Goodsurance

Enrollment & timing

Chronic Condition Medicare Advantage Plans for Diabetes and Heart Disease Nearly Tripled Since 2020

Enrollment in Medicare Advantage plans restricted to people with specific chronic illnesses jumped 45 percent in a single year, according to KFF, with nearly all enrollees in plans focused on diabetes or cardiovascular disease, and new regulatory dynamics may be accelerating insurer interest.

By the Goodsurance editorial teamJuly 7, 2026

Enrollment in Medicare Advantage chronic condition special needs plans, known as C-SNPs, reached approximately 1.7 million people in 2026, a 45 percent increase of about 518,000 enrollees from the prior year, according to a KFF analysis of enrollment data published July 1, 2026. The number of C-SNP plan offerings also rose sharply, from 376 plans in 2025 to 548 in 2026, more than tripling since 2020, when 165 such plans existed.

C-SNPs restrict membership to people with specific serious or disabling chronic conditions. In 2026, nearly all C-SNP enrollees, approximately 97 percent, are in plans that target either diabetes or cardiovascular disease.

KFF analysts connected part of the surge to new federal rules that took effect in 2025 requiring closer integration between Medicare and Medicaid for dual-eligible special needs plans, known as D-SNPs. Those integration requirements do not apply to C-SNPs, which may have created a market incentive for insurers to develop C-SNP products as a less constrained alternative. C-SNPs now account for 20 percent of all special needs plan enrollment, up from 16 percent in 2025.

Overall, most of the net enrollment gain across all Medicare Advantage plan types in 2026 was concentrated in special needs plans, with C-SNPs contributing a disproportionate share of that growth.

For Medicare-eligible people with qualifying chronic conditions, the expansion may mean more plan choices in their area, though availability varies by county and plan quality differs across offerings.

In plain words

A kind of Medicare Advantage plan made just for people with serious long-term health problems, like diabetes or heart disease, grew very fast in 2026. About 1.7 million people are now in these plans, which is 45 percent more than last year. The number of these plans also tripled since 2020. Almost everyone in them has either diabetes or a heart condition. Part of the reason more insurance companies are offering them is that another type of plan for low-income seniors now has stricter rules. If you have diabetes or heart disease, you may have more plan choices available to you than before.

Understand the basics first

Source: KFF
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