Medicare Advantage

Dual-eligible in St. Paul: the three D-SNPs offered for 2027 and how to confirm you qualify

For 2027, St. Paul is looking at 27 Medicare Advantage plans: 8 new, 18 gone since 2026, and 9 still here but changed on premium, deductible, plan type or name, 3 of them under a new name. Below, how the lineup shifted in Ramsey County and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

ST. PAUL — For people in St. Paul who have both Medicare and Medical Assistance (Minnesota's Medicaid), the 2027 Dual Special Needs Plan (D-SNP) lineup is set. Ramsey County residents will have three D-SNPs to choose from next year, offered by three different carriers. The Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 through December 7, 2026, and any change made in that window starts January 1, 2027.

If you are dual-eligible, you also have more chances to switch during the year than most people on Medicare. Here is what is on the table, who qualifies, and how to confirm it.

What is a D-SNP, and which ones are offered in St. Paul for 2027?

A Dual Special Needs Plan is a type of Medicare Advantage plan built for people who have Medicare and Medicaid at the same time. In Ramsey County, three D-SNPs are offered for the 2027 plan year:

• SecureBlue (HMO D-SNP) — Blue Plus
• HealthPartners Minnesota Senior Health Options (HMO D-SNP) — HealthPartners
• Medica DUAL Solution (HMO D-SNP) — Medica

All three are HMO D-SNPs that include drug coverage. The table on this page lists every Medicare Advantage plan sold in the county; the three above are the D-SNP subset. For a wider view, Ramsey County has 27 Medicare Advantage plans overall for 2027, including 4 Chronic Condition SNPs and no Institutional SNPs.

Who qualifies as "dual-eligible" in Minnesota?

To join a D-SNP, you must have Medicare (Part A and Part B) and some form of Medicaid help from the state. In Minnesota, that is handled by the Department of Human Services through Medical Assistance.

There are two broad groups:

• Full dual eligibility: you have full Medical Assistance benefits in addition to Medicare.
• Partial dual eligibility: you qualify for a Medicare Savings Program (like QMB, SLMB or QI) that helps pay Medicare premiums or cost-sharing, but you do not have full Medicaid benefits.

Each D-SNP is designed for a specific category of dual-eligible member. Some integrated plans — like Minnesota's Senior Health Options (MSHO) products — are only for people with full Medical Assistance. The plan's enrollment materials spell out which group it accepts, and the state confirms your level. If you are unsure which bucket you fall into, call Minnesota DHS or your county human services office, or ask 1-800-MEDICARE to look it up with you.

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

Most people on Medicare can change plans during the Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 – December 7, 2026, for 2027 coverage) and, if they are in a Medicare Advantage plan, during the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (January 1 – March 31).

People with Medicaid or Extra Help get an additional opportunity. Under current rules, dual-eligible members generally have a monthly chance to either join an integrated D-SNP that aligns their Medicare and Medicaid coverage, or drop their Medicare Advantage plan and return to Original Medicare with a stand-alone Part D drug plan. These rules have been tightening in recent years, so confirm what applies to your situation with 1-800-MEDICARE before you make a change.

The bottom line: you are not stuck waiting until next October if your needs change mid-year.

How do I confirm my eligibility before I enroll?

Three steps make this straightforward:

1. Confirm your Medicare status at medicare.gov or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 2. Confirm your Medicaid category with Minnesota DHS or your county human services office. They can tell you whether you have full Medical Assistance or a Medicare Savings Program, and at what level. 3. Compare the three D-SNPs in Ramsey County on the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov. The Plan Finder will show the specific plans you are eligible for based on your ZIP code and dual-eligible status.

If you already have a D-SNP, read the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) your plan mailed in September. It explains what is changing for 2027. Across Ramsey County, 18 plans are not returning for 2027, 8 are new, and 3 have been renamed, so the ANOC is worth a careful look even if you plan to stay put.

What else is changing in 2027 that dual-eligible members should know?

A few program-level numbers are moving. For 2027, the Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 (up from $2,100 in 2026), and the Part D maximum deductible rises to $700 (up from $615 in 2026). Many dual-eligible members pay little or nothing for prescriptions because of Extra Help, but these caps still frame how the drug benefit works.

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