Medicare Advantage

Have Medicare and Ohio Medicaid? 11 Cincinnati D-SNPs

For 2027, Cincinnati is looking at 82 Medicare Advantage plans: 16 new, 30 gone since 2026, and 26 still here but changed on premium, deductible, plan type or name, 5 of them under a new name. Below, how the lineup shifted in Hamilton County and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

CINCINNATI — As the Annual Enrollment Period for 2027 coverage runs from October 15 to December 7, 2026, people in Hamilton County who have both Medicare and Ohio Medicaid have a specific slice of the market to look at: Dual Special Needs Plans, or D-SNPs. For 2027, 11 of the 82 Medicare Advantage plans offered in Hamilton County are D-SNPs, built for members who are enrolled in both programs.

What is a Dual Special Needs Plan, and who in Cincinnati can join one?

A D-SNP is a type of Medicare Advantage plan designed only for people who have both Medicare and Medicaid. In Cincinnati, that means you must be enrolled in Medicare (Parts A and B) and also qualify for Ohio Medicaid at some level.

Ohio Medicaid groups dual-eligible members in different ways. "Full" dual eligibility means Medicaid helps with Medicare cost-sharing and also covers Medicaid-only benefits such as long-term services and supports. "Partial" dual eligibility usually means Medicaid helps pay Medicare premiums or cost-sharing through a Medicare Savings Program, but does not provide full Medicaid benefits. Different D-SNPs are built for different groups, so your Medicaid category decides which plans you can actually join.

How many D-SNPs are offered in Hamilton County for 2027, and which carriers offer them?

For 2027, Hamilton County — the county Cincinnati is in — has 11 D-SNPs from four carriers. The other Special Needs Plans in the county for 2027 include 9 Chronic Condition SNPs (C-SNPs) and 7 Institutional SNPs (I-SNPs), which serve different groups.

The carriers offering D-SNPs in the county for 2027 are:

• CareSource MyCare Ohio (HMO D-SNP) — 1 plan
• Centene (WellCare) — 4 plans
• Elevance Health (Anthem) — 4 plans
• Molina Healthcare of Ohio — 2 plans

The full table below lists every 2027 D-SNP by name. Notable items from the data: Centene has three plans listed as new for next year (Wellcare Buckeye Health Dual Access, Wellcare Buckeye Health Dual Reserve, and Wellcare Buckeye MyCare Ohio Dual Align) and one renamed plan (Wellcare Buckeye MyCare Ohio Dual Align Unity, previously Wellcare Buckeye MyCare Ohio Dual Align). Anthem has two new plans (Anthem Dual Advantage Plus and Anthem I MyCare Ohio Full Dual Advantage) and one renamed plan (Anthem I MyCare Ohio Full Dual Support, previously Anthem I MyCare Ohio Full Dual Advantage). Molina has one new plan (Molina Complete Care Connect for MyCare Ohio).

How do I confirm whether I qualify as "full" or "partial" dual-eligible in Ohio?

Your Medicaid level is set by the Ohio Department of Medicaid, not by any Medicare plan. If you are not sure where you fall, contact Ohio Medicaid directly or call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048) to see what Medicare has on file for you.

Plans can also help check your status when you ask about enrolling, because they must match you to a D-SNP you are actually eligible for. If your Medicaid status changes during the year — for example, you lose Medicaid or move to a different category — that can affect your D-SNP eligibility, and the plan is required to give you a grace period while you sort it out.

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

Everyone with Medicare can make changes during the Annual Enrollment Period, October 15 – December 7, 2026, for coverage that starts January 1, 2027. Medicare Advantage members also have the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period from January 1 – March 31 to make one change.

On top of that, people with Medicaid or Extra Help generally get additional chances during the year through a Special Enrollment Period. In broad terms, this gives dual-eligible members a monthly opportunity to join an integrated D-SNP or to return to Original Medicare with a stand-alone drug plan. The exact rules have been tightening in recent years, so before you make a mid-year move call 1-800-MEDICARE or check medicare.gov to confirm what applies to your situation right now.

What should I do during this fall's Annual Enrollment Period?

Start with the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) your current plan mailed in September. It spells out what is changing for 2027, including any benefit, network or cost updates. If you do nothing and your plan is offered again next year, it renews automatically on January 1, 2027.

A few program-level numbers are already set for 2027: the Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 (from $2,100 in 2026), the Part D maximum deductible rises to $700 (from $615 in 2026), and the Part D national base beneficiary premium is $41.33 (that is a formula input, not what any plan charges). The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets, have not been announced yet; CMS usually publishes them later in the fall.

To compare the specific D-SNPs available to you, use the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov, call 1-800-MEDICARE, or request the plan's Evidence of Coverage and provider directory directly from the carrier.