enrollment Period.

Your plan choices depend on your county

Washington's Medicare Advantage plans are approved county by county, so where you settle shapes your options. For 2027, CMS lists these Medicare Advantage plans open to everyone:

King County (Seattle, Bellevue, Kent): 30 plans
Pierce County (Tacoma, Lakewood, Puyallup): 35 plans
Snohomish County (Everett, Lynnwood, Marysville): 31 plans
Clark County (Vancouver): 31 plans
Spokane County (Spokane, Spokane Valley): 25 plans
Whatcom County (Bellingham): 9 plans
Clallam County (Sequim, Port Angeles): 1 plan

Several companies end Medicare Advantage plans in Washington at the end of 2026, so if you're joining a plan now, check that it's offered for 2027 in your county; see Washington plans ending in 2027. Find your new home on the county pages.

Finding doctors in Washington

Line up care early, especially if you take regular prescriptions or see specialists:

Use Medicare's Care Compare to find doctors, hospitals and other providers that accept Medicare near your new address.
Call the office and ask whether it accepts Medicare and is taking new Medicare patients. If you choose a Medicare Advantage plan, ask whether it is in that plan's network; directories change.
Ask your current doctors for copies of your records and enough refills to bridge the move, and transfer prescriptions to a Washington pharmacy in your new plan's network.
If you're a veteran, contact the VA to transfer your care to VA Puget Sound (Seattle and American Lake), Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center (Spokane) or the Walla Walla VA. See VA and Medicare in Washington.
If you're moving to the San Juan Islands or another ferry-served community, plan for how you'll reach specialists; see health care and the San Juan Islands ferries. In rural counties, see telehealth and rural Medicare.

Your moving checklist

1 to 2 months before the move: tell your Medicare Advantage or Part D plan your moving date, so your Special Enrollment Period opens the month before you move.
Before the move: look up plans for your new Washington county and check doctors and pharmacies.
Before the move: if you have a Medigap policy, ask the company how your premium will change at your new address and whether it's a SELECT policy.
The month you move: update your address with Social Security (or the Railroad Retirement Board).
Within 30 days of becoming a resident: get your Washington driver's license, or a state ID card.
Within 2 full months after the move: join a Washington Medicare Advantage or Part D plan if you need one.
If you leave Medicare Advantage for Original Medicare: apply for Medigap within 63 days after your plan coverage ends to use your guaranteed-issue right.
As soon as you live in Washington: if you had Medicaid or a Medicare Savings Program, apply for Apple Health.
Keep: notices from your old plan, your enrollment confirmations and any creditable drug coverage letters.

To see what's sold where you're moving, see plans in your new ZIP code, or call (206) SENIORS (206-736-4677), TTY 711 to reach a licensed insurance agent with Benefits Life, at no cost to you, about plans from the companies they work with.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to re-enroll in Medicare when I move to Washington?

No. Medicare Part A and Part B are national, so your coverage and your Medicare card stay the same. Update your address with Social Security (or the Railroad Retirement Board if you get railroad benefits) so Medicare and your plans have your Washington address. What may need to change is a Medicare Advantage, Part D or Medicaid plan from your old state.

How long do I have to change my Medicare Advantage plan after moving to Washington?

If you tell your plan before you move, your Special Enrollment Period starts the month before your move and lasts until 2 full months after the month you move. If you tell it after you move, it starts the month you tell the plan and lasts 2 more full months. If you don't join a new plan, you return to Original Medicare when your old plan disenrolls you.

I'm moving from Oregon. Can I keep my Part D plan?

Possibly. Washington and Oregon form one Part D region, so a standalone Part D plan you have in Oregon may also be offered in Washington. Tell the plan your new address and confirm it serves Washington and has network pharmacies near you. Medicare Advantage plans are approved county by county, so an Oregon Medicare Advantage plan generally won't cover you after you move unless it also serves your new Washington county.

Does my Medicaid move with me to Washington?

No. Medicaid is run by each state, so your old state's coverage ends when you no longer live there. Once you live in Washington, apply for Apple Health, Washington's Medicaid program. If you are 65 or older or have a disability, apply through Washington Connection or DSHS at 1-877-501-2233. Washington's Medicare Savings Programs have no resource test.

I only spend summers in Washington. Do I get a moving Special Enrollment Period?

No. A seasonal stay isn't a permanent move, so it doesn't open a Special Enrollment Period. Your plan is based on your permanent residence. If you keep a Medicare Advantage plan from another state, check how it covers care in Washington and how long you can be away.

Medicare in your Washington county

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