Medicare Advantage

Dual-eligible in Buffalo? Here are the D-SNPs for 2027 and how to confirm you qualify

Erie County has 60 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Compared with 2026, 21 plans are not coming back, 11 are new, and 18 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 Buffalo, not which plan to pick.

Buffalo, N.Y. — Fall 2026. If you have both Medicare and Medicaid and live in or near Buffalo, you have a specific set of Dual Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs) to look at for 2027 — and more flexibility to change plans than most people on Medicare. CMS's 2027 Landscape file shows 16 D-SNPs offered in Erie County next year, from seven carriers, with a few new names and a couple of renames in the mix. Open enrollment runs October 15 through December 7, 2026, with any change starting January 1, 2027.

What is a D-SNP, and who qualifies in Buffalo for 2027?

A D-SNP is a type of Medicare Advantage plan designed only for people who have both Medicare and Medicaid. To join one in Buffalo, you need Medicare Part A and Part B, you need to live in the plan's service area (Erie County for the local options), and you need to be enrolled in New York Medicaid at a level the plan accepts.

Dual eligibility comes in two broad flavors. "Full" dual-eligible means Medicaid covers a wide set of benefits, often including long-term services. "Partial" dual-eligible usually means a Medicare Savings Program is helping pay Medicare premiums or cost-sharing, without full Medicaid benefits. Different D-SNPs are built for different groups — some only accept full duals, others accept partial duals too — so the level you qualify for determines which plans are open to you.

How do I confirm my Medicaid level in New York?

Your Medicaid status is set by the state, not by Medicare. In New York, you can confirm your Medicaid eligibility and category through the New York State Department of Health or your local Department of Social Services in Erie County. You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE to see what Medicare has on file for you, and call the plan you are considering to ask what dual categories it accepts.

Bring your Medicare card and your Medicaid or benefit letter when you call. Eligibility can change year to year if income or household details change, so it is worth checking before the Annual Enrollment Period closes on December 7, 2026.

Which D-SNPs are offered in Erie County for 2027?

For 2027, Erie County has 16 D-SNPs from seven carriers. There are also 4 Chronic Condition SNPs (C-SNPs) and 4 Institutional SNPs (I-SNPs) in the county for people who meet those separate rules. The carriers offering D-SNPs locally for 2027 are Aetna (CVS Health), Centene (WellCare), Excellus Health Plan Community Care LLC, Humana, Nascentia Health Plus, UnitedHealthcare and VNS Health Medicare.

In alphabetical order by carrier, the 2027 D-SNPs in Erie County are:

• Aetna Medicare Full Dual (HMO D-SNP) — Aetna (CVS Health)
• Wellcare Dual Access Open (PPO D-SNP) — Centene (WellCare)
• Wellcare Fidelis Dual Access (HMO D-SNP) — Centene (WellCare); new for 2027
• Wellcare Fidelis Dual Align Unity (HMO D-SNP) — Centene (WellCare); renamed (was Wellcare Fidelis Dual Align)
• Wellcare Fidelis Dual Liberty Sync (HMO D-SNP) — Centene (WellCare); new for 2027
• Univera Medicare Dual (HMO D-SNP) — Excellus Health Plan Community Care LLC
• Univera Medicare Total Care (HMO D-SNP) — Excellus Health Plan Community Care LLC
• Humana Gold Plus SNP-DE H3533-036 (HMO D-SNP) — Humana; new for 2027
• Nascentia Dual Advantage (HMO D-SNP) — Nascentia Health Plus
• Nascentia Medicaid Advantage Plus (HMO D-SNP) — Nascentia Health Plus
• UHC Dual Complete NY-Q001 (HMO-POS D-SNP) — UnitedHealthcare
• UHC Dual Complete NY-S001 (PPO D-SNP) — UnitedHealthcare
• UHC Dual Complete NY-S002 (HMO-POS D-SNP) — UnitedHealthcare; new for 2027
• UHC Dual Complete NY-YL (HMO-POS D-SNP) — UnitedHealthcare; renamed (was UHC Dual Complete NY-Y001)
• VNS Health EasyCare Plus (HMO D-SNP) — VNS Health Medicare
• VNS Health Total (HMO D-SNP) — VNS Health Medicare

The table on this page lists every Medicare Advantage plan in Erie County, including these D-SNPs. For costs, provider networks and drug lists, use the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov, call 1-800-MEDICARE, or ask the plan for its Evidence of Coverage.

How often can a dual-eligible person change plans?

Dual-eligible people in New York generally get more chances to change plans than Medicare members who are not on Medicaid. In addition to the Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 – December 7, 2026) and the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (January 1 – March 31), people with Medicaid or Extra Help have a Special Enrollment Period that currently lets them make one change per month — typically to join an integrated D-SNP that works with their Medicaid plan, or to move back to Original Medicare with a stand-alone Part D plan.

The exact rules on how often you can use that monthly opportunity have been changing, so confirm the current version with 1-800-MEDICARE or at medicare.gov before you switch. A change you make in a given month usually takes effect the first day of the next month.

What is changing in Erie County D-SNPs for 2027?

Across all Medicare Advantage plans in Erie County, CMS's year-over-year comparison shows 21 plans not returning, 11 new plans and 3 renamed plans for 2027. Within the D-SNP group specifically, three plans are new for next year (Wellcare Fidelis Dual Access, Wellcare Fidelis Dual Liberty Sync and Humana Gold Plus SNP-DE H3533-036, plus UHC Dual Complete NY-S002) and two are renamed (Wellcare Fidelis Dual Align Unity and UHC Dual Complete NY-YL).

If you do nothing, your current plan renews for 2027 as long as it is still offered, with any changes spelled out in the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) your plan mailed in September. Read the ANOC before December 7, 2026 so you know what is different.

What 2027 Part D numbers are confirmed, and what is not?

Two Part D figures are set for 2027: the out-of-pocket cap on covered drugs will be $2,400 (up from $2,100 in 2026), and the maximum Part D deductible will be $700 (up from $615 in 2026). The Part D national base beneficiary premium for 2027 is $41.33 — that is a formula input CMS uses, not what any specific plan charges. The optional Medicare Prescription Payment Plan, which spreads drug costs across the year in monthly installments, continues into 2027.

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