Medicare Advantage

Kansas City C-SNPs for 2027: Medicare Advantage plans built around a chronic condition

Jackson County has 65 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Compared with 2026, 11 plans are not coming back, 12 are new, and 36 continuing plans changed in some way you should check before December 7, 16 of them under a new name. This guide covers what those numbers mean for Kansas City, not which plan to pick.

KANSAS CITY — For people living with a serious ongoing illness, Medicare offers a less-advertised corner of the Medicare Advantage market: Chronic Condition Special Needs Plans, or C-SNPs. For plan year 2027, Jackson County — the county Kansas City sits in — will have five C-SNPs available from three carriers, according to the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape Source File for 2027.

That matters right now because the Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 through December 7, 2026, and any change made in that window takes effect January 1, 2027. People with a qualifying chronic condition also have options outside that window, which we explain below.

What a C-SNP actually is

A Chronic Condition Special Needs Plan is a type of Medicare Advantage plan. Like other Advantage plans, it bundles Part A (hospital), Part B (medical) and — in every C-SNP offered in Jackson County — Part D (drug coverage) into one plan from a private insurer approved by Medicare.

What makes a C-SNP different is who can join. Enrollment is limited to people who have been diagnosed with one of the chronic conditions CMS has approved for that plan. Think of it as a Medicare Advantage plan designed around a condition — the drug list, the care coordination and the provider network are shaped by the illness the plan serves.

Because membership is limited, you cannot simply pick a C-SNP off the shelf. Your doctor or other qualified provider has to confirm your diagnosis to the plan, usually on a short form the insurer sends after you apply. If the diagnosis is not verified, the plan cannot enroll you.

The C-SNPs offered in Jackson County for 2027

CMS lists five C-SNPs for Jackson County in 2027, from three carriers. In alphabetical order by carrier:

• Aetna (CVS Health) — Aetna Medicare Chronic Care (HMO C-SNP)
• Devoted Health — DEVOTED C-SNP CHOICE GIVEBACK EXTRAS 026 MO (PPO C-SNP), new for 2027
• Devoted Health — DEVOTED C-SNP ENHANCED 013 MO (HMO C-SNP), renamed from DEVOTED C-SNP PREMIUM 013 MO
• Devoted Health — DEVOTED C-SNP PLUS 016 MO (HMO C-SNP)
• UnitedHealthcare — UHC Complete Care MO-1 (PPO C-SNP)

The table below lists every Medicare Advantage plan available in the county, including the D-SNPs (for people with both Medicare and Medicaid) and I-SNPs (for people living in a nursing home or needing that level of care). For 2027, Jackson County will have 15 D-SNPs and 9 I-SNPs alongside the 5 C-SNPs.

Which specific chronic conditions each plan covers is not something we can list here — plan names do not state them, and the official source is the plan's own Summary of Benefits and the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov.

How enrollment works when you have a qualifying condition

Most people can only switch Medicare Advantage plans during the fall Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 – December 7, 2026, for coverage that starts January 1, 2027) or the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (January 1 – March 31).

A qualifying chronic condition generally opens a Special Enrollment Period that lets you join a C-SNP outside those windows. In practice:

1. You apply to the C-SNP. 2. The plan sends a short form, called a pre-enrollment qualification form, to your provider. 3. Your provider confirms you have the chronic condition the plan serves. 4. If verified, enrollment goes through; if not, the plan has to disenroll you.

This Special Enrollment Period is tied to the diagnosis itself, so timing is more flexible than a standard Advantage switch. Once you are enrolled in a C-SNP, your ability to change plans again follows the usual Medicare rules.

What else is changing for 2027

A few program-wide figures are worth knowing as you compare plans this fall:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,400 in 2027, up from $2,100 in 2026.
• The Part D maximum deductible is $700 in 2027, up from $615 in 2026.
• The 2027 Part B standard premium, Part B deductible and IRMAA income brackets have not yet been announced. CMS typically publishes them in the fall.

Across all of Jackson County's Medicare Advantage lineup for 2027, 11 plans are not returning, 12 are new, and 16 have been renamed. If you are already in a plan, read your Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) — the document your plan mailed in late September — for the specifics on your plan. If you do nothing and your plan is offered again, it renews automatically with the changes in the ANOC.

How to check if a C-SNP fits

A few practical steps before you commit:

• Confirm the plan covers your specific condition. Not every C-SNP covers every chronic illness, and plan names rarely tell you.
• Check that your doctors and specialists are in the plan's network, and that your medications are on its drug list.
• Ask your provider's office whether they are willing and able to complete the plan's verification form.
• Compare the plan with the other coverage you qualify for, including standard Medicare Advantage plans and Original Medicare with a Part D plan.

The Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov lets you enter your ZIP code, your drugs and your providers and see how each plan would work for you. 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048) is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.