Medicare Advantage

Before You Compare Plans, Confirm Your Med-QUEST Status

Honolulu County has 29 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Compared with 2026, 4 plans are not coming back, 5 are new, and 13 continuing plans changed in some way you should check before December 7, 3 of them under a new name. This guide covers what those numbers mean for Honolulu, not which plan to pick.

HONOLULU — If you have both Medicare and Medicaid (called Med-QUEST in Hawaii), you have more choices — and more chances to change plans — than most people on Medicare. For 2027, four carriers are offering a total of five Dual Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs) in Honolulu County, including one that is new for the coming plan year. The Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 through December 7, 2026, and any change you make takes effect January 1, 2027.

What are Dual Special Needs Plans in Honolulu for 2027?

A Dual Special Needs Plan (D-SNP) is a type of Medicare Advantage plan that only enrolls people who have both Medicare and Medicaid. In Honolulu, Medicaid is called Med-QUEST. D-SNPs coordinate your Medicare benefits (hospital, medical and usually drug coverage) with the help you get through Med-QUEST, so you have one plan handling most of your care.

For 2027, Honolulu County has 5 D-SNPs out of 29 Medicare Advantage plans available in the county. The county also has 2 Chronic Condition SNPs (C-SNPs) and no Institutional SNPs (I-SNPs). The table below lists every plan offered in the county.

Which carriers offer D-SNPs in Honolulu County for 2027?

Four carriers are offering D-SNPs in Honolulu County for 2027. In alphabetical order:

• AlohaCare — AlohaCare Advantage Plus (HMO D-SNP), with drug coverage
• HMSA Akamai Advantage Dual Care — HMSA Akamai Advantage Dual Care (PPO D-SNP), with drug coverage
• Kaiser Permanente — Kaiser Permanente Dual Complete Oahu (HMO D-SNP), with drug coverage
• UnitedHealthcare — UHC Dual Complete HI-Y1 (PPO D-SNP), with drug coverage; and UHC Dual Complete HI-YL (PPO D-SNP), new for 2027, with drug coverage

All five include Part D prescription drug coverage. For benefits, provider networks, drug lists or costs, use the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov, call 1-800-MEDICARE, or read the plan's Evidence of Coverage.

Who qualifies for a D-SNP — full or partial dual eligibility?

To join any D-SNP in Honolulu, you must have Medicare Parts A and B and also qualify for Medicaid through Hawaii Med-QUEST. Within that group, people fall into two broad buckets:

• Full dual eligible — you get full Medicaid benefits in addition to Medicare. Medicaid typically helps with your Medicare premiums, cost sharing, and services Medicare does not cover (such as long-term services and supports).
• Partial dual eligible — you qualify for a Medicare Savings Program that helps pay some Medicare costs (such as the Part B premium or cost sharing), but you do not get full Medicaid benefits.

Different D-SNPs are designed for different sub-groups. Hawaii Med-QUEST is the agency that confirms your exact category, and that category decides which D-SNPs you can join. Before enrolling, check your status with Med-QUEST or call 1-800-MEDICARE.

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

People with Medicaid or Extra Help have more chances to change than people with Medicare alone. In addition to the Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 – December 7, 2026, for 2027 coverage) and the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (January 1 – March 31), dual-eligible beneficiaries generally have a Special Enrollment Period that lets them, once a month, join an integrated D-SNP that matches their situation or switch back to Original Medicare with a stand-alone Part D plan.

The specific rules on how often and which moves are allowed have been updated by CMS in recent years, so confirm your current options with 1-800-MEDICARE before making a change. A change made in the fall window takes effect January 1, 2027.

How do I confirm my Medicaid and Medicare eligibility in Hawaii?

Two agencies decide the two halves of your eligibility:

• Medicare — the Social Security Administration handles Medicare enrollment. You can check your status at ssa.gov or by calling Social Security.
• Medicaid (Med-QUEST) — Hawaii's Med-QUEST Division determines whether you qualify for full or partial Medicaid.

Once both are confirmed, call 1-800-MEDICARE or go to medicare.gov to see which D-SNPs you are eligible for in Honolulu County. If you do nothing during the fall window, your current plan simply renews for 2027 if it is being offered again, with any changes described in the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) your plan mails you.

What is changing for Honolulu Medicare plans in 2027?

Across all Medicare Advantage plans in Honolulu County (not only D-SNPs), 5 plans are new for 2027, 4 are not returning, and 3 have been renamed. For D-SNPs specifically, UHC Dual Complete HI-YL (PPO D-SNP) is new for 2027.

A few program-wide 2027 figures CMS has confirmed:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 in 2027 (it is $2,100 in 2026).
• The Part D maximum deductible rises to $700 in 2027 (it is $615 in 2026).
• The Part D national base beneficiary premium is $41.33 for 2027 (a formula input, not what any plan charges).

The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets, have not yet been announced; CMS typically publishes them in the fall.