Medicare Advantage

San Diego's 2027 Dual Special Needs Plans: 7 D-SNPs, who qualifies, and when you can switch

People in San Diego can choose from 85 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, against 93 this year. 26 of this year’s plans are gone, 18 are new to San Diego County, and 48 that continue have changed their premium, deductible, plan type or name, 20 of them under a new name.

San Diego, Calif. — For people who have both Medicare and Medi-Cal, the fall 2026 enrollment window brings a short list of plans built just for them. In San Diego County, seven Dual Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs) from six carriers will be offered for 2027, according to the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape files. Two of those plans are returning under new names, so if you already have a D-SNP, your Annual Notice of Change is the first thing to read.

D-SNPs are a type of Medicare Advantage plan designed for "dual eligibles" — people enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid (called Medi-Cal in California). They coordinate the two programs so you have one plan handling your medical care, your drug coverage, and the pieces Medi-Cal pays for.

The 2027 D-SNP lineup in San Diego County

San Diego is in San Diego County, where CMS lists 7 D-SNPs for plan year 2027 alongside 32 Chronic Condition SNPs (C-SNPs) and no Institutional SNPs (I-SNPs). The D-SNPs for 2027 are:

• Blue Shield Medicare + Medi-Cal Plan (HMO D-SNP) — Blue Shield of California (renamed; was Blue Shield TotalDual Plan)
• Wellcare Health Net Dual Liberty (HMO D-SNP) — Centene (WellCare) (renamed; was Wellcare Dual Liberty)
• CommuniCare Advantage (HMO D-SNP) — Community Health Group
• Kaiser Permanente Dual Complete South P1 (HMO D-SNP) — Kaiser Permanente
• 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

The table below lists every Medicare Advantage plan in the county, including these D-SNPs. For benefits, drug lists, provider networks and costs, use the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov or call the plan directly — those details vary by plan and by person, and are not something a general article should quote for you.

Who qualifies: full vs. partial dual eligibility

Everyone in a D-SNP has Medicare plus some form of Medi-Cal. The level of Medi-Cal you qualify for determines which D-SNPs you can join and how much help you get with Medicare's out-of-pocket costs.

• Full-benefit duals have Medicare and the full Medi-Cal benefit package. Medi-Cal typically pays Medicare premiums and cost-sharing, and covers extras Medicare does not, such as long-term services and supports.
• Partial-benefit duals qualify through a Medicare Savings Program (such as QMB, SLMB or QI). Medi-Cal helps with some Medicare costs — most often the Part B premium — but you do not get the full Medi-Cal benefit package.

California's Department of Health Care Services determines your Medi-Cal category. If you are not sure which group you fall into, your most recent Medi-Cal notice will say, or you can ask your county social services office.

Some D-SNPs in San Diego are "highly integrated" or "exclusively aligned" with Medi-Cal managed care — meaning the same company (or a closely coordinated partner) handles both sides of your coverage. That alignment is one reason to compare plans carefully instead of defaulting to the first one you hear about.

How often a dual-eligible person can change plans

Here is where dual-eligible members have more flexibility than most Medicare beneficiaries.

• Annual Enrollment Period (Oct. 15 – Dec. 7, 2026): Open to everyone. Changes made in this window take effect Jan. 1, 2027. If you do nothing, your current plan renews for 2027 if it is still offered, with any changes spelled out in its Annual Notice of Change (ANOC).
• Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment (Jan. 1 – March 31): If you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you can switch to another one or go back to Original Medicare with a Part D plan one time during this window.
• Dual Eligible Special Enrollment Period: People with Medicaid or Extra Help generally have a monthly opportunity to make one change — for example, to enroll in an integrated D-SNP or to drop a Medicare Advantage plan and return to Original Medicare with a stand-alone drug plan. The specific rules were updated by CMS in recent years and continue to evolve, so confirm what applies to your situation right now by calling 1-800-MEDICARE.

If your Medi-Cal status changes — you gain, lose or move between categories — you also get a special enrollment period tied to that change.

How to confirm your eligibility

Before you shop, confirm two things:

1. Your Medicare status. Log in at medicare.gov, check your red-white-and-blue Medicare card, or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227; TTY 1-877-486-2048). 2. Your Medi-Cal status. Check your BenefitsCal account, your most recent Medi-Cal letter, or contact the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency. The state is the official source for whether you are a full or partial dual.

Have both confirmations in hand when you compare D-SNPs. A plan will verify your dual status at enrollment, and if the state's records do not show the category the plan requires, enrollment can be delayed or denied.

What's new for 2027 across the county

Beyond D-SNPs, San Diego County's broader Medicare Advantage lineup is shifting for 2027. Compared with 2026, CMS data shows 26 plans not returning, 18 new plans, and 20 plans renamed. Two of the renamed plans are D-SNPs — Blue Shield's and Wellcare's — so if either one is yours, expect the same plan to appear under its new name on your materials.

As a program-level reminder for 2027: the Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 (up from $2,100 in 2026), the Part D maximum deductible is $700 (up from $615 in 2026), and the Part D national base beneficiary premium is $41.33 (a formula input, not what any plan charges). The 2027 Part B standard premium, Part B deductible and IRMAA income brackets have not been announced; CMS typically publishes them later in the fall.