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Medicare Star Ratings 2026: What They Mean and How to Use Them

Medicare star ratings grade Medicare Advantage and Part D drug plans from 1 to 5 stars on quality and service, and they are one of the quickest ways to compare plans. The 2026 ratings apply to the plan year you are in now. CMS has also just published the 2027 ratings, which matter for the open enrollment window that runs through December 7, 2026. This guide covers what the stars measure, what shifted in 2026, where the stars mislead, and how to use them next to premiums, doctors and drugs.

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TL;DR

Stars rate Medicare Advantage (Part C) and Part D plans from 1 to 5. Original Medicare and Medigap policies do not get them.
The ratings belong to a contract, not to each individual plan, so two plans under one contract share a score even when their benefits and networks differ.
Cut points are reset every year, so a plan can lose stars without getting worse.
A high rating helps, but your doctors, drugs and total yearly cost should decide the choice. If a 5-star plan is available in your county, you may be able to switch to it once.
Open enrollment runs October 15 to December 7. That is the time to compare the new ratings against the plan you have.

What Medicare star ratings measure
What happened with the 2026 star ratings
The 2027 ratings, now on Plan Finder
Where star ratings mislead
How to use stars when you compare plans
The 5-star Special Enrollment Period
Our perspective
Get a second set of eyes on your 2027 plan
Dates to mark this season
FAQ
Sources

What Medicare star ratings measure

CMS rates Medicare Advantage and Part D plans on a scale of 1 to 5 stars, with 5 meaning excellent. According to CMS, the ratings draw on up to 43 quality and performance measures. They cover preventive screenings, management of chronic conditions, member experience, customer service and drug pricing accuracy.

The plain-language scale looks like this:

Stars What it signals 5 Excellent 4 to 4.5 Above average to very good 3 to 3.5 Average 2 to 2.5 Below average 1 to 1.5 Poor

CMS adds new measures from time to time. The 2026 ratings added three: Kidney Health Evaluation for Patients with Diabetes, Improving or Maintaining Physical Health, and Improving or Maintaining Mental Health.

The ratings come from three kinds of evidence:

Clinical results, such as screenings and chronic condition care.
Member surveys, which show how people experienced the plan.
Plan operations, such as how quickly a plan handles calls, appeals and drug pricing data.

The overall score is a blend of many of these. A plan can look strong on a screening measure and weak on customer service, so it is worth knowing which part of the score you care about.

What happened with the 2026 star ratings

The 2026 ratings arrived after a few years of declines, and the picture was steadier. Healthcare Dive reported that average Medicare Advantage ratings were essentially flat, with some plans moving a lot. An industry analysis from Wakely likewise described no major shifts.

For 2026, CMS’s own tables show 22 contracts at 5 stars, an average rating of 4.01 and 516 rated contracts. That compares with 9 five-star contracts the year before.

There is a catch behind the flat average. KFF estimates that about 68% of Medicare Advantage enrollees in 2026 are in plans rated 4 stars or higher, down from 75% in 2025. The cut points for earning high stars have become harder to reach.

Why a plan can lose stars without getting worse

The system is relative. Wakely’s cut point analysis explains that thresholds are recalculated each year using a Tukey outlier-deletion method. If the whole industry improves, the bar rises. A plan holding its quality steady can slip a half star, and a plan that looks mediocre may be doing fine against a tough bar.

So when you see a drop from 4.5 to 4, do not assume something went wrong. Look at the measure-level detail on Medicare Plan Finder, or ask a broker to read it with you.

The 2027 ratings, now on Plan Finder

Today is late October 2026, and the plan year you are choosing is 2027. CMS published the 2027 ratings on Medicare Plan Finder on October 8, 2026. The same page lists the open enrollment dates as October 15 to December 7, 2026.

A few headline numbers from that CMS fact sheet:

Measure 2026 2027 Medicare Advantage contracts at 5 stars 22 15 Medicare Advantage contracts at 4.5 stars 89 65 Rated Medicare Advantage contracts 516 508 Average Medicare Advantage star rating 4.01 3.99 Average rating, stand-alone Part D plans 3.01 3.22

The top tier got smaller, while stand-alone drug plans improved on average. Your plan’s own 2027 score is what counts for you. Averages tell you about the market, not about the plan in your mailbox.

One timing point trips people up. The stars shown for 2027 are the ones you use to pick a 2027 plan, while the 2026 stars describe the plan you have now. When you compare, make sure you are looking at the right year on Plan Finder.

Where star ratings mislead

Stars are a good starting filter and a poor final answer. Four limits to keep in mind:

Ratings belong to contracts, not plans. KFF notes that a contract can hold several plans with different benefits, networks and service areas. A 4.5-star contract does not guarantee that the specific plan you are looking at is the best fit.
Stars say nothing about your doctors. A top-rated plan is no use if your cardiologist is out of network.
Stars do not price your drugs. Your formulary, tiers and deductible decide what you pay at the pharmacy. See our guide to what Medicare Part D looks like in 2026 for how those pieces fit together.
Stars are tied to money. Plans rated 4 stars or above qualify for quality bonus payments, and analysts note those payments can help fund extra benefits. A high rating can therefore go along with richer perks, but it can also come with trade-offs elsewhere, such as a narrower network.

How to use stars when you compare plans

Treat the rating as a tie-breaker among plans that already pass your practical tests. Here is a sequence that works.

List your doctors, hospitals and pharmacies. Check each is in network for the plan you are considering.
List every prescription with dose and frequency. Check the plan’s formulary and the tier each drug sits on.
Add up the yearly cost. Include the premium, deductible, copays, the maximum out-of-pocket limit and drug costs, not just the monthly premium.
Then look at the stars. Compare the overall score and the sub-scores that matter to you, such as care coordination, customer service and drug plan ratings.
Check the county. Plans and star ratings vary by service area, so use your own ZIP code.

The Medicare Advantage route is not the only one. If you want to pick your own doctors nationwide, Medigap with a stand-alone drug plan is a different structure, and Medigap policies are not star-rated. Our Medicare Advantage vs. Medigap comparison lays out the trade-offs.

A worked example

Say you are comparing two Medicare Advantage plans in Douglas County. Plan A is rated 4.5 stars, has a $0 premium and lists one of your two specialists as out of network. Plan B is rated 3.5 stars, has a modest premium and includes both specialists plus all your medications on lower tiers. On the stars alone, Plan A wins. On your real care and total cost, Plan B may be the better pick. The stars help you notice quality, but they do not replace the checklist above.

The 5-star Special Enrollment Period

There is one rule where stars carry real power. If a 5-star Medicare Advantage plan, drug plan or cost plan is available in your area, you can use the 5-star Special Enrollment Period to switch into it. Medicare describes it as a once-a-year option that runs from December 8 through November 30 of the following year.

Two cautions:

It only helps if a 5-star plan actually serves your county. With only 15 five-star contracts nationwide in 2027, many areas will not have one.
A switch can change your doctors, drug coverage and costs. Run the same checklist before you move.

If you are switching Medicare Advantage plans, read how to avoid coverage gaps when changing plans in Colorado first.

Our perspective

We talk with people in Castle Pines and across Colorado every fall, and the same pattern repeats. Someone opens a mailer that says “4.5-star plan” and treats it as a guarantee. The stars are real and they are useful, but they measure a contract’s overall performance, not how a plan will treat your particular health needs.

Our perspective — overview diagram

As independent brokers, we start with the person, not the rating. We ask which doctors you see, which medications you take and how much you can comfortably spend in a bad health year. Then we compare plans across multiple carriers and use the stars to separate close options. When a plan’s stars fell because the cut points moved, not because service slipped, we say so. When a high-star plan has a network that does not fit, we say that too.

Our support does not end when you enroll. We help with claims questions, appeals and grievances, and we sit down for an annual review, because last year’s best plan is not always this year’s. Ratings, formularies and networks change every year, and your health may change as well.

— Zach

Get a second set of eyes on your 2027 plan

If you are comparing plans before December 7, we can walk through your doctors, prescriptions and the current star ratings with you. Our service costs you nothing. Start with our Medicare Advantage plan consultation, look at Medigap options, or see our Medicare AEP help in Castle Pines. For the full picture of what we offer, visit our services page.

Dates to mark this season

October 8, 2026: 2027 star ratings published on Medicare Plan Finder.
October 15, 2026: open enrollment begins.
December 7, 2026: open enrollment ends. Changes made by then start January 1, 2027.
December 8, 2026: the 5-star Special Enrollment Period window opens again, as described by Medicare.

If you are unsure which enrollment window applies to you, our guide to Medicare enrollment periods breaks them down. Local readers can also use our Castle Pines annual enrollment checklist. If you are new to Medicare, check the late enrollment penalty rules so you do not pay more than you need to.

FAQ

What is the five-star rating system for Medicare Advantage plans?

It is CMS’s 1-to-5 scale for quality and service, where 5 is excellent and 1 is poor. It covers Medicare Advantage and Part D plans and draws on measures like preventive care, chronic condition management, member experience and customer service. Ratings are updated every fall, in time for open enrollment.

When can I compare Medicare Advantage plans for 2027?

The 2027 ratings went live on Medicare Plan Finder on October 8, 2026, and open enrollment runs from October 15 through December 7, 2026. Changes you make in that window take effect January 1, 2027. Compare plans using your own ZIP code, doctors and prescriptions.

Do Medigap plans have star ratings?

No. Star ratings apply to Medicare Advantage and Part D plans. Medigap policies are standardized by letter, so the main differences are premium and carrier. If you are weighing Plan G or Plan N, we can quote them side by side.

Can a plan’s star rating drop even if nothing changed?

Yes. Cut points are recalculated each year based on how the industry performs, so the bar for each star level can rise. A plan with steady quality may lose a half star. Look at the measure-level scores before you decide the plan got worse.

Can I switch to a 5-star plan any time?

You can use the 5-star Special Enrollment Period once, between December 8 and November 30 of the following year, but only if a 5-star plan serves your area. Many counties have none. Check availability and compare costs and networks before you move.