By Paul Barrett, CMIP | The Modern Medicare Agency | Melville, NY 18+ years Medicare-exclusive experience | Licensed in 37 states | 40+ carriers Last updated: July 2026
If you or someone you love qualifies for both Medicare and Medicaid, manages a serious chronic condition, or lives in a nursing home or long-term care facility, standard Medicare Advantage plans aren’t your only — or necessarily best — option. Brooklyn has 41 Special Needs Plans (SNPs) available in 2026, built specifically for these situations, and they work differently enough from standard plans that they deserve their own honest explanation.
I’m independent — I represent more than 40 carriers, so nothing here is written to steer you toward one company. It’s written so you understand exactly what’s available and whether you qualify.
BROOKLYN SPECIAL NEEDS PLANS: FAST FACTS
| What You're Looking At | The 2026 Number |
|---|---|
| Total SNP plans in Kings County | 41 |
| Total SNP enrollment | 144,226 people |
| Dual Eligible SNPs (D-SNP) | 34 plans, 141,831 enrolled |
| Institutional SNPs (I-SNP) | 6 plans, 1,424 enrolled |
| Chronic Condition SNPs (C-SNP) | 1 plan, 971 enrolled |
| Plans rated 4 stars or higher | 28% |
| $0-premium plans available | 3 total |
Plan availability and details can change. Always confirm current specifics for your exact situation using Medicare.gov’s Plan Finder before enrolling.
WHAT MAKES SNPS DIFFERENT FROM STANDARD MEDICARE ADVANTAGE
Special Needs Plans aren’t open to everyone — you have to qualify based on your specific situation. In exchange, they’re built to coordinate care more closely around that situation than a standard plan would, often with benefits tailored to exactly what you need. There are three types, and Brooklyn’s market looks very different depending on which one applies to you.
DUAL ELIGIBLE SNPS (D-SNP): BROOKLYN'S DOMINANT OPTION
If you qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid, D-SNPs are built specifically for you — and in Brooklyn, this is by far the largest and most competitive SNP category, with 34 plans and over 141,000 people enrolled.
D-SNP Fast Facts: Average monthly premium: $49.94 Zero-cost plans (no premium at all beyond what Medicaid covers): 27 of the 34 plans Most popular plan: Healthfirst Life Improvement Plan, with 49,378 enrollees — by far the largest single SNP in the borough
Top D-SNP Plans by Enrollment:
- Healthfirst Life Improvement Plan — 49,378 enrollees
- UHC Dual Complete NY-S002 — 19,190 enrollees
- VNS Health EasyCare Plus — 12,299 enrollees
A Selection of D-SNP Plans Available in Brooklyn:
| Plan Name | Premium | Network |
|---|---|---|
| Healthfirst Connection Plan | $21 | HMO D-SNP |
| Elderplan For Medicaid Beneficiaries | $23 | HMO-POS D-SNP |
| Humana Gold Plus SNP-DE | $34 | HMO D-SNP |
| Hamaspik Medicare Select | $35 | HMO D-SNP |
| Aetna Medicare Partial Dual Care | $38 | HMO D-SNP |
| Senior Whole Health of New York NHC | $17 | HMO D-SNP |
| Senior Whole Health Medicare Complete Care | $0 | HMO D-SNP |
| UHC Dual Complete NY-Q001 | $31 | HMO-POS D-SNP |
| Aetna Medicare FIDE Care | $50 | HMO D-SNP |
| VNS Health EasyCare Plus | $52 | HMO D-SNP |
This is a partial list — 34 total D-SNP plans are available, from carriers including Healthfirst, UnitedHealthcare, Elderplan, VNS Health, Aetna, EmblemHealth, MetroPlus, VillageCareMAX, Wellcare, Anthem HealthPlus, Hamaspik, RiverSpring, and Senior Whole Health.
One Brooklyn-specific detail worth knowing: Hamaspik Medicare Choice and Hamaspik Medicare Select are carriers built specifically to serve the Orthodox Jewish community, reflecting Brooklyn’s genuine demographic diversity — worth knowing about if cultural and language-specific care coordination matters to you or a family member.
A real, verified benefit worth understanding: Healthfirst’s D-SNP plans include a monthly “OTC Plus” allowance card — $175/month on the Life Improvement Plan, $252/month on CompleteCare, and $55/month on the Connection Plan for 2026. Here’s an important update for 2026 specifically: these cards can always be used for standard over-the-counter items, but starting January 1, 2026, CMS ended a federal program that let plans automatically extend healthy food and home utility coverage to every D-SNP member. Now, using the card for food or utilities requires separately qualifying for a program called SSBCI (Special Supplemental Benefit for the Chronically Ill), which means a doctor has to confirm you have an eligible chronic condition. If you’re comparing plans based on food or utility benefits specifically, don’t assume it’s automatic — confirm your own qualification status directly with the carrier.
INSTITUTIONAL SNPS (I-SNP): FOR NURSING HOME AND LONG-TERM CARE RESIDENTS
I-SNPs serve people who live in a long-term care facility, or who require the level of care typically provided in one, including at home. Brooklyn’s I-SNP market is much smaller than its D-SNP market — just 6 plans and 1,424 enrollees total.
I-SNP Fast Facts: Average monthly premium: $45.43 Average out-of-pocket maximum: $17,917 — notably higher than standard Medicare Advantage plans, reflecting the more intensive care population these plans serve Most popular plan: UHC Nursing Home Plan NY-F002, with 744 enrollees
All 6 I-SNP Plans in Brooklyn:
| Plan Name | Premium | Network |
|---|---|---|
| Elderplan Select | $0 | HMO-POS I-SNP |
| Elderplan Advantage For Nursing Home Residents | $45 | HMO-POS I-SNP |
| UHC Nursing Home Plan NY-F002 | $51 | PPO I-SNP |
| Aetna Medicare Longevity | $59 | PPO I-SNP |
| Longevity Health Plan | $59 | HMO I-SNP |
| RiverSpring Star | $59 | HMO I-SNP |
CHRONIC CONDITION SNPS (C-SNP): A GENUINE MARKET GAP WORTH KNOWING ABOUT
This is worth being direct about: Brooklyn currently has only one C-SNP option. Aetna Medicare Chronic Care (HMO C-SNP), with 971 enrollees and a $0 monthly premium, is the sole Chronic Condition Special Needs Plan available in Kings County for 2026.
C-SNPs are designed for people with severe or disabling chronic conditions — things like diabetes, chronic heart failure, End-Stage Renal Disease, or dementia — and they coordinate care across specialists more closely than a standard plan. If you qualify for a C-SNP based on a chronic condition, Aetna Medicare Chronic Care is currently your only SNP-specific option in Brooklyn. That doesn’t mean you’re out of options generally — plenty of standard Medicare Advantage and D-SNP plans also serve people with chronic conditions well — but it does mean the C-SNP category specifically is thin here right now.
WHO ACTUALLY QUALIFIES FOR EACH SNP TYPE
D-SNP: You must be eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. Eligibility and cost-sharing depend on your specific Medicaid category.
C-SNP: You must have a qualifying severe or disabling chronic condition, confirmed by your doctor, matching what the specific plan is built to serve.
I-SNP: You must live in a long-term care facility (like a nursing home) for 90 days or more, or require an equivalent level of care at home, as determined by a state assessment.
A REAL ADVANTAGE FOR DUAL-ELIGIBLE BROOKLYN RESIDENTS: MONTHLY PLAN CHANGES
Here’s something worth knowing if you qualify for a D-SNP: unlike standard Medicare Advantage, where you’re generally limited to the Annual Enrollment Period and the MA Open Enrollment Period, dual-eligible individuals typically get a Special Enrollment Period that allows switching plans once per month, year-round. If a D-SNP isn’t working out for you, you don’t necessarily have to wait for AEP to make a change — this is a real, meaningful flexibility that standard Medicare Advantage enrollees don’t have.
WHEN TO ENROLL
Initial Enrollment Period: 7 months around your 65th birthday — 3 months before, your birthday month, and 3 months after.
Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period: January 1 – March 31, for one plan change.
Annual Enrollment Period: October 15 – December 7, for joining, switching, or dropping plans.
Special Enrollment Periods: Dual-eligible individuals generally get a monthly SEP to change D-SNPs, as described above. Other qualifying events (moving, losing coverage) can also open a Special Enrollment Period for any Medicare Advantage or SNP plan.
PAUL'S HONEST TAKE
SNPs are one of the more overlooked corners of Medicare — a lot of people who’d genuinely benefit from a D-SNP don’t realize they qualify, especially if their Medicaid eligibility isn’t obvious to them. If you’re dual-eligible in Brooklyn, you have 34 real plan choices and a genuine enrollment advantage most people don’t know about. If you’re looking at a C-SNP for a chronic condition, I’d be honest with you that the local options are thin right now, and it’s worth a real conversation about whether a standard Medicare Advantage plan or a D-SNP (if you also qualify) might serve you just as well or better.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is a D-SNP and do I qualify in Brooklyn?
A Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan is for people who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid. Brooklyn has 34 D-SNP options in 2026, with an average premium of $49.94/month, though 27 of the 34 plans have no premium beyond what Medicaid covers.
How many Chronic Condition SNPs are available in Brooklyn?
Currently just one: Aetna Medicare Chronic Care (HMO C-SNP), a $0-premium plan with 971 enrollees. This is a genuinely limited category compared to D-SNPs.
Can dual-eligible Brooklyn residents switch D-SNP plans anytime?
Generally yes — dual-eligible individuals typically qualify for a Special Enrollment Period allowing a plan change once per month, year-round, unlike standard Medicare Advantage enrollment rules.
What is an I-SNP and who qualifies?
An Institutional Special Needs Plan serves people who live in a long-term care facility for 90+ days, or who require an equivalent level of care at home. Brooklyn has 6 I-SNP options in 2026.
Do SNP plans include prescription drug coverage?
Yes — all D-SNP, C-SNP, and I-SNP plans in Kings County include Part D prescription drug coverage
Do all D-SNP members automatically get food and utility benefits on their OTC card?
Not anymore, as of 2026. A federal program change means D-SNP members must separately qualify for a program called SSBCI (based on having a specific chronic condition) to use their OTC allowance for healthy food or home utilities. The card still works for standard over-the-counter items regardless. Always confirm your specific qualification status directly with the carrier rather than assuming.
Want help figuring out whether you or a loved one qualifies for a Special Needs Plan in Brooklyn, and which one actually fits your situation?
Call or text 631-358-5793. No pressure, no cost, just a real answer based on your situation.
RELATED READING
SOURCES
- Medicare.org — Medicare Special Needs Plans, Kings County, NY
- Healthfirst — 2026 Medicare Plan Changes (SSBCI/OTC Benefit Update)
- Healthfirst — Life Improvement Plan (HMO D-SNP) Benefits
- CMS.gov — Medicare Advantage/Part D Contract and Enrollment Data
- CMS.gov — Medicare Part C & D Performance Data
- Medicare.gov Plan Finder
The Modern Medicare Agency 445 Broad Hollow Rd, Melville, NY 11747 Phone: 631-358-5793
We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.
