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Overlooked Benefits of Medicare Special Needs Plans

SNPs often include extras that go well beyond what people expect from Medicare Advantage.

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Who SNPs Are Designed For

A Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan (D-SNP) is available to people who qualify for both Medicare and full or partial Medicaid. A Chronic Condition Special Needs Plan (C-SNP) is available to people with a qualifying chronic condition such as diabetes, heart failure, COPD, End-Stage Renal Disease, or HIV/AIDS, among others.

Because these plans are built around a specific population, they often include care coordination and disease management support that a general Medicare Advantage plan doesn't emphasize in the same way.

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Benefits People Often Miss

Beyond medical coverage, many SNPs include benefits people don't always expect: an over-the-counter allowance, meal delivery after a hospital stay, transportation to medical appointments, in-home support services, caregiver respite care, home safety equipment like bathroom grab bars, and sometimes acupuncture or other alternative therapies.

CMS has tightened the rules around these 'special supplemental benefits for the chronically ill' to keep them genuinely health-related, and plans are increasingly required to send mid-year reminders if you haven't used benefits you're entitled to — so it's worth checking your plan's benefit summary at least once mid-year, not just at enrollment.

Frequently Asked Questions

No — these expanded benefits are specific to Special Needs Plans and vary by plan. A general Medicare Advantage plan may not include the same extras.