Medicare Advantage

Medicare and Medicaid in Milwaukee: the 2027 Dual Special Needs Plans

People in Milwaukee can choose from 52 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, against 52 this year. Six of this year’s plans are gone, 6 are new to Milwaukee County, and 31 that continue have changed their premium, deductible, plan type or name, 12 of them under a new name.

Milwaukee, Wis. — Fall 2026. For people in Milwaukee who have both Medicare and Wisconsin Medicaid, the plan menu for 2027 is set. Milwaukee is in Milwaukee County, where 13 of the county's 52 Medicare Advantage plans are Dual Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs) for 2027, according to the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape files. Six carriers offer them, and several plans have new names this year even though the carrier is the same.

If you are "dual eligible" — meaning Medicare pays first and Medicaid helps with costs Medicare does not cover — a D-SNP is one way to put those two programs under one plan. Here is what is changing for 2027, who qualifies, and how often you can switch.

What a D-SNP is, in plain terms

A Dual Special Needs Plan is a type of Medicare Advantage plan built for people who have Medicare and Medicaid. The plan includes Part A (hospital), Part B (doctor), and Part D (drugs) in one card, and it coordinates with the help you get from Wisconsin Medicaid.

D-SNPs are a subset of Special Needs Plans. For 2027, Milwaukee County also has 4 Chronic-Condition SNPs (C-SNPs) and 2 Institutional SNPs (I-SNPs), which serve different groups. This article is only about the D-SNPs.

The 2027 D-SNPs in Milwaukee County, by carrier

The table below lists every D-SNP available in the county. By carrier, the 2027 count is:

• Centene (WellCare) — 2 plans: Wellcare MHS Health Wisconsin Dual Liberty Sync (HMO-POS D-SNP) and Wellcare MHS Health Wisconsin Dual Select (HMO-POS D-SNP). Both were renamed from their 2026 titles.
• Elevance Health (Anthem) — 2 plans: Anthem Dual Advantage Plus (HMO D-SNP) and Anthem Full Dual Advantage (HMO D-SNP). Both are new for 2027.
• Humana — 2 plans: HumanaChoice SNP-DE H5216-420 (PPO D-SNP) and iCare Family Care Partnership (HMO D-SNP).
• Molina Healthcare of Wisconsin — 2 plans: Molina My Choice Dual Advantage (HMO D-SNP) and Molina My Choice Partnership (HMO D-SNP). Both were renamed from their My Choice Wisconsin titles.
• Network Health Medicare Advantage Plans — 1 plan: Network Health Cares (PPO D-SNP).
• UnitedHealthcare — 4 plans: UHC Dual Advantage WI-V1 (HMO-POS D-SNP), UHC Dual Advantage WI-V2 (PPO D-SNP), UHC Dual Complete WI-Q1 (HMO-POS D-SNP), and UHC Dual Complete WI-S1 (HMO-POS D-SNP). The WI-S1 plan is new for 2027; three others were renamed.

If you had a D-SNP in 2026 and the plan is listed as "renamed," read your Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) carefully — the plan name changed, and other details may have changed too.

Who qualifies: full vs. partial dual eligibility

To join a D-SNP you must have Medicare (Part A and Part B) and some level of Wisconsin Medicaid. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services sets your Medicaid level, and that level — not the plan — decides which D-SNPs you can enroll in.

In general:

• Full dual eligible means Medicaid pays your Medicare premiums and cost-sharing and also covers full Medicaid benefits (like long-term services and supports). Some D-SNPs, often called "full benefit" or "fully integrated" plans, are built for this group.
• Partial dual eligible means a Medicare Savings Program (such as QMB, SLMB, or QI) helps with Medicare premiums and sometimes cost-sharing, but you do not get the full Medicaid benefit package. Some D-SNPs serve this group.

Plan materials will say which level they accept. If you are not sure where you fit, ask Wisconsin Medicaid (ForwardHealth) or call 1-800-MEDICARE.

How often a dual-eligible person can change plans

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

People with Medicaid or Extra Help have additional chances. There is generally a monthly Special Enrollment Period that lets a dual-eligible person join an integrated D-SNP, or move to Original Medicare with a stand-alone Part D plan. The specific rules on which switch you can make and when have changed in recent years, so confirm the current rules before you act by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or visiting medicare.gov.

Doing nothing is also an option. If your 2026 plan is offered again in 2027, it renews automatically with the changes in its ANOC.

How to confirm your eligibility

Two separate checks matter:

1. Medicaid level. Contact Wisconsin ForwardHealth (the state Medicaid agency) or your county's economic support office to confirm whether you have full Medicaid or a Medicare Savings Program, and that your coverage is active for 2027. 2. Medicare status. Log in to your account at medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE to confirm your Part A and Part B dates and whether you already have Extra Help for Part D.

A plan can also run an eligibility check when you apply, but it is faster to walk in knowing what you have.

Program figures to keep in mind for 2027

Even inside a D-SNP, some Medicare numbers are useful to know. For 2027, CMS has confirmed:

• 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).

Many dual-eligible people have Extra Help, which lowers or removes Part D costs. The 2027 Part B standard premium and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets have not been announced yet; CMS usually publishes them later in the fall.