Medicare Advantage

Alabama Medicare Advantage Plans for Chronic Conditions in 2027: 17 C-SNPs

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabamians living with a long-term health condition will have 17 Chronic Condition Special Needs Plans (C-SNPs) to consider for 2027, out of 113 Medicare Advantage plans offered somewhere in the state, according to the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape Source File for the coming plan year. These plans are built specifically for people whose doctor has verified a qualifying chronic illness, and they sit alongside 28 Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs) and 3 Institutional Special Needs Plans (I-SNPs) in the Alabama market.

Because every Medicare Advantage plan is sold county by county, a plan listed statewide may not be sold where you live. The counts below are statewide; your ZIP code is what finally decides your choices.

What is a C-SNP in Alabama and who qualifies for one in 2027?

A C-SNP is a type of Medicare Advantage plan limited to people with a specific severe or disabling chronic condition, and enrollment requires a provider to verify that qualifying condition. In Alabama for 2027, 17 of the 113 Medicare Advantage plans are C-SNPs.

That verification piece is what sets a C-SNP apart from a general Medicare Advantage plan. CMS defines the eligible condition groups — examples include diabetes, chronic heart failure and cardiovascular disorders — and each C-SNP picks which group it serves. If your doctor does not confirm the condition the plan is built around, you are not eligible for that plan.

How many C-SNPs are offered in Alabama for 2027 and which carriers sell them?

Alabama has 17 C-SNPs for 2027, offered by four carriers: Devoted Health with 12 plans, HealthSpring with 2, UnitedHealthcare with 2 and VIVA Medicare with 1. The complete list of plan names and the county counts for each is shown in the table on this page.

The carrier mix includes HMO, HMO-POS and PPO C-SNPs. Devoted Health's lineup is all PPO C-SNPs; HealthSpring's are HMO C-SNPs; UnitedHealthcare's are HMO-POS C-SNPs; and VIVA Medicare's single plan is an HMO C-SNP. Several of the 17 are new for the 2027 plan year, and two Devoted plans have been renamed from the "Premium" label to "Enhanced." Those details are in the table so you can see at a glance which plans are new and which are renamed.

Which chronic conditions do the Alabama C-SNP names mention for 2027?

Under CMS rules, this article can tell you a plan's targeted condition only when the plan's own name says so. None of the 17 C-SNP names in the Alabama 2027 landscape — the Devoted "Choice" family, HealthSpring Achieve and Achieve Savings, UHC Complete Care AL-5 and AL-8, and VIVA Medicare Healthy Lifestyles — spells out a specific chronic condition.

To find out which condition each plan actually serves, check the plan's Summary of Benefits or Evidence of Coverage on Medicare.gov, or call 1-800-MEDICARE. Your doctor's office can also confirm whether your diagnosis matches the plan's eligibility rules before you enroll.

Is there a Special Enrollment Period for Alabamians with a qualifying chronic condition in 2027?

Yes. People who have a CMS-qualifying chronic condition get a Special Enrollment Period that lets them join a matching C-SNP outside the Annual Enrollment Period, once they have provider verification. The Annual Enrollment Period itself runs October 15 – December 7, 2026, with coverage starting January 1, 2027.

The C-SNP Special Enrollment Period is one-time per plan and ends once you are enrolled in a C-SNP that fits your condition. After that, future changes generally follow the usual Medicare enrollment windows. Medicare.gov lists the full rules, and 1-800-MEDICARE can walk you through timing based on your situation.

How do I check whether an Alabama C-SNP is offered in my county for 2027?

Use the Medicare Plan Finder at Medicare.gov and enter your ZIP code, or call 1-800-MEDICARE, which operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. County availability varies widely among the 17 Alabama C-SNPs for 2027.

For example, among UnitedHealthcare's two C-SNPs, UHC Complete Care AL-5 and UHC Complete Care AL-8 are each offered in 66 counties. VIVA Medicare Healthy Lifestyles is offered in 34 counties, Devoted Health's plans range from 11 to 34 counties depending on the plan, and HealthSpring Achieve is offered in 12 counties while HealthSpring Achieve Savings is offered in 5. The table on this page shows the county count next to each plan name so you can see the footprint at a glance; the Plan Finder confirms whether a given plan is actually sold in your county.

Where can Alabamians get free help comparing C-SNPs for 2027?

Free, unbiased help is available directly from Medicare at Medicare.gov and by phone at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227; TTY 1-877-486-2048), any time of day. These are the sources to use for premiums, deductibles, copays, provider networks, drug lists and star ratings for any specific plan.

When you compare, have a list of your prescriptions, your preferred doctors and hospitals, and your diagnosed chronic condition ready. That lets the Plan Finder narrow results to plans you actually qualify for and show you how each one would handle your medications and providers.