Medicare Advantage

Dual Special Needs Plans in Omaha for 2027: a plain-language guide for people with Medicare and Medicaid

For 2027, Omaha is looking at 39 Medicare Advantage plans: 11 new, 17 gone since 2026, and 12 still here but changed on premium, deductible, plan type or name, 5 of them under a new name. Below, how the lineup shifted in Douglas County and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

OMAHA — If you have both Medicare and Nebraska Medicaid, your plan choices for 2027 look a little different this fall. In Douglas County, 10 Dual Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs) will be offered for 2027, including one new plan from Molina and a renamed plan from Wellcare. The Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 through December 7, 2026, and any change you make takes effect January 1, 2027.

D-SNPs are a specific kind of Medicare Advantage plan built for people who qualify for both programs. They coordinate Medicare and Medicaid benefits in one place. Below is what you can switch, when, and how to confirm you qualify.

What a D-SNP is, in plain terms

A Dual Special Needs Plan is a Medicare Advantage plan limited to people who have both Medicare and Medicaid. All D-SNPs in Douglas County include Part D drug coverage. They are designed to work alongside Medicaid, so your Medicaid benefits (such as long-term services, extra help with cost-sharing, or non-emergency transportation) continue through the state while your Medicare benefits run through the plan.

The plan types vary. In Douglas County for 2027 you'll see HMO D-SNPs, HMO-POS D-SNPs, and PPO D-SNPs. The letters describe the network rules, not the quality of the plan.

The 10 D-SNPs offered in Douglas County for 2027

Omaha is in Douglas County, where the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) sets plan availability. For 2027, six carriers offer D-SNPs in the county. The table on this page lists every plan; here are the names, in alphabetical order by carrier:

• Aetna (CVS Health): Aetna Medicare Dual Care (HMO D-SNP)
• Centene (WellCare): Wellcare Nebraska Total Care Dual Liberty Sync (HMO-POS D-SNP) — renamed for 2027 (was Wellcare Dual Liberty Sync)
• Devoted Health: DEVOTED DUAL CHOICE 004 NE (PPO D-SNP); DEVOTED DUAL CHOICE FULL 008 NE (PPO D-SNP)
• Humana: Humana Gold Plus SNP-DE H0028-007 (HMO D-SNP); Humana Gold Plus SNP-DE H0028-080 (HMO D-SNP)
• Molina Healthcare of Nebraska: Molina Medicare Complete Care (HMO D-SNP) — new for 2027
• UnitedHealthcare: UHC Dual Complete NE-QV1 (HMO-POS D-SNP) — new for 2027; UHC Dual Complete NE-S002 (PPO D-SNP); UHC Dual Complete NE-S003 (HMO-POS D-SNP)

For context, D-SNPs are 10 of the 39 Medicare Advantage plans in the county for 2027. There are also three C-SNPs (chronic-condition plans) and two I-SNPs (institutional plans) available, which have their own eligibility rules.

Who qualifies: full vs. partial dual eligibility

To join a D-SNP you must have Medicare Parts A and B and also qualify for Nebraska Medicaid. Within that, there are different levels:

• Full dual eligibility means you have full Medicaid benefits in addition to Medicare. Medicaid helps with Medicare premiums and cost-sharing, and you also get Medicaid-covered services.
• Partial dual eligibility usually means you qualify for a Medicare Savings Program (such as QMB, SLMB, or QI) that pays some Medicare costs, but you don't have full Medicaid benefits.

Each D-SNP is designed for a specific level of dual eligibility. Some plans only accept full duals; others accept partial duals too. The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, which runs Medicaid, is the office that confirms your category. If you're not sure which one you're in, that's the office to ask — then verify what plans you can join at medicare.gov or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE.

How often a dual-eligible person can change plans

This is the part that often surprises people. You are not limited to the October 15–December 7 window.

• Annual Enrollment Period (Oct. 15 – Dec. 7, 2026): Anyone with Medicare can join, switch, or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan; changes start January 1, 2027.
• Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment (Jan. 1 – Mar. 31, 2027): If you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you can switch to another one or return to Original Medicare.
• A monthly Special Enrollment Period for dual-eligible and Extra Help enrollees: Under current rules, people with Medicaid or the Part D Low-Income Subsidy generally get one chance each quarter (and additional opportunities for integrated D-SNPs) to change plans outside the fall window, or to return to Original Medicare with a stand-alone drug plan.

The exact monthly rules have been updated by CMS in recent years, so confirm the current version with 1-800-MEDICARE before you make a change. The point to remember: dual-eligible beneficiaries have more flexibility than most Medicare members.

How to confirm your eligibility before you enroll

Before you pick a D-SNP, line up three things:

1. Your Medicare status. Check your Medicare card for Parts A and B, or sign in at medicare.gov. 2. Your Nebraska Medicaid status and level. Contact Nebraska DHHS (Medicaid & Long-Term Care). They can confirm whether you have full Medicaid, QMB, SLMB, or another category. 3. Which D-SNPs accept your category. Use the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov, or call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can also read a plan's Evidence of Coverage directly from the carrier.

If your Medicaid level changes during the year — for example, you move from partial to full dual — that itself can open a Special Enrollment Period.

What's new for 2027, countywide

A few program-level numbers are already confirmed for 2027. The Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 in 2027 (up from $2,100 in 2026). The Part D maximum deductible is $700 in 2027 ($615 in 2026). The 2027 Part B standard premium, deductible, and IRMAA income brackets are published by CMS later in the fall. All D-SNPs in Douglas County include drug coverage, so the Part D cap applies to your covered medications through the plan.

Across the county, 17 Medicare Advantage plans are not returning for 2027, 11 are new, and 5 are renamed. Watch your mail in September for your plan's Annual Notice of Change — it spells out what's different about your plan next year.