If you receive both Medicare and TennCare Medicaid, an important change is coming that may affect your health coverage beginning January 1, 2027.
A Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan (D-SNP) is a Medicare Advantage plan designed for people who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid. D-SNPs help coordinate benefits and services between the two programs.
What Is Changing?
Beginning January 1, 2027, people who are full-benefit dual eligible and want to remain enrolled in a D-SNP will need to receive their Medicare and TennCare Medicaid benefits through the same health plan company.
If your Medicare D-SNP is with BlueCare, UnitedHealthcare, or Wellpoint, your TennCare Medicaid health plan will need to be with the same company.
For example, if your Medicare D-SNP is with UnitedHealthcare, your TennCare Medicaid plan will also need to be with UnitedHealthcare.
What Happens If Your Plans Do Not Match?
If your Medicare D-SNP and TennCare Medicaid health plan do not match by December 31, 2026, you will be disenrolled from your Medicare D-SNP and moved to Original Medicare. You will then need to select a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan for prescription coverage.
How Can You Avoid Being Disenrolled?
The good news is that you have options. To remain enrolled in a D-SNP, you will need to make sure your Medicare D-SNP and TennCare Medicaid plans match.
You can either:
- Change your Medicare D-SNP to match your current TennCare Medicaid health plan, or
- Change your TennCare Medicaid health plan to match your current Medicare D-SNP.
TennCare has established a Special Enrollment Period from June 1 through October 31, 2026, to give eligible members additional time to change their TennCare health plan to match their D-SNP. Medicare also provides enrollment opportunities for eligible individuals to change their D-SNP.
Don't Wait Until the End of the Year
If you have both Medicare and TennCare Medicaid, now is a good time to check your insurance cards and make sure your health plans match. Taking action before the deadline can help you avoid an unexpected change in your Medicare coverage.
For complete information about the upcoming changes, enrollment periods, and how to change your health plan, visit the official TennCare Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan (D-SNP) information page.
Christ Community Health Services encourages patients who may be affected by this change to review their coverage and take action before the applicable enrollment deadlines.
