Medicare Advantage

Medicare and Medi-Cal in Oakland: the 2 D-SNPs available in Alameda County for 2027

For 2027, Oakland is looking at 32 Medicare Advantage plans: 5 new, 10 gone since 2026, and 27 still here but changed on premium, deductible, plan type or name, 10 of them under a new name. Below, how the lineup shifted in Alameda County and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

OAKLAND, Calif. — People in Oakland who have both Medicare and Medi-Cal (California's Medicaid program) will have two Dual Special Needs Plans to consider for 2027, according to the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape file for Alameda County. D-SNPs are a specific kind of Medicare Advantage plan built for "dual eligibles," and the rules about who can join — and how often a member can change plans — are different from the rules for everyone else. With the Annual Enrollment Period running Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, 2026, here is a plain look at what is available locally and how the switching rules work.

What a D-SNP is, and what is offered in Alameda County for 2027

A Dual Special Needs Plan is a Medicare Advantage plan that only enrolls people who have both Medicare and Medicaid. These plans include Part D drug coverage and are designed to coordinate the two programs. In California, Medicaid is called Medi-Cal.

For plan year 2027, the CMS Landscape file shows two D-SNPs available in Alameda County, from two carriers:

• Alameda Alliance for Health — Alameda Alliance Wellness (HMO D-SNP)
• Kaiser Permanente — Kaiser Permanente Dual Complete North P16 (HMO D-SNP)

The table below lists every Medicare Advantage plan offered in the county, including these two D-SNPs. Alameda County also has 12 Chronic Condition SNPs (C-SNPs) and 2 Institutional SNPs (I-SNPs) for 2027, which serve different groups and are not for dual eligibles as a category.

Who qualifies: full vs. partial dual eligibility

Everyone in a D-SNP has Medicare plus some form of Medicaid help. The difference between "full" and "partial" dual eligibility comes down to how much the state pays and which services Medi-Cal covers for you.

• Full dual eligibles have full Medi-Cal benefits in addition to Medicare. Medi-Cal pays Medicare premiums and cost-sharing and also covers services Medicare does not, such as long-term services and supports.
• Partial dual eligibles qualify for a Medicare Savings Program (such as QMB, SLMB, or QI) that helps pay some Medicare costs — most often the Part B premium, and for QMB members, Medicare cost-sharing — but they do not get full Medi-Cal benefits.

Some D-SNPs are open to both groups; others are limited to certain categories. California has been moving toward more integrated D-SNPs that align Medicare and Medi-Cal under one plan. The Alameda County Social Services Agency is the office that confirms your Medi-Cal category, and the plan itself can confirm whether you fit its enrollment rules.

How often a dual-eligible person can change plans

This is the part that often surprises people: dual eligibles do not have to wait for fall to make a change.

• Everyone with Medicare can use the Annual Enrollment Period (Oct. 15 – Dec. 7, 2026) for coverage starting Jan. 1, 2027.
• Medicare Advantage members can also use the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (Jan. 1 – March 31) once a year.
• People with Medicaid or Extra Help generally get a monthly Special Enrollment Period that lets them make certain changes outside those windows — for example, joining an integrated D-SNP, or leaving a Medicare Advantage plan to return to Original Medicare with a stand-alone Part D plan.

The exact rules for the monthly SEP have been updated in recent years, so it is worth confirming your current options with 1-800-MEDICARE before you make a change.

How to confirm your eligibility

Two offices decide the pieces that determine whether you can join a D-SNP:

1. Medicare — Confirm your Part A and Part B status at medicare.gov or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 2. Medi-Cal — In Oakland, the Alameda County Social Services Agency manages Medi-Cal cases and can tell you your eligibility category (full-scope Medi-Cal, QMB, SLMB, QI, and so on). You can also check your status through BenefitsCal.

A plan's enrollment team will usually verify both before enrolling you, but knowing your Medi-Cal category ahead of time makes the conversation faster.

What else is new for 2027

Across all Medicare Advantage plans in Alameda County, CMS data show some year-to-year churn for 2027: 10 plans are not returning, 5 are new, and 10 have been renamed. If your plan is changing in any way, the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) you received this fall explains the specifics for your coverage.

At the program level, CMS has confirmed two Part D figures for 2027: the out-of-pocket cap on covered drugs rises to $2,400 (from $2,100 in 2026), and the maximum Part D deductible rises to $700 (from $615 in 2026). The 2027 Part B premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets, had not been announced as of early fall 2026; CMS usually publishes those figures in November.