Delaware lists three D-SNPs, Medicare plans that also include Medicaid benefits: AmeriHealth VIP Care, Delaware First Health (Wellcare) and Highmark Health Options Duals. In federal records for 2026, every company with a Delaware D-SNP contract runs both a highly integrated and a coordination-only package, so ask the plan which kind you would be joining before you enroll. To join a Delaware D-SNP (dual eligible special needs plan), the Division of Medicaid and Medical Assistance (DMMA) says you must qualify for Delaware Medicaid and have Medicare Parts A and B.

In This Guide

Who Can Join a Delaware D-SNP

DMMA's D-SNP page sets two conditions for joining a Delaware D-SNP: you qualify for Delaware Medicaid, and you have Medicare Part A and Part B. A D-SNP is a kind of Medicare Advantage plan built to coordinate Medicare and Medicaid for people enrolled in both.

Federal rules split people with both programs into two groups:

  • Full-benefit dual eligibles have Medicare plus full Medicaid coverage.
  • Partial-benefit dual eligibles have Medicare plus help only through a Medicare Savings Program (QMB, SLMB, QI or QDWI), not full Medicaid.

That difference matters in Delaware. DMMA says people in its Medicare Savings Programs do not receive regular Medicaid services; in 2026 DMMA's Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) program takes countable monthly income up to $1,330 for one person and $1,804 for two. If a Medicare Savings Program is your only help from Delaware, ask the plan or the Delaware Medicare Assistance Bureau whether you can join before you count on a D-SNP. Our guide to Delaware Medicare Savings Programs covers every tier and how to apply.

The Three Delaware D-SNPs and Your Medicaid Plan

DMMA lists three D-SNPs for Delawareans with both Medicare and Medicaid: AmeriHealth VIP Care, Delaware First Health (Wellcare) and Highmark Health Options Duals. DMMA says each plan may have slightly different steps to sign up, and to visit the plan's website or call the plan to learn more.

The same three names appear on Delaware's list of Medicaid managed care plans: AmeriHealth Caritas, Delaware First Health and Highmark Health Options. That matters for the monthly enrollment option and the 2027 rule below, both of which turn on whether your D-SNP and your Medicaid managed care plan come from the same company.

CMS's contract year 2026 integration-status file lists six Delaware D-SNP packages, two from each of three companies, which it names by their legal names:

Company (CMS legal name) Contract and plan Integration level Applicable integrated plan?
AmeriHealth Caritas VIP Next, Inc. H0738-001 Highly integrated (HIDE) Yes
AmeriHealth Caritas VIP Next, Inc. H0738-002 Coordination-only No
Celtic Insurance Company H4661-003 Highly integrated (HIDE) Yes
Celtic Insurance Company H4661-005 Coordination-only No
Highmark BCBSD, Inc. H7710-001 Highly integrated (HIDE) Yes
Highmark BCBSD, Inc. H7710-002 Coordination-only No

CMS's file doesn't use DMMA's plan names, and this guide doesn't match a CMS package to a DMMA plan name. Before you enroll, ask the plan whether you would be joining its highly integrated or its coordination-only package.

What a Delaware D-SNP Adds

DMMA says a Delaware D-SNP helps make sure your health care, medicines and bills are all managed together; if you see many doctors or take different medicines, the D-SNP helps those doctors work together and share information. Medicare.gov describes D-SNPs, including integrated D-SNPs, the same way: they can help coordinate your benefits between Medicare and Medicaid.

Some Delaware D-SNPs also offer benefits beyond what Medicare and Medicaid cover. DMMA says these extras differ by plan and may include:

  • Extra help at home
  • Telehealth and online doctor visits
  • Dental care
  • Foot doctor (podiatry) services
  • Emergency call systems you can wear or keep at home
  • More hearing benefits

None of these extras is guaranteed in every plan. For a specific plan's extra benefits, premium and copays, read its Summary of Benefits or ask the Delaware Medicare Assistance Bureau.

When You Can Join

DMMA names two regular times to join a Delaware D-SNP:

1
Step 1

When you first get Medicare

DMMA says you can join a D-SNP during your Initial Enrollment Period, which for someone turning 65 lasts seven months, starting three months before the 65th birthday and ending three months afterward. A Delawarean who gets Medicare early because of a disability, kidney failure or ALS and also qualifies for Medicaid can join a D-SNP at the same time.

2
Step 2

Every fall

The Medicare Annual Enrollment Period, also called Medicare Open Enrollment, runs from October 15 to December 7 each year. Medicare.gov says changes made during Open Enrollment take effect January 1 of the next year, and the plan must get your enrollment request by December 7.

Full-benefit dual eligibles also have a monthly option, covered in Changing Plans During the Year. Our Medicare enrollment periods guide explains each window in more detail.

How Integrated Are Delaware D-SNPs?

Federal rules define two D-SNP tiers more integrated than a coordination-only plan: the highly integrated (HIDE) SNP and the fully integrated (FIDE) SNP. In a FIDE SNP, one company holds both the Medicare Advantage contract with CMS and the Medicaid managed care contract with the state. CMS's 2026 integration-status file lists Delaware among the states with HIDE SNPs and coordination-only D-SNPs, and not among the states with FIDE SNPs.

The practical difference shows up when you appeal. Under federal rules, applicable integrated plans combine Medicare and Medicaid grievances and appeals into a single integrated process instead of two separate tracks; they include FIDE SNPs and HIDE SNPs with exclusively aligned enrollment. CMS marks each of Delaware's three HIDE packages an applicable integrated plan and marks none of the three coordination-only packages as one. A member of a Delaware coordination-only D-SNP should therefore expect Medicare and Medicaid appeals to stay on separate tracks. Our Delaware Medicaid appeals guide covers the Medicaid side.

This guide doesn't assign a tier to any plan by its marketing name. Ask the plan, or call the Delaware Medicare Assistance Bureau, to confirm which package a specific plan is.

Changing Plans During the Year

Two monthly Special Enrollment Periods apply to Delaware dual eligibles, and they work differently.

The Integrated Care Special Enrollment Period. Since January 1, 2025, a full-benefit dual eligible can join a FIDE SNP, a HIDE SNP or an applicable integrated plan once a month, effective the first day of the next month. The Integrated Care Special Enrollment Period must be used to line up your D-SNP with your Medicaid managed care plan, so a person who stays in Medicaid fee-for-service or in a Medicaid plan from a different company can't use it. Partial-benefit dual eligibles and people with only Extra Help can't use the Integrated Care Special Enrollment Period, and it can't be used to join a coordination-only D-SNP.

The Dual/LIS Special Enrollment Period. LIS stands for the Part D low-income subsidy, another name for Extra Help. Once a month, full-benefit and partial-benefit dual eligibles and people with Extra Help can leave a D-SNP for Original Medicare with a standalone Part D drug plan, or switch standalone drug plans. The Dual/LIS Special Enrollment Period is not available to someone a Part D drug management program has identified as a potential at-risk or at-risk beneficiary, while that identification stands.

Our guide to Medicare special enrollment periods covers the other change windows.

If You Lose Delaware Medicaid While in a D-SNP

A Delaware D-SNP depends on your Medicaid. When a special needs plan expects a member who lost eligibility to requalify within six months, federal rules treat that member as still eligible for a period the plan chooses, from one to six months, and the plan should send a disenrollment notice at least 30 days before ending coverage. Ask your plan how long its period is, and renew Delaware Medicaid on time; our guide to keeping Delaware Medicaid walks through the process.

What Changes in 2027

A federal rule, 42 CFR 422.514(h), limits D-SNP enrollment in stages to line it up with Medicaid. From 2027, a D-SNP whose company (or its parent or a sister company) also runs a Medicaid managed care plan for full-benefit dual eligibles in the same area must limit new enrollment to people in, or enrolling in, that Medicaid plan; from 2030 it may only enroll or keep those members. Under 42 CFR 422.514(h), members who aren't aligned can stay in their D-SNP until 2030, and D-SNPs whose company runs no Medicaid managed care plan for full-benefit dual eligibles in the state aren't affected.

CMS's contract year 2027 final rule added a fee-for-service exception to 42 CFR 422.514(h). It applies when both of these are true:

  • The state doesn't require Medicaid managed care for all full-benefit dual eligibles.
  • The state's Medicaid contract with the plan allows it.

Under this fee-for-service exception, a D-SNP's company may enroll full-benefit dual eligibles in Medicaid fee-for-service into a coordination-only D-SNP or a HIDE SNP. People in a Medicaid plan run by an unaffiliated company are still excluded. The fee-for-service exception to 42 CFR 422.514(h) continues in 2030 and beyond, unless the state switches to requiring aligned enrollment through mandatory Medicaid managed care. This guide makes no prediction about how the 2027 limits apply to a particular Delaware plan; ask the plan or the Delaware Medicare Assistance Bureau.

Free Help With Delaware D-SNPs

The Delaware Medicare Assistance Bureau (DMAB), part of the Delaware Department of Insurance, gives free one-on-one counseling on Medicare, Medicaid, Medigap and Part D through trained volunteer counselors. Call 1-800-336-9500 toll-free or 302-674-7364. DMMA also points D-SNP members to the number on the back of their member ID card and to Medicare at 1-800-633-4227.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will a Delaware D-SNP cost my parent anything?

It depends on the plan and on your parent's coverage. A $0 monthly premium that an integrated D-SNP advertises is a plan-design feature that varies by plan and state, not a legal guarantee. Federal law bars Medicare providers, including Medicare Advantage providers, from billing someone in the QMB program for Part A and Part B deductibles, coinsurance and copays. Drug copays are capped instead of zeroed: in 2026 a full-benefit dual eligible with income at or below 100% of the federal poverty level pays up to $1.60 for a generic and $4.90 for a brand-name drug, and pays $0 if living in an institution or getting home and community-based services.

How can I check whether a specific Delaware D-SNP is highly integrated?

CMS's D-SNP integration page carries the current-year list of integrated D-SNPs, and CMS's annual Landscape File records each plan's FIDE, HIDE or applicable integrated plan status alongside its service area. If those files are hard to read, ask the plan directly or call DMAB at 1-800-336-9500.

Can I switch from a Delaware D-SNP to a regular Medicare Advantage plan mid-year?

Not through the monthly Special Enrollment Periods for dual eligibles, which don't allow enrollment into a Medicare Advantage plan that isn't a D-SNP. You can choose any Medicare Advantage plan during your Initial Enrollment Period, the fall Open Enrollment Period, the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period or another Special Enrollment Period you qualify for.

Will my Delaware D-SNP's handbook and ID card follow a federal model?

For applicable integrated plans, possibly. CMS and certain states jointly develop model materials for applicable integrated D-SNPs, including the member handbook, member ID card and provider and pharmacy directory, and Delaware is one of the 23 states and territories CMS addressed for contract year 2027. CMS issues those models for states that chose to work with it on integrated materials, so the list doesn't say how any one plan's documents will look.

Learn More

MedicareIntegrated Medicare-Medicaid Plans by StateWhether you can get one plan for Medicare and Medicaid depends on your state, sometimes your county. See how each state's integrated dual plans work in 2026. MedicareMedicare Plans and Coverage in DelawareMedicare in Delaware for 2026: Parts A and B, Advantage, Part D, Medigap, MSP help through DMMA, and free DMAB counseling. Costs, limits, where to apply. MedicareDelaware Prescription Assistance Program (DPAP)The Delaware Prescription Assistance Program pays up to $3,000 a year toward drugs and Part D premiums. See 2026 income limits, co-pays, and how to apply. MedicaidDelaware Medicare Savings ProgramsDelaware Medicare Savings Programs in 2026: QMB, SLMB and QI income limits, what each pays, the asset rule, the QMB billing ban, and how to apply through DMMA. MedicareMedicare and Medicaid Together: Dual Eligibility ExplainedWhat dual eligible means: how Medicare and Medicaid coordinate, full vs. partial duals, QMB cost protection, automatic Extra Help, and integrated D-SNP plans. MedicareMedicare Special Needs PlansMedicare Special Needs Plans restrict enrollment to specific groups. Learn the three types, C-SNP, D-SNP, and I-SNP, who qualifies, and how to enroll in 2026.

Find personalized help choosing a Delaware dual eligible plan at brevy.com.

The information on Brevy.com is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional legal, financial, or medical advice. Rules vary by state and program and change frequently. Always verify with the relevant agency or a qualified professional. Brevy is not a law firm, financial advisor, or healthcare provider.

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