Medicare Advantage

Charlotte C-SNPs for 2027: the 10 chronic-condition Medicare plans and how to join

People in Charlotte can choose from 89 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, against 94 this year. 19 of this year’s plans are gone, 14 are new to Mecklenburg County, and 28 that continue have changed their premium, deductible, plan type or name, 10 of them under a new name.

CHARLOTTE — As the Annual Enrollment Period for 2027 coverage opens Oct. 15, 2026, people in Mecklenburg County who live with a serious ongoing health condition have a specific slice of Medicare Advantage to look at: Chronic Condition Special Needs Plans, or C-SNPs. For plan year 2027, six carriers offer 10 C-SNPs in the county, including two brand-new entries from Alignment Health Plan and a new giveback option from Devoted Health.

What a C-SNP is

A Chronic Condition Special Needs Plan is a Medicare Advantage plan designed around one chronic illness or a small group of related illnesses. Like other Advantage plans, a C-SNP replaces Original Medicare for your medical care and includes Part D drug coverage. What makes it different is the focus: the plan's provider network, drug list, and extra benefits are shaped around the condition it serves.

To join, Medicare requires that you actually have the condition the plan is built for. A provider has to confirm the diagnosis — usually on a short form the plan sends after you apply. If the diagnosis is not confirmed within the window the plan allows, enrollment cannot move forward.

The 10 C-SNPs offered in Mecklenburg County for 2027

Charlotte is in Mecklenburg County, where CMS lists 10 C-SNPs for 2027 out of 89 Medicare Advantage plans overall. (For context, the county also has 23 Dual Eligible SNPs and 6 Institutional SNPs.) The table below lists every plan; here are the C-SNPs by carrier, in alphabetical order:

• Aetna (CVS Health): Aetna Medicare Chronic Care (HMO C-SNP); Aetna Medicare Chronic Care Value (HMO C-SNP)
• Alignment Health Plan: Alignment Health Heart & Diabetes 011 (HMO C-SNP) — new for 2027; Alignment Health Heart & Diabetes Plus 009 (HMO-POS C-SNP) — new for 2027
• Devoted Health: DEVOTED C-SNP ENHANCED 016 NC (HMO C-SNP) — renamed from DEVOTED C-SNP PREMIUM 016 NC; DEVOTED C-SNP GIVEBACK EXTRAS 031 NC (HMO C-SNP) — new for 2027; DEVOTED C-SNP PLUS 015 NC (HMO C-SNP)
• Humana: Humana Gold Plus - Diabetes and Heart (HMO C-SNP)
• Liberty Medicare Advantage: Liberty Medicare Advantage (HMO C-SNP)
• UnitedHealthcare: UHC Complete Care NC-28 (HMO-POS C-SNP)

Two plan names on the list say which condition they serve: Alignment Health's Heart & Diabetes plans and Humana's Diabetes and Heart plan. For every other C-SNP on the list, the qualifying condition is set by the plan's filing and should be confirmed with the carrier or on Medicare Plan Finder before you apply.

How to tell if you qualify

CMS allows C-SNPs to serve people with specific chronic conditions — common examples include diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, chronic heart failure, chronic lung disorders, and end-stage renal disease. Each individual plan picks the condition (or small group of related conditions) it covers, so a plan built for heart conditions will not accept someone whose only qualifying diagnosis is, say, a lung disorder.

Two things determine eligibility:

1. You have Medicare Part A and Part B and live in the plan's service area. 2. A provider confirms, in writing, that you have the condition the plan serves.

Carriers typically send a verification form to your doctor shortly after you apply. If the provider confirms the diagnosis, enrollment goes through. If not, the plan cannot enroll you — but you keep the Medicare coverage you already have.

The Special Enrollment Period for a chronic condition

Most people can change Medicare Advantage plans only during set windows: the Annual Enrollment Period (Oct. 15 – Dec. 7, 2026, for 2027 coverage) and the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (Jan. 1 – March 31, 2027).

People with a qualifying chronic condition have an additional path. Under CMS rules, having that condition opens a Special Enrollment Period to join a C-SNP that serves it. This SEP is generally available outside the usual windows — meaning you don't have to wait until October to switch into a C-SNP once you're eligible. The SEP ends after you enroll. Call 1-800-MEDICARE or the plan directly to confirm your situation qualifies before you apply.

What else is changing in Mecklenburg County for 2027

Across all Medicare Advantage plans in the county, CMS data show 14 new plans for 2027, 19 plans not returning, and 10 renamed. If your current plan is one of those, you will see it in your Annual Notice of Change, which plans mail in September. Readers who do nothing keep the plan they have, as long as it is being offered next year — but the ANOC is worth opening either way, because premiums, drug lists and provider networks can shift from one year to the next.

A couple of program-level numbers to keep in mind as you compare:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,400 for 2027 (it is $2,100 in 2026).
• The Part D maximum deductible is $700 for 2027 (it is $615 in 2026).
• CMS has not yet published the 2027 Part B standard premium or the 2027 IRMAA income brackets; those usually come out in November.