Top Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan Companies in Nebraska for 2027

A dual eligible special needs plan (D-SNP) is a Medicare Advantage plan built for people who have both Medicare and Medicaid. Nebraska had 43,941 dual-eligible people on Medicare in June 2026, according to CMS. For 2027, six companies offer D-SNPs in the state, and several of them changed their lineups.

This list ranks the companies on public CMS data about integration and reach. It does not rate any plan's benefits, because what works for you depends on your doctors, your drugs and your Medicaid coverage.

How did we rank Nebraska's D-SNP companies?

We sorted companies first by integration level, then by how many of Nebraska's 93 counties their D-SNPs reach in 2027, using the CMS CY2027 Landscape file. Years offering special needs plans in Nebraska broke any ties. No company paid to be listed, and being listed is not an endorsement.

Integration came first because it changes how your two programs work together. A highly integrated plan (CMS calls it a HIDE-SNP) is tied to a company that also covers your Medicaid benefits. A coordination-only plan covers your Medicare side and is supposed to help coordinate with your separate Medicaid plan. Neither type is automatically better for every person, but they work differently, and the difference matters when you need care.

We did not use premiums, extra benefits or Star Ratings. Those are plan-level details that change every year.

Which D-SNPs are in Lincoln, Omaha and Grand Island for 2027?

All six companies offer a D-SNP in Lancaster County for 2027. Hall County has five, because Humana does not serve it.

Source: CMS CY2027 Landscape file.

UnitedHealthcare's four D-SNPs don't all cover the same counties. One of its highly integrated plans serves Lancaster and Hall, while a different one serves Douglas and Sarpy. That is why you should search by your own ZIP code.

What changed for Nebraska D-SNPs in 2027?

Most changes are about names, contracts and reach rather than new companies. Here is what moved, per the CMS landscape files:

• UnitedHealthcare retires two plans and adds two: a new highly integrated plan in 75 counties and a new coordination-only plan in 84 counties, for four D-SNPs in all.
• Wellcare renames its highly integrated plan to carry the Nebraska Total Care name and drops its PPO version. Centene announced the 2027 lineup on October 1, 2026.
• Molina moves its plan to a new contract under Molina Healthcare of Nebraska. It was filed under an Illinois company in 2026.
• Aetna shifts to 54 counties and now includes Hall County.
• Devoted Health grows from 14 counties to 42, including Lancaster.
• Humana stays at 26 counties.

Other special needs plans exist too. Sanford Health's Great Plains Medicare Advantage offers institutional plans (I-SNPs) for people living in nursing homes and similar facilities (56 counties in 2026), Devoted offers chronic condition plans (C-SNPs), and a new I-SNP from Iowa Health Advantage serves Antelope, Burt, Cedar and Nance counties.

How do D-SNPs work with Nebraska Medicaid?

Nebraska Medicaid runs through Heritage Health, with three managed care plans: Molina Healthcare of Nebraska, Nebraska Total Care and UnitedHealthcare Community Plan. Each of those companies has an affiliated highly integrated D-SNP, according to the Nebraska DHHS external quality review report.

That means if you are in, say, Nebraska Total Care for Medicaid, Wellcare's integrated D-SNP is the matching Medicare plan from the same corporate family. Matching can make prior approvals, member services and care coordination simpler, since one organization sees both sides. Our Heritage Health plan comparison shows how the three Medicaid plans scored with NCQA in 2026.

Matching may also be required. Under a federal rule that takes effect with 2027 plans, a company that offers both a Heritage Health plan and a D-SNP may limit new enrollment in some of its D-SNPs to members of its own Heritage Health plan. How that applies varies by plan, so confirm with the plan or the enrollment center below before you switch.

To check or change your Medicaid plan, call the Heritage Health Enrollment Center at 1-888-255-2605 (Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central). For a side-by-side of plan types, see D-SNP vs regular Medicare Advantage.

When can you join or switch a D-SNP?

People with Medicaid get more chances to change than most people on Medicare. Since 2025, the rules work like this:

• Integrated care special enrollment period. If you have full Medicaid, you can join or switch to an integrated D-SNP once per calendar month. The change starts the first of the next month.
• Monthly dual and Extra Help period. If you have Medicaid or Extra Help, you can switch standalone Part D plans once a month, or leave Medicare Advantage for Original Medicare plus a standalone drug plan.
• Annual Enrollment Period. Anyone can change between October 15 and December 7, 2026, for coverage starting January 1, 2027.

Our guide to special enrollment periods covers the other situations that open a window.

What should you check before choosing a D-SNP?

Check eligibility, doctors and drugs first, then integration. A plan you can't qualify for, or one that leaves out your doctor, isn't a choice.

1. Your Medicaid level. Some D-SNPs take only full Medicaid; others also take people in a Medicare Savings Program. See Medicare Savings Programs in Nebraska.
2. Your doctors and hospitals. Confirm each one is in the plan's network.
3. Your prescriptions. Check the formulary and tiers for every drug.
4. Your Medicaid plan. Ask whether the D-SNP is matched with it, and whether it only takes members of its own Heritage Health plan.
5. The 2027 Star Rating. It posts on Medicare.gov on or around October 8, 2026.

Who can help you compare D-SNPs at no cost?

Start with the Medicare.gov Plan Finder, which lists every D-SNP for your ZIP code. 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (TTY 1-877-486-2048).

Nebraska SHIP (formerly SHIIP), at the Nebraska Department of Insurance, gives unbiased counseling at 1-800-234-7119 and can help with Medicaid and Medicare questions together. Apply for Medicaid or a Medicare Savings Program through iServe Nebraska or by calling DHHS at (855) 632-7633.

If you already have Medicaid and want help comparing the Medicare side, talk to me. I'm an independent agent, this list isn't a list of companies I represent, and my help costs you nothing. Read more on D-SNPs in Nebraska.