Medicare Special Needs Plans (SNPs) are a type of Medicare Advantage Plan, like a health maintenance organization or preferred provider organization. To enroll in an SNP you must:
- be enrolled in Medicare Part A (Hospital) and B (Outpatient coverage)
- live in the plan’s services area – SNPs are not available everywhere.
- meet the plan’s eligibility requirements. To enroll in an SNP you must be in one of the groups listed below:
- Chronic Condition SNP. You have a one or more severe or disabling chronic conditions. The SNPs offer the benefits, provider choices and drug formularies (list of covered drugs) that best meet the specific needs of the groups they serve.
- Institutional SNP. You live in a nursing home or require nursing home care at home.
- Dual Eligible SNP. You have both Medicare and Medicaid.
Medicare SNPs limits enrollment to people in one of these groups.
Visit the How Medicare Special Needs Plans Work page on the Medicare.gov website to learn about:
- how SNPs work
- services and benefits
- who is eligible for a plan
- finding and comparing plans
