Medicare Star Ratings Explained: What the Stars Mean

Medicare star ratings are scores from 1 to 5 that CMS publishes each year. They measure the quality of health and drug services that members get in Medicare Advantage plans and Part D prescription drug plans. Five stars means Excellent and one star means Poor. This guide covers what the stars measure, how CMS calculates them, where to find them on Medicare Plan Finder, the 5-star Special Enrollment Period, and what ratings can't tell you.

Key takeaways

• Star ratings cover Medicare Advantage plans, 1876 Cost plans, and stand-alone Medicare drug plans. Medigap policies and Original Medicare don't get star ratings.
• Each rating belongs to a contract, and one contract can include several plans. Most of the data comes from two years before the plan year.
• New ratings come out in October, before Open Enrollment starts on October 15. Check Medicare.gov for the current release.
• If a 5-star plan is available in your area, you can switch to it one time between December 8 of the year before the plan year and November 30 of the plan year.
• A high rating doesn't tell you whether a plan covers your drugs or what you'll pay. Check those yourself in Medicare Plan Finder.

What do Medicare star ratings mean?

CMS uses a five-point scale:

You may see half stars, such as 3.5 or 4.5. CMS gives half stars to summary and overall ratings, which are explained below.

The ratings appear on Medicare Plan Finder alongside information about benefits and costs. CMS designed them to help people compare Medicare health and drug plans.

Which Medicare plans get star ratings?

Only certain types of coverage get rated.

Rated:

• Medicare Advantage plan types, such as HMOs, PPOs, Private Fee-for-Service (PFFS) plans, and Medical Savings Account (MSA) plans
• 1876 Cost plans
• Stand-alone Medicare Prescription Drug Plans

Not rated:

• Medicare Supplement (Medigap) policies
• Original Medicare

If you're deciding between Original Medicare with a Medigap policy and a Medicare Advantage plan, star ratings can only help with one side of that choice. Our guide to Medicare Advantage vs. Medigap compares the two paths.

Are star ratings for my plan or the whole company?

Neither one, exactly. CMS collects and reports all rating data at the contract level, not for each plan. A contract is an agreement between a plan sponsor and CMS, and one contract can include several plans.

So when you see 4 stars next to a plan, that number shows how the whole contract performed. It isn't a score for that one plan by itself.

What do the star ratings measure?

CMS reports ratings at four levels:

1. Individual measures. Each one is a single item, like a screening or a survey question.
2. Domains. Groups of related measures.
3. Summary ratings. A Part C (health) summary, a Part D (drug) summary, or both.
4. Overall rating. Medicare Advantage plans with drug coverage also get an overall rating that combines Part C and Part D measures.

Part C (health plan) domains

• Staying Healthy: Screenings, Tests and Vaccines
• Managing Chronic (Long Term) Conditions
• Member Experience with Health Plan
• Member Complaints and Changes in the Health Plan's Performance
• Health Plan Customer Service

Part D (drug plan) domains

• Drug Plan Customer Service
• Member Complaints and Changes in the Drug Plan's Performance
• Member Experience with the Drug Plan
• Drug Safety and Accuracy of Drug Pricing

How many measures are there?

For 2027, CMS rates Medicare Advantage plans with drug coverage on up to 43 unique measures. Medicare Advantage plans without drug coverage are rated on up to 32, and stand-alone drug plans on up to 13. These counts change from year to year.

Where the data comes from

CMS uses four kinds of sources:

• Health and drug plans
• Surveys of enrollees
• Data collected by CMS contractors
• CMS administrative data

Some measures are collected only from Special Needs Plans, which are covered later in this guide.

How are Medicare star ratings calculated?

Cut points set the stars for each measure

For every measure, CMS sets thresholds called cut points. They decide whether a contract earns 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 stars on that measure. CMS recalculates cut points every year.

Some measures count more than others

Summary and overall ratings are weighted averages. CMS gives the most weight to measures in this order:

1. Improvement measures, which look at whether a contract got better
2. Outcome and intermediate outcome measures
3. Patient experience, complaints, and access measures
4. Process measures, which get the least weight

Ratings look backward

The 2027 Star Ratings use data mostly from measurement year 2025. Survey data, such as the CAHPS surveys, were collected in early 2026. That means the ratings you see while picking a 2027 plan describe how the contract performed in the past.

Why did my plan's star rating go down?

There are a few reasons this can happen. Cut points change every year, so the same results might earn a different number of stars than they did the year before. The data also comes from an earlier period. CMS says changes in ratings from year to year are normal and expected.

Why do star ratings matter to plans?

CMS links star ratings to Medicare Advantage quality bonus payments. CMS says the 2027 Star Ratings will affect 2028 Medicare Advantage quality bonus payments. That's the official connection between a contract's ratings and what Medicare pays the plan.

When do new Medicare star ratings come out?

CMS releases star ratings in October, before the plan year, so they're ready when Open Enrollment begins. The ratings are named for the coming year. For example, the "2027" ratings were posted in October 2026 for 2027 Open Enrollment, which runs October 15 through December 7, 2026.

The exact release date changes from year to year, and you'll find different dates online. Go by what Medicare.gov shows rather than a date you saw on another site. Our open enrollment dates guide lists every window side by side.

How do you find star ratings on Medicare Plan Finder?

Medicare Plan Finder is Medicare's online "Find health and drug plans" tool on Medicare.gov. Its screens can change, so check the steps on Medicare.gov as you go. In general:

1. Make your list first. Write down your prescriptions, doses, pharmacies, and doctors.
2. Open the tool on Medicare.gov. Follow the prompts to search for plans in your area.
3. Enter your medications. The Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) suggests this step because you pay more if a drug isn't on a plan's formulary or the plan restricts its use.
4. Look at the plans available in your area. Each plan's star rating appears alongside its benefits and costs.
5. Open the rating details. Look past the top-line number to the summary and domain ratings. Medicare Advantage plans with drug coverage show both a Part C and a Part D summary. Medicare Advantage plans without drug coverage show only a Part C summary, and stand-alone drug plans show only a Part D summary. Pay attention to the domains you care about, such as customer service or drug pricing accuracy.
6. Note any icons or messages, then compare your top choices side by side.

For a full drug plan comparison, see how to compare Medicare Part D plans.

What the high-performing and low-performing icons mean

A contract gets the high-performing icon for a 5-star rating at the top level for its plan type:

A contract gets the low-performing icon if its Part C and/or Part D summary ratings were 2.5 stars or lower in the current year and in each of the past two years. That's three years in a row.

"Not enough data available" and "Plan too new to be measured"

A Medicare Advantage plan with drug coverage needs both a Part C and a Part D summary rating to get an overall rating. If it has only one of the two, its overall rating shows as "Not enough data available."

A contract that is too new to have submitted data shows "Plan too new to be measured." Neither message means the plan is good or bad. It means there's no rating to go on yet.

What is the 5-star Special Enrollment Period?

If a Medicare Advantage Plan, Medicare drug plan, or Medicare Cost Plan with a 5-star rating is available in your area, you can switch to it using the 5-star Special Enrollment Period. Here are the rules:

• One time only. You get one switch between December 8 of the year before the plan year and November 30 of the plan year.
• Available in your area. The 5-star plan must be offered where you live.
• Into a 5-star plan. The plan you join must have a 5-star rating.

What happens to your coverage if you use it

Where you move matters.

• Medicare Advantage with drugs to a 5-star stand-alone drug plan. You're disenrolled from your Medicare Advantage Plan. That means you go back to Original Medicare for your health coverage.
• Medicare Advantage with drugs to a 5-star Medicare Advantage Plan without drug coverage. You may lose your drug coverage. You'll have to wait until your next enrollment opportunity to get drug coverage, and you may owe a Part D late enrollment penalty.

Before you switch, make sure you know where your health coverage and your drug coverage will each come from. Our guide on how to switch Medicare Advantage plans explains the other enrollment windows.

Can you leave a low-rated plan?

Yes. If your plan has had a star rating of less than 3 stars for the last 3 years, you can switch to a Medicare Advantage Plan or Medicare drug plan any time you're in that low-performing plan.

Special cases: Who can join a Special Needs Plan?

A Special Needs Plan (SNP) is a Medicare Advantage plan that only enrolls people with certain special needs. The three major types are:

• Chronic Condition SNPs (C-SNP)
• Dual Eligible SNPs (D-SNP)
• Institutional SNPs (I-SNP)

If you see a highly rated SNP on a list, check whether you qualify before you plan around it. Some star measures are collected only from SNPs.

Can you change plans at other times?

If you have both Medicare and Medicaid, or get Extra Help, you have a separate option. It doesn't depend on any plan's star rating. Once a calendar month, you can switch to a different Medicare drug plan. You can also drop a Medicare Advantage Plan with drug coverage and go back to Original Medicare by joining a stand-alone Medicare drug plan.

Changes start the first day of the next month. This option isn't open to anyone identified as "at-risk" under a Part D drug management program. If you're not sure whether this applies to you, call 1-800-MEDICARE.

For other enrollment windows, call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048.

What can't star ratings tell you?

Star ratings measure how a contract performed in the past. They don't measure how well a plan fits you. A 5-star rating doesn't confirm:

• Your drugs. You pay more if your prescriptions aren't on the plan's formulary or the plan restricts their use.
• Your doctors and pharmacies. The rating doesn't show whether the people and places you use work with the plan.
• Your costs. Premiums and other costs are listed next to the rating, not inside it.
• This exact plan. The rating applies to the whole contract.

Common mistakes

• Looking only at the overall number. The domain ratings may tell you more about what matters to you.
• Assuming Medigap has stars. It doesn't, and neither does Original Medicare.
• Switching from a Medicare Advantage Plan with drug coverage to a 5-star plan without drug coverage. You may lose drug coverage until your next enrollment opportunity and may owe a Part D late enrollment penalty.
• Worrying when a rating drops by half a star. CMS says changes from year to year are normal and expected.
• Skipping the formulary check. Enter every drug in Plan Finder.

Our Medicare open enrollment checklist puts star ratings next to the other things to review each fall.

What should Texans know about star ratings?

Plans are offered by area

Star ratings help only with plans that are actually available where you live. The 5-star Special Enrollment Period only works if a 5-star plan is available where you live. Check which plans serve your county in Medicare Plan Finder. See Medicare Advantage plans by Texas county for why lineups differ.

The 2025 Texas storm adjustment

The 2027 Star Ratings included a disaster adjustment for severe storms in Texas in 2025 (FEMA DR-4879-TX). The Individual Assistance counties were Burnet, Guadalupe, Kerr, Kimble, McCulloch, Menard, San Saba, Tom Green, Travis, and Williamson. Contracts with 25% or more of their members living in those FEMA Individual Assistance counties at the time of the disaster could get the higher of their 2026 or 2027 stars on many individual measures. Not every measure was adjusted.

Check an agent's license

TDI says companies offering Medicare drug coverage can only contract with agents licensed by the state. Ask any agent for proof of their license, and verify it by calling the TDI Help Line at 800-252-3439. See how to verify a Texas insurance agent license and what an NPN is.

Free local counseling

Texas Health and Human Services connects you with Area Agency on Aging benefits counselors at 800-252-9240. If you live outside Texas, contact your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) or call 1-800-MEDICARE.

What to do next

1. List your drugs, doses, pharmacies, and doctors.
2. Open Medicare Plan Finder on Medicare.gov, enter your drugs, and compare star ratings alongside benefits and costs.
3. Look at the summary and domain ratings and any icons, not just the top-line stars.
4. If a 5-star plan is available in your area, decide whether to use your one 5-star Special Enrollment Period, and know what happens to your drug coverage.
5. Call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048) or a free counselor with questions.

If you'd like help from an agent, MeetBrokers is free to use. Every listed agent holds a state license that anyone can verify by National Producer Number. Profiles marked "unclaimed" come from public licensing records. Browse licensed Medicare agents in Texas or Medicare agents in other states.

When you're ready, you can request help from a licensed Medicare agent in Texas. Your request goes only to the agent you choose. MeetBrokers is not connected with or endorsed by the U.S. government or the federal Medicare program.