Medicare Advantage

Do You Have Medicare and Texas Medicaid in Fort Worth?

Tarrant County has 83 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Compared with 2026, 28 plans are not coming back, 22 are new, and 32 continuing plans changed in some way you should check before December 7, 10 of them under a new name. This guide covers what those numbers mean for Fort Worth, not which plan to pick.

FORT WORTH — For people in Tarrant County who have both Medicare and Texas Medicaid, the 2027 lineup of Dual Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs) is set. During the Annual Enrollment Period that runs Oct. 15 – Dec. 7, 2026, dual-eligible residents can look at these plans alongside the rest of the Medicare Advantage menu — and, unlike most people on Medicare, they also have chances to switch outside the fall window.

What a D-SNP is, in plain terms

A Dual Special Needs Plan is a type of Medicare Advantage plan built for people who are enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid. Like other Medicare Advantage plans, a D-SNP includes Part A (hospital) and Part B (medical), and every D-SNP offered in Tarrant County for 2027 also includes Part D drug coverage.

What makes a D-SNP different is coordination. The plan is designed to work alongside your Medicaid coverage so the two programs talk to each other instead of leaving you in the middle.

The 2027 D-SNP lineup in Tarrant County

For plan year 2027, Tarrant County has 22 D-SNPs — part of the broader Medicare Advantage menu that also includes 14 Chronic Condition SNPs (C-SNPs) and 7 Institutional SNPs (I-SNPs). Seven carriers offer D-SNPs here:

• Aetna (CVS Health) — 4 plans
• Centene (WellCare) — 4 plans
• Elevance Health (Anthem) — 3 plans
• HealthSpring — 2 plans
• Humana — 3 plans
• Molina Healthcare of Texas, Inc. — 1 plan
• UnitedHealthcare — 5 plans

The table below lists every 2027 D-SNP by carrier, including which ones are new for next year and which were renamed. Several carriers are launching new D-SNPs in Tarrant County for 2027, including Aetna's Aetna Medicare QMB Only Care, three new Wellpoint plans from Elevance Health, HealthSpring TotalCare Plus, two new Wellcare plans from Centene, and five new UnitedHealthcare "UHC Dual" plans. A few plans kept the same structure but changed names — for example, Aetna Medicare Full Dual Care was renamed from Aetna Medicare Dual Care, and Wellcare Superior HealthPlan Dual Access was renamed from Wellcare Dual Access. For the specifics of any plan, check its Evidence of Coverage or the Plan Finder at medicare.gov.

Who qualifies: full vs. partial dual eligibility

Being "dual eligible" is not one thing — it is a group of categories the state Medicaid agency uses. In broad strokes:

• Full dual eligible means you have Medicare and you also qualify for full Texas Medicaid benefits. Medicaid may help with Medicare cost sharing and also cover services Medicare does not, such as long-term services and supports.
• Partial dual eligible means Medicaid helps pay some Medicare costs through one of the Medicare Savings Programs — for example, the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) program, which helps with Part A and Part B premiums and cost sharing. People in these categories do not get full Medicaid benefits.

Different D-SNPs are built for different categories. Some plans in the 2027 Tarrant County lineup are designed around full dual eligibility (plan names often include "Full Dual"), while others serve QMB-only members (plan names often include "QMB Only"). Your category — set by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission — determines which D-SNPs you can actually join.

If you are not sure which category you are in, the fastest way to find out is to call Texas HHSC or check your Medicaid paperwork, and then call 1-800-MEDICARE to see which D-SNPs match.

How often a dual-eligible person can change plans

Most people on Medicare can only change plans during the Annual Enrollment Period (Oct. 15 – Dec. 7, with changes taking effect Jan. 1) or the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (Jan. 1 – March 31).

Dual eligibles and people who get Extra Help with Part D have more flexibility. Under current rules, a dual-eligible person generally has a monthly chance to make one of these moves:

• Enroll in an integrated D-SNP that aligns with their Medicaid plan, or
• Drop Medicare Advantage and go back to Original Medicare with a stand-alone Part D plan.

These rules have been updated by CMS in recent years, so before you make a move, confirm the current Special Enrollment Period rules by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048). The agent can tell you exactly which SEP you qualify for and when it would take effect.

Also worth knowing: if you do nothing during the fall window, your current plan simply renews for 2027 if it is still being offered. Any changes to your plan's rules, drug list or cost sharing will arrive in the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) your plan mails each fall.

How to confirm your eligibility

A few straightforward steps:

1. Check your Medicaid status with Texas HHSC. Your YourTexasBenefits account or a call to HHSC confirms whether you have full Medicaid or a Medicare Savings Program such as QMB. 2. Check your Medicare status at medicare.gov or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE. You can see your Part A and Part B effective dates and your current plan. 3. Compare D-SNPs that match your category using the Plan Finder at medicare.gov. The tool filters out plans you are not eligible for. 4. Ask the plan directly for its Evidence of Coverage and provider directory before enrolling, so you can confirm your doctors, hospitals and medications.

2027 Part D numbers to know

Two Part D figures that apply to every Medicare drug plan, including D-SNPs, have been confirmed by CMS 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 rises to $700 in 2027 (up from $615 in 2026).

Many dual eligibles pay little or nothing for prescriptions through Extra Help (the Low Income Subsidy), but these are the ceilings in the underlying Part D program.

CMS has not yet announced the 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, or the 2027 IRMAA income brackets. Those figures are typically published later in the fall.