Medicare Advantage

Dual Special Needs Plans in Seattle for 2027: how to tell if you qualify

King County has 59 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Compared with 2026, 27 plans are not coming back, 18 are new, and 31 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 Seattle, not which plan to pick.

SEATTLE — Fall 2026. If you have both Medicare and Washington Apple Health (Medicaid), you have a type of Medicare Advantage plan built just for you: a Dual Special Needs Plan, or D-SNP. For the 2027 plan year, King County — the county Seattle sits in — will have 18 D-SNPs on offer from six carriers, according to the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape Source File for 2027. A few names are new, a few have been renamed, and the rules on when you can switch are more flexible than for other Medicare members.

Here is a plain-language guide to what's available locally, who qualifies, and how to confirm your eligibility before you make a change.

What a D-SNP is, in plain English

A Dual Special Needs Plan is a Medicare Advantage plan designed only for people who have both Medicare and Medicaid. Like other Medicare Advantage plans, a D-SNP bundles your hospital (Part A), medical (Part B) and drug (Part D) coverage into one plan. The difference is that D-SNPs coordinate your Medicare benefits with the Medicaid benefits you already receive through Washington Apple Health — things like long-term services, certain transportation, or help with Medicare cost-sharing.

Every D-SNP in King County for 2027 includes prescription drug coverage.

The 2027 D-SNP lineup in King County

For 2027, King County has 18 D-SNPs — part of a larger set of Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plans that also includes 7 Chronic Condition SNPs (C-SNPs) and 4 Institutional SNPs (I-SNPs).

The six carriers offering D-SNPs in the county for 2027, in alphabetical order, are:

• Centene (WellCare) — 2 plans
• Community Health Plan of WA Medicare Advantage — 2 plans
• Elevance Health (Anthem) — 3 plans
• Humana — 3 plans
• Molina Healthcare of Washington, Inc. — 2 plans
• UnitedHealthcare — 6 plans

A few names you may notice on your mail this fall: Elevance Health's three Wellpoint D-SNPs and Molina Medicare Elect are new for 2027, while several WellCare, Humana, and UnitedHealthcare D-SNPs kept the same contract but changed their plan name. The table on this page lists every 2027 D-SNP by carrier.

Important: we are not comparing these plans here. Costs, provider networks, drug lists and extra benefits vary a lot between D-SNPs, and the right fit depends on your doctors, your medications and your Medicaid level. The Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov is the official place to compare specifics.

Who qualifies: full vs. partial dual eligibility

To join a D-SNP you need two things at the same time:

1. Medicare Part A and Part B. 2. Some level of Medicaid through Washington Apple Health.

"Dual eligible" isn't one single category. Washington's Health Care Authority (HCA) places each dual-eligible person into a level based on income and assets. In broad strokes:

• Full dual eligibility means you qualify for full Medicaid benefits plus Medicare. Medicaid may help with Medicare premiums and cost-sharing and also covers additional services Medicare doesn't.
• Partial dual eligibility means you qualify for one of the Medicare Savings Programs (such as QMB, SLMB, or QI) that helps pay Medicare premiums and sometimes cost-sharing, but you don't get the full Medicaid benefit package.

Some D-SNPs accept any dual-eligible member; others are built only for people with full Medicaid. The plan's enrollment materials will say which group it serves. If you aren't sure which category you fall into, Washington's Health Care Authority can confirm your Medicaid level, and 1-800-MEDICARE can confirm your Medicare status.

How often a dual-eligible person can change plans

This is where D-SNP rules are more generous than standard Medicare.

Everyone with Medicare can make changes during two set windows:

• Annual Enrollment Period: Oct. 15 – Dec. 7, 2026. Any change takes effect Jan. 1, 2027.
• Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment: Jan. 1 – March 31, 2027, for people already in a Medicare Advantage plan.

On top of those, people with Medicaid or Extra Help have a Special Enrollment Period that gives them additional chances during the year — generally a monthly opportunity to join an integrated D-SNP, or to leave Medicare Advantage and return to Original Medicare with a stand-alone Part D drug plan. The exact frequency and rules have been updated in recent years, so before you switch, confirm the current rules by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048).

And if you do nothing, your current plan simply renews for 2027 — assuming it is being offered again — with any changes described in the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) your plan mailed you in September.

How to confirm your eligibility

Three official places can tell you where you stand:

• Washington State Health Care Authority (Apple Health): confirms your Medicaid status and level. Visit hca.wa.gov or call the number on your ProviderOne services card.
• Medicare: call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), 24/7, or sign in to your account at medicare.gov to see your Part A/B status and any Extra Help on file.
• The plan itself: before you enroll, the carrier verifies your dual-eligible status with the state. If your Medicaid status changes later, your D-SNP eligibility can change too.

Keep letters from both Medicare and Apple Health. Agents and plans will ask to see them.