Special Needs Plans in 2027

A Special Needs Plan (SNP) is a Medicare Advantage plan for one group of people. It may be for people who also have Medicaid, people with certain chronic conditions, or people who live in a nursing home or need that level of care. This page explains the 3 kinds, how many are not offered or being replaced in 2027, and what's different when one ends.

The 3 Kinds of Special Needs Plans

Every SNP includes Medicare drug coverage (Part D). You can stay in an SNP only while you still qualify for it.

Dual Eligible SNP (D-SNP)

For people who have both Medicare and Medicaid. A D-SNP helps coordinate your Medicare and Medicaid benefits. If you have Medicare and Medicaid, most of your costs are covered. What you pay depends on your Medicaid level.

Chronic Condition SNP (C-SNP)

For people with certain severe or disabling chronic conditions. Federal rules list the conditions, for example cancer, chronic heart failure, dementia and diabetes. A C-SNP can be for one condition or a group of related conditions.

Institutional SNP (I-SNP)

For people who live, or are expected to live, for 90 days or longer in a nursing home or a similar place. Some I-SNPs are also for people who live at home but need the level of care a nursing home gives.

Special Needs Plans Not Offered or Being Replaced in 2027

In 2027, 6,111 of the 51,834 Special Needs Plan listings from 2026 are not offered. Another 5,420 are being replaced by another plan from the same company. A listing is one plan in one county.

In October 2026, at least 310,000 people were in Special Needs Plans that are not offered in 2027. About 1.2 million were in Special Needs Plans being replaced. Everyone in these plans keeps Medicare.

Ending: CMS's 2027 plan list and plan crosswalk show the plan isn't offered in the county (for drug plans, the state) in 2027 and its members aren't moved to another plan there. Members need to pick a new plan, unless their plan's letter offers another option. If they do nothing, Medicare Advantage and Cost plan members will have Original Medicare. Members of any plan that covered drugs will have no Medicare drug coverage, unless they get Extra Help (outside U.S. territories, Medicare then puts them in a drug plan). Being replaced: members are moved into another plan from the same company. For some plans, CMS's file also lists the plan as ending, so some members may not be moved. The rest need to pick a plan. Their Annual Notice of Change explains the new plan. Everyone in these plans keeps Medicare.

County pages list every plan not offered or being replaced in that county, including Special Needs Plans. Find your state and county.

If Your Special Needs Plan Is Not Offered in 2027

• You still have Medicare. If you don't pick a new plan, you will have Original Medicare on January 1, 2027, unless Medicare moves you into another integrated plan (see below).
• Every SNP covers drugs. If your plan ends and you do nothing, you will not have Medicare drug coverage, unless you get Extra Help or Medicare moves you into another integrated plan.
• If you have full Medicaid and your plan is an integrated D-SNP (one that works with your Medicaid plan), Medicare may move you into another integrated plan. If that happens, the new plan sends you letters. They explain the move and how to pick a different plan.
• If you have full Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), or your state helps pay your Part B premium, you get Extra Help automatically (not in Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories).
• With Extra Help: Medicare will put you in a drug plan unless you pick one yourself. Look for a letter from Medicare in late October or early November. This doesn't apply in Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories.
• Your Medicaid comes from your state's Medicaid program. For questions about your Medicaid benefits, contact your state Medicaid office.
• You can pick a new plan from October 15 to December 7, 2026. Because your plan is ending, you also have a special window from December 8, 2026, to February 28, 2027.

If Your Special Needs Plan Is Being Replaced

Members are moved into the new plan on January 1, 2027. For some of these plans, CMS's file also lists the plan as ending, so some members may not be moved. Your Annual Notice of Change, or a letter saying your plan is ending, says which applies to you. If you aren't moved, you have the same special window as people whose plan is not offered. You can still pick a different plan from October 15 to December 7, 2026.

Other Times You Can Change Plans

Some people can change plans at other times of the year. Medicare calls these Special Enrollment Periods.

• Medicaid or Extra Help: you can change your drug plan once a calendar month. You can also leave a Medicare Advantage plan for Original Medicare by joining a stand-alone drug plan. The change starts on the first day of the next month. This doesn't apply if your plan has sent you a letter saying you are "at-risk" or "potentially at-risk" under its drug management program.
• Full Medicaid: you can join an integrated D-SNP once a calendar month, if one is offered where you live. It's only for a D-SNP run by the same company as your Medicaid plan, or by the company whose Medicaid plan you're joining at the same time. Not all D-SNPs are integrated. 1-800-MEDICARE can give you a list of integrated D-SNPs.
• A severe or disabling chronic condition: you can join a C-SNP that serves your condition at any time. This chance ends once you join.
• You no longer qualify for your SNP: you can join another Medicare Advantage plan or a drug plan. This chance starts the month you stop qualifying. It ends when you join another plan, or 3 months after the plan ends your membership, whichever comes first.
• You live in a nursing home or a similar place, or recently moved out: you can join, change or drop a Medicare Advantage plan or drug plan. You can do this as long as you live there, and for 2 full months after the month you move out.

Special Enrollment Periods on Medicare.gov (opens in a new tab)

How to Tell If Your Plan Is a Special Needs Plan

Use the plan check on our home page. When you pick your plan, the list shows each plan's type next to its plan ID, for example "HMO D-SNP" or "PPO C-SNP". The answer then says who the plan is for, such as "For people with Medicare and Medicaid".

Many plan names also include the type, for example "(HMO D-SNP)". Your plan ID is on your plan's member card. Each plan ID in our tables links to a page for that plan.

Free Help

• Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), TTY 1-877-486-2048, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (except some federal holidays).
• Your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) (opens in a new tab) gives free, one-on-one help.
• Your state Medicaid office can answer questions about your Medicaid.
• Open Medicare Plan Finder (opens in a new tab) to compare 2027 plans.

Drug plan (Part D) changes for 2027 are on Drug Plans (Part D) Ending in 2027. Other plan types, such as HMO and PPO, are on Medicare Plan Types Explained. More answers are on Common Questions.

These numbers come from CMS's plan files. If you're in one of these plans, confirm with your Annual Notice of Change or the letter from your plan.

Source: CMS CY2027 Landscape, data as of October 18, 2026 (release 202610). Enrollment: CMS Monthly Enrollment by Contract/Plan/State/County, October 2026. Plan moves: CMS 2027 Plan Crosswalk, file dated October 1, 2026. Special Needs Plan types are CMS's "SNP Type" in its plan list. "Being replaced" comes from CMS's 2027 plan crosswalk (its list of which plans move members where). See how we get our numbers.