Medicare Advantage

Dual Special Needs Plans in Los Angeles for 2027: 8 D-SNPs and who qualifies

People in Los Angeles can choose from 124 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, against 121 this year. 23 of this year’s plans are gone, 26 are new to Los Angeles County, and 61 that continue have changed their premium, deductible, plan type or name, 23 of them under a new name.

LOS ANGELES — For people in Los Angeles County who have both Medicare and Medi-Cal, the 2027 lineup of Dual Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs) is set. According to the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape Source File for the coming plan year, eight D-SNPs will be offered in Los Angeles County from seven carriers. The Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 through December 7, 2026, and a choice made in that window takes effect January 1, 2027.

D-SNPs are a type of Medicare Advantage plan built for people who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid (called Medi-Cal in California). The eight plans available for 2027 are listed in the table below, along with every other Medicare Advantage plan sold in the county.

What a D-SNP is, in plain language

A Dual Special Needs Plan is a Medicare Advantage plan that only enrolls people who have both Medicare and Medicaid. In California, "Medicaid" is Medi-Cal. These plans are designed to coordinate the two programs so that one plan handles your Medicare benefits (hospital, doctor, drugs) while working alongside your Medi-Cal benefits (which may cover things like long-term services, in-home support, or help with Medicare cost sharing).

The 2027 Medicare Advantage lineup in Los Angeles County includes 124 plans. Of those, 8 are D-SNPs. There are also 41 Chronic Condition SNPs (C-SNPs) and 5 Institutional SNPs (I-SNPs) in the county, which serve different groups. Los Angeles is in Los Angeles County, and plan availability is set at the county level.

The 8 D-SNPs offered in Los Angeles County for 2027

Listed alphabetically by carrier, the D-SNPs available for 2027 are:

• Blue Shield Medicare + Medi-Cal Plan (HMO D-SNP) — Blue Shield of California (renamed; previously Blue Shield TotalDual Plan)
• Wellcare Health Net Dual Align (HMO D-SNP) — Centene (WellCare) (new for 2027)
• Anthem Full Dual Advantage Aligned (HMO D-SNP) — Elevance Health (Anthem)
• Kaiser Permanente Dual Complete South P9 (HMO D-SNP) — Kaiser Permanente
• L.A. Care Medicare Plus (HMO D-SNP) — L.A. Care Health Plan
• Molina Medicare Complete Care Plus (HMO D-SNP) — Molina Healthcare of California
• SCAN Connections (HMO D-SNP) — SCAN Health Plan
• SCAN Connections at Home (HMO D-SNP) — SCAN Health Plan

All eight include prescription drug coverage. For plan details — provider networks, drug lists, cost sharing, and extra benefits — look at the plan's Evidence of Coverage, use the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov, or call 1-800-MEDICARE. The table below lists every Medicare Advantage plan offered in the county.

Who qualifies: full vs. partial dual eligibility

"Dual eligible" is an umbrella term. There are two broad groups:

• Full-benefit dual eligible: You have Medicare and the full package of Medi-Cal benefits.
• Partial-benefit dual eligible: You have Medicare and a Medicare Savings Program through Medi-Cal that helps pay Medicare premiums or cost sharing (for example, QMB, SLMB or QI), but not the full Medi-Cal benefit package.

Your category affects which D-SNPs you can join and how the plan coordinates with Medi-Cal. The California Department of Health Care Services determines your Medi-Cal status. If you are unsure, call Medi-Cal or your county social services office; you can also ask 1-800-MEDICARE what level of dual eligibility is on file with Medicare.

How often a dual-eligible person can change plans

Most people with Medicare use the Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 – December 7) or the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (January 1 – March 31) to change plans. People who have Medi-Cal or Extra Help get additional opportunities through a Special Enrollment Period:

• Generally, a monthly chance to enroll in or switch to an integrated D-SNP that aligns Medicare and Medi-Cal with the same company.
• A separate monthly chance (once per quarter in the first three quarters of the year, under current rules) to leave a Medicare Advantage plan and return to Original Medicare with a stand-alone Part D drug plan.
• A Special Enrollment Period if you lose Medi-Cal eligibility or your dual status changes.

Rules in this area have been changing. Before you make a move, confirm what applies to you by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

How to confirm your eligibility

A few steps that work for most people:

1. Check your Medi-Cal status. Contact the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services or log in to your BenefitsCal account. The California Department of Health Care Services sets eligibility rules. 2. Check what Medicare has on file. Call 1-800-MEDICARE and ask what level of dual eligibility is listed; this is what plans use to confirm you can enroll. 3. Review the plan. Each D-SNP has an Evidence of Coverage and a Summary of Benefits that explain who the plan is for and how it works with Medi-Cal. 4. If you do nothing, your current plan renews for 2027 if it is still offered, with any changes described in the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) your plan mailed in September.

What else is new this fall

A few program-level facts that apply to everyone in Medicare, not just D-SNP members:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,400 in 2027 (up from $2,100 in 2026).
• The Part D maximum deductible is $700 in 2027 (up from $615 in 2026).
• The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets, had not been published when this article was written; CMS typically announces them in November.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan, which spreads drug costs across the year in monthly bills, continues to be available.

Across the whole 2027 Los Angeles County lineup, some plans are not returning, some are new, and some have been renamed. Your ANOC is the single document that spells out what is changing in your plan.