Almost half of Medicare Advantage enrollment growth since 2024 has been driven by special needs plans, according to an analysis from KFF.
4 notes on special needs enrollment in 2025:
1. In 2025, 21% of MA enrollees are in SNPs. Nearly half (48%) of the growth in MA enrollment from 2024 to 2025 was in SNPs, up from 43% the previous year.
2. Nearly 7.3 million Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in special needs plans in 2025. SNPs make up 21% of total MA enrollment, up from 14% in 2020.
3. Most SNP enrollees (83%) are in D-SNPs for beneficiaries dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid, down from 88% in 2024. Enrollment in C-SNPs for individuals with severe chronic or disabling conditions has increased to 1.2 million enrollees, making up 16% of SNPs, up from 10% in 2024. I-SNPs, for those needing nursing home or institutional care, remain at 2% of SNP enrollment, the same as 2024.
4. In the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, SNPs make up about half of all MA enrollees (49% in DC and 51% in PR). In ten states, SNPs account for at least a quarter of MA enrollment, with the highest percentages in Mississippi (47%), Arkansas (38%), Louisiana and New York (34%), Florida (30%), and Georgia and South Carolina (29%). In the other 40 states, fewer than a quarter of MA enrollees are in SNPs.
