Medicare Advantage

Medicare and Medicaid in Alabama: 28 Dual Special Needs Plans for 2027

MONTGOMERY — Alabamians who have both Medicare and Medicaid will see 28 Dual Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs) available somewhere in the state for 2027, according to the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Landscape Source Files. These plans are a subset of the 113 Medicare Advantage plans offered statewide, and seven carriers are in the D-SNP market for the coming year.

What is a D-SNP in Alabama and who qualifies in 2027?

A D-SNP is a type of Medicare Advantage plan built for people who have both Medicare and Medicaid, and in Alabama for 2027 that eligibility is confirmed by the Alabama Medicaid Agency. The plan coordinates Medicare benefits with the help a member already gets from Medicaid.

Dual eligibility comes in two broad forms. "Full" dual eligibles have Medicare and full Medicaid benefits. "Partial" dual eligibles are enrolled in a Medicare Savings Program — such as the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) category — that helps pay Medicare costs without providing full Medicaid. Different D-SNPs are designed for different categories, which is why plan names in Alabama include words like "Dual QMB Only," "Dual Select," or "Full Dual Care." The Alabama Medicaid Agency is the office that verifies which category a person falls into; Medicare itself does not make that determination.

People who think they may qualify but have never applied for Medicaid can contact the Alabama Medicaid Agency to start that process. Social Security Administration records are also used to confirm Medicare entitlement.

How many D-SNPs are offered in Alabama for 2027, and which carriers offer them?

For 2027, 28 of Alabama's 113 Medicare Advantage plans are D-SNPs, and seven carriers offer them statewide. The CMS Landscape Source File also lists 17 Chronic Condition SNPs (C-SNPs) and 3 Institutional SNPs (I-SNPs) in Alabama for the same year, for readers whose situation fits one of those categories instead.

The seven D-SNP carriers in Alabama for 2027, in alphabetical order, are:

• Aetna (CVS Health) — 3 plans
• Devoted Health — 8 plans
• HealthSpring — 4 plans
• Humana — 5 plans
• Simpra Advantage — 1 plan
• UnitedHealthcare — 5 plans
• VIVA Medicare — 2 plans

The full plan-by-plan list — including Aetna Medicare Dual Care, Aetna Medicare Dual Extra Care, and Aetna Medicare Full Dual Care from Aetna (CVS Health); the DEVOTED DUAL and DEVOTED DUAL CHOICE FULL plans from Devoted Health; HealthSpring TotalCare and HealthSpring TotalCare Plus from HealthSpring; Humana Dual QMB Only, Humana Dual Select, Humana Gold Plus SNP-DE, and HumanaChoice SNP-DE from Humana; Simpra Advantage Dual Care from Simpra Advantage; the UHC Dual Advantage and UHC Dual Complete plans from UnitedHealthcare; and VIVA Medicare Extra Care and VIVA Medicare Extra Value from VIVA Medicare — appears in the table on this page, along with each plan's county footprint.

A few plans are new for 2027 in Alabama, including four DEVOTED DUAL CHOICE FULL PPO D-SNPs (plans 011, 012, 013 note: 013 is a renewal; 011 and 012 are new), the HealthSpring TotalCare and TotalCare Plus HMO D-SNPs, and UHC Dual Complete AL-Q3. Several UnitedHealthcare and Humana plans were renamed from their 2026 versions; the table shows the prior name.

How often can a dual-eligible person in Alabama change Medicare plans in 2027?

People with both Medicare and Medicaid in Alabama have more chances to change plans during the year than most Medicare beneficiaries. Dual-eligible individuals generally can use a Special Enrollment Period to change D-SNPs once during each of the first three calendar quarters of 2027 — January through March, April through June, and July through September — with the new plan taking effect the first day of the following month.

Everyone with Medicare, including dual eligibles, can also use the Annual Enrollment Period that runs October 15 – December 7, 2026. A choice made during that window takes effect January 1, 2027. There is also a Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period from January 1 through March 31, 2027, for people already in a Medicare Advantage plan who want to switch once.

Nothing requires a dual-eligible person to change plans; staying put is a valid choice if the current plan still works.

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

Availability in Alabama is county by county, so the right question is not just "what plans exist statewide" but "what plans are offered in my county." The county footprint shown in the plan table on this page is the starting point — for example, HumanaChoice SNP-DE and Simpra Advantage Dual Care are each listed in 67 counties, while VIVA Medicare Extra Care is listed in 5 — but the official, member-level check is at medicare.gov.

On the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov, entering a ZIP code and the "Medicare and Medicaid" filter returns the D-SNPs offered at that address, along with each plan's premium, cost sharing, drug list, provider network and star rating. 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048) can run the same search by phone, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The plan's own Evidence of Coverage and provider and pharmacy directories are the authoritative source for benefit details.

Where can someone in Alabama get free help comparing D-SNPs for 2027?

Free, unbiased help with Medicare choices in Alabama for 2027 is available from Medicare itself. The Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov lets a person compare every plan available at their address side by side at no cost, and 1-800-MEDICARE provides live assistance in English and Spanish.

For questions about Medicaid eligibility — which is what makes someone eligible for a D-SNP in the first place — the Alabama Medicaid Agency is the office of record. For questions about Medicare entitlement itself, including Part A and Part B enrollment, the Social Security Administration handles the record.