Medicare Advantage

Medicare Advantage C-SNPs in Austin for 2027: how chronic-condition plans work

People in Austin can choose from 56 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, against 60 this year. 15 of this year’s plans are gone, 11 are new to Travis County, and 21 that continue have changed their premium, deductible, plan type or name, 8 of them under a new name.

AUSTIN — As the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 through December 7, 2026, people living with a long-term health condition in and around Austin have a specific type of Medicare Advantage plan to consider: a Chronic Condition Special Needs Plan, or C-SNP. CMS Landscape files show that in Travis County — the county Austin sits in — 8 C-SNPs will be offered for 2027, from four carriers. These plans are built around a qualifying diagnosis, so they work a little differently from a standard Medicare Advantage plan.

What a C-SNP is, in plain terms

A Chronic Condition Special Needs Plan is a Medicare Advantage plan designed for people who live with a specific long-term condition — for example, diabetes, chronic heart failure, or end-stage renal disease. CMS sets the list of conditions that can qualify.

Every C-SNP includes Part A, Part B, and Part D drug coverage in one plan. Beyond that, each C-SNP tailors things like its provider network, care coordination, and drug list around the condition it serves. Two C-SNPs that serve different conditions can look very different inside, even if they come from the same carrier.

For the specifics of any plan — premium, deductible, copays, covered drugs, in-network doctors, and star rating — the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov is the official source.

The C-SNPs offered in Travis County for 2027

CMS lists 8 C-SNPs available in Travis County for 2027, from four carriers:

• Devoted Health: 3 plans — DEVOTED C-SNP ENHANCED 023 TX (HMO C-SNP) (renamed from DEVOTED C-SNP PREMIUM 023 TX), DEVOTED C-SNP GIVEBACK EXTRAS 082 TX (HMO C-SNP) (new for 2027), and DEVOTED C-SNP PLUS 024 TX (HMO C-SNP).
• Elevance Health (Anthem): 2 plans — Wellpoint Chronic Care (HMO-POS C-SNP) and Wellpoint Kidney Care (HMO-POS C-SNP).
• Humana: 1 plan — Humana Gold Plus - Diabetes and Heart (HMO C-SNP).
• UnitedHealthcare: 2 plans — UHC Complete Care TX-16 (HMO-POS C-SNP) and UHC Complete Care TX-29 (Regional PPO C-SNP).

For context, these 8 C-SNPs sit inside a larger 2027 Travis County lineup that also includes 14 Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs), for people with both Medicare and Medicaid, and 6 Institutional Special Needs Plans (I-SNPs). The table below lists every plan available in the county.

How enrollment actually works

A C-SNP is not open enrollment. To join one, you need:

1. A qualifying chronic condition — the plan's materials spell out which condition (or conditions) it serves. 2. Written confirmation from your provider that you have that diagnosis. The plan sends a short verification form, your doctor completes it, and the plan reviews it.

If the provider does not confirm the diagnosis within the plan's window, enrollment can be canceled. If you later lose eligibility (for example, the condition no longer applies), the plan is required to give you a grace period to move to another plan.

The Special Enrollment Period for chronic conditions

Most people can only change Medicare Advantage plans during set windows — the Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 – December 7, 2026, for 2027 coverage) or the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (January 1 – March 31).

People with a qualifying chronic condition have an extra option. Medicare grants a Special Enrollment Period that lets you join a C-SNP that fits your condition outside the usual windows. You generally use this SEP once, when you first become eligible for that C-SNP. After you're in the plan, future switches typically go back to the standard enrollment periods.

If you think you qualify, 1-800-MEDICARE can confirm whether a specific condition opens an SEP.

What's changing in Travis County for 2027

Across the full Medicare Advantage lineup in Travis County, CMS data show 11 new plans, 15 plans not returning, and 8 renamed for 2027. Within C-SNPs specifically, Devoted Health has one new C-SNP (DEVOTED C-SNP GIVEBACK EXTRAS 082 TX) and one renamed C-SNP (DEVOTED C-SNP ENHANCED 023 TX, previously DEVOTED C-SNP PREMIUM 023 TX).

If you're already in a plan, watch the mail in September and October for your plan's Annual Notice of Change (ANOC). It lists exactly what is different about your plan next year — premium, drug list, network, extra benefits. If you do nothing and your plan is offered again, it renews on January 1, 2027.

Program figures to keep in mind for 2027

A few Part D numbers are set and worth knowing as you compare plans:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,400 in 2027 (up from $2,100 in 2026).
• Part D maximum deductible: $700 in 2027 (up from $615 in 2026).
• Part D national base beneficiary premium: $41.33 for 2027 (this is a formula input, not what any particular plan charges).

The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets, had not been published as of September 2026. CMS typically announces those in the fall.