Medicare Advantage

Medicare and Medicaid in Iowa: 9 Dual Special Needs Plans for 2027

DES MOINES — Iowans who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid will have nine Dual Special Needs Plans, or D-SNPs, to consider for 2027, out of 74 total Medicare Advantage plans listed statewide in the CMS Landscape Source Files. These plans are built specifically for people with both kinds of coverage, and they are offered county by county, so the list a person sees in Polk County will not match the list in Lee County.

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

A D-SNP is a type of Medicare Advantage plan limited to people who have both Medicare and Medicaid, and in Iowa the state Medicaid agency, Iowa Medicaid, is the office that confirms whether a person is dual-eligible for 2027.

There are two broad categories. "Full dual" means a person qualifies for full Medicaid benefits in addition to Medicare. "Partial dual" generally means Medicaid helps pay Medicare costs through one of the Medicare Savings Programs but does not pay for full Medicaid services. D-SNPs are designed to coordinate the two programs so that a member is not bouncing between benefits. Each D-SNP has its own eligibility criteria within those categories, and a person must keep their Medicaid status to stay enrolled. If Medicaid eligibility is lost, the plan allows a grace period before disenrollment. Iowans can check or update Medicaid status through Iowa Health and Human Services.

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

For 2027, 9 of the 74 Medicare Advantage plans listed for Iowa are D-SNPs. The CMS files also show 7 Chronic Condition SNPs (C-SNPs) and 7 Institutional SNPs (I-SNPs) in the state.

Six carriers are on the 2027 D-SNP list for Iowa: Aetna (CVS Health) with one plan, Centene (WellCare) with three, Elevance Health (Anthem) with one, Humana with one, Molina Healthcare of Iowa, Inc. with two, and UnitedHealthcare with one. Several carriers renamed existing plans for 2027. Centene's three plans — Wellcare Iowa Total Care Dual Access, Wellcare Iowa Total Care Dual Liberty Sync, and Wellcare Iowa Total Care Dual Reserve — all carry new names this year. Elevance Health's Wellpoint Full Dual Advantage was also renamed. Molina Healthcare of Iowa, Inc. is listed with two D-SNPs that are new for the coming plan year. The full plan-by-plan list, including county counts for each, is rendered as a table on this page rather than repeated here in prose.

Because availability is county by county, a plan listed statewide may not appear in a particular reader's county. The only way to know what is actually offered at a specific Iowa address is to run that address through the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE.

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

Dual-eligible Iowans have more chances to change plans than most Medicare beneficiaries. In 2027, people with both Medicare and Medicaid generally get a Special Enrollment Period that allows one plan change per quarter during the first three quarters of the year — January through March, April through June, and July through September — with the new coverage starting the first of the following month.

In the fourth quarter, changes are made during the Annual Enrollment Period, which runs October 15 – December 7, 2026 for coverage that begins January 1, 2027. There is also a Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period from January 1 through March 31, 2027, during which a person already in a Medicare Advantage plan can make one switch. The specific rules depend on a person's exact dual status; Medicare.gov and 1-800-MEDICARE can confirm which window applies.

How do I check which D-SNPs are offered in my Iowa county for 2027?

To see which of the 9 D-SNPs are actually sold in a specific Iowa county for 2027, use the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov and enter the ZIP code, or call 1-800-MEDICARE, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The CMS Landscape files show, for example, that one carrier's D-SNP is listed in all 99 Iowa counties while others are offered in a smaller footprint — some in roughly 80 or 90 counties, some in the 40s or 20s, and one Molina plan listed in only 3 counties. The exact county counts for each 2027 D-SNP appear in the table above. Entering a ZIP code is the only reliable way to see which plans accept new members at a specific address, along with the premium, drug formulary, provider network, and star rating. Those plan-level details are not included in this explainer and should always be read directly from each plan's Summary of Benefits and Evidence of Coverage.

Where can Iowans get free help comparing D-SNPs for 2027?

Free, unbiased help is available from Medicare.gov and from 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048), both run by the federal Medicare program at no cost to the caller.

Medicare.gov lets a person compare every Medicare Advantage, D-SNP, and stand-alone Part D plan available at their address, see each plan's star rating, estimate yearly drug costs using their actual prescription list, and check whether specific doctors or hospitals are in network. 1-800-MEDICARE can walk a caller through the same comparison by phone and can also help confirm Medicaid status questions by directing the caller to Iowa Medicaid. For Medicaid questions specifically — including whether a person is full or partial dual — Iowa Health and Human Services is the office of record.

Nothing on this page is a recommendation of any plan or carrier. The nine D-SNPs listed for Iowa in 2027 are presented together so that a reader can see the full field before comparing details at medicare.gov or by phone.