CMS Medicare Advantage · Star Ratings 2026
Compare Medicare Advantage plans by quality, not just price
According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) September 2026 Star Ratings release, 4,533 Medicare Advantage plans carry a 2026 star rating. We rank every one by that CMS score, with monthly premiums, drug coverage, plan type, and dental, vision & hearing benefits laid out plainly, and our full methodology public. Free, no account, no lead-gen.
Quality distribution
- 864
- Plan contracts
- 3,188
- Counties covered
- 288
- Insurers
- 59.9%
- Rated 4★+
According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Medicare Advantage landscape and star-rating files, 4,533 CMS-rated plan contracts appear in the September 2026 extract, covering about 35,491,891 reported enrollees nationwide. PlainMedicare renders those public CMS records without editorial plan recommendations. See our methodology for source tables, refresh cadence, and aggregation limits.
The national picture
Of 4,533 rated Medicare Advantage plans for 2026, 59.9% earn 4 stars or higher, but 914 plans are too new or too small to carry a rating yet.
- 59.9%
- of rated plans are 4★ or higher
- 208
- 5-star plans nationwide
- 3.9★
- average rating, rated plans
- 3,188
- counties with plans to compare
Star ratings are set yearly by CMS across 40+ quality measures. A 5-star plan can be joined almost any time of year through a special enrollment period.
Product mix · plans_unique
How 5,447 Medicare Advantage plans split by CMS plan type
Exclusive CMS plan-type codes rolled to HMO / PPO / POS labels; Other folds MSA, PFFS, and residual codes. Source: CMS landscape plans_unique, 2026.
Quality distribution
How 4,533 plans split by CMS star rating
Share of 4,533 rated plans; 914 additional plans are not yet rated. Source: CMS Medicare Advantage Star Ratings, 2026.
Browse Plans by State
All states →Top-Rated Plans (4.5+ Stars)
Full rankings →| # | Plan | Type | State | CMS stars |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alignment Health Plan OF North Carolina, Inc.Alignment Health Plan | HMO | NC | 5.0★ |
| 2 | Anthem HP, LLCAnthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield HP | HMO POS | NY | 5.0★ |
| 3 | Devoted Health Plan OF Florida, Inc.Devoted Health | HMO | FL | 5.0★ |
| 4 | Independent Health Association, Inc.Independent Health | HMO | NY | 5.0★ |
| 5 | Leon Health, Inc.Leon Health, Inc. | HMO | FL | 5.0★ |
| 6 | MCS Advantage, Inc.MCS Classicare | HMO | PR | 5.0★ |
| 7 | MMM Healthcare, LLCMedicare y Mucho Mas (MMM) | HMO | PR | 5.0★ |
| 8 | NHC Advantage, LLCNHC Advantage | HMO | TN | 5.0★ |
| 9 | Provider Partners Health Plan OF Pennsylvania, IncProvider Partners Health Plans | HMO | PA | 5.0★ |
| 10 | Hometown Health Plan, Inc.Senior Care Plus | HMO | NV | 5.0★ |
Come back when CMS updates
Save counties to re-check later
Medicare Advantage star ratings and landscape files refresh on CMS's annual cycle, plan premiums, ratings, and availability can shift county by county. The county watchlist stores your shortlist in the browser, tracks when you last looked, and flags a re-check after about six months, no account and no email alerts.
- •CMS extract on this build: 2026-09-01.
- •Star rating changes table tracks year-over-year CMS moves.
- •Open any state → county page and tap Save county to watchlist.
Clear anytime via browser storage settings. We never receive your list.
Medicare Advantage Guides
How to Choose a Medicare Advantage Plan in 2026
Step-by-step guide to evaluating plans by star rating, network, and benefits.
Understanding Medicare Advantage Star Ratings
What the CMS 1–5 star scale means and how it affects your plan quality.
Medicare Advantage Dental, Vision & Hearing Benefits
What supplemental benefits Medicare Advantage plans must and may cover.
Medicare Advantage vs Original Medicare
Key differences in coverage, cost, and flexibility to help you decide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Medicare Advantage?
Medicare Advantage (Part C) is an alternative to Original Medicare offered by private insurance companies approved by CMS. Plans must cover all services that Original Medicare covers and often include extra benefits like dental, vision, hearing, and prescription drugs.
What do CMS star ratings mean?
CMS rates Medicare Advantage plans on a 1–5 star scale each year based on quality measures including preventive screenings, chronic disease management, member satisfaction, and customer service. Plans rated 4 or 5 stars qualify for bonus payments and may offer enhanced benefits.
Where does PlainMedicare data come from?
All data comes from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Medicare Advantage 2026 plan data, including the Star Ratings dataset and the Plan Finder benefit data. PlainMedicare is not affiliated with CMS or Medicare.
How do I compare Medicare Advantage plans?
Browse by your state, then find your county to see all plans available where you live. Compare CMS star ratings, drug coverage, plan type, and supplemental benefits like dental and vision. Always confirm current plan details directly with the insurer during the enrollment period.
PlainMedicare displays CMS plan data for comparison purposes only and does not constitute insurance, medical, or financial advice. Plan benefits and availability change annually. Verify current details with your insurer or visit Medicare.gov during Open Enrollment.
Related Guides
Editorial context for the PlainMedicare dataset, methodology, comparisons, and deep dives into Medicare Advantage quality data.
How to Compare Medicare Advantage Plans in Your County
Service areas are county-level; here's how to line up plans side by side where you live.
Medicare Enrollment Periods Explained
When you can enroll, switch, or drop a Medicare Advantage plan, and what each window covers.
Understanding Medicare Costs and Premiums
What the CMS premium field does and doesn't tell you about your total plan cost.
What to do with this
Start with your state, then open the county where you live; service areas are county-level.
- Look up the CMS plan inventory, premium range, and rating summary for a county. County availability lookup
- Browse every state for plan counts and average CMS stars. Browse by state
- Open national quality, premium, and dental rankings. Plan rankings
- Read how CMS star ratings are defined. Star ratings guide
CMS Star Ratings and Landscape figures are educational reference only; they are not medical or insurance advice. Confirm current details on Medicare.gov before enrolling.
About this data
How PlainMedicare works, and why you can trust these numbers
What this site is
PlainMedicare is a free reference for comparing Medicare Advantage plans by state and county: CMS star ratings, premiums, drug coverage, and supplemental benefits. PlainMedicare is not affiliated with CMS or Medicare.
Editorial process
- Source. Download the CMS Star Ratings Data Tables, CY Landscape Source File (plan premiums), Plan Benefit Package files, and Medicare Part D drug-spending data directly from CMS.
- Verify. Reproduce star ratings, premiums, and benefit details exactly as CMS publishes them, and map drug names using the National Library of Medicine's RxNorm reference before joining to plan formularies.
- Publish. Build a per-state, per-county, and per-plan page linking back to the source CMS file so readers can audit our figures against the original release.
Editorial independence & corrections
The PlainMedicare is independent and accepts no payment, sponsorship, or promoted placement from any insurer. Found an error or a stale figure? Use the corrections pathway; we respond within 72 hours and publish corrections with a visible revision note. See our methodology for full source attribution and refresh cadence.
Frequently asked
What is Medicare Advantage?
Medicare Advantage (Part C) is an alternative to Original Medicare offered by private insurance companies approved by CMS. Plans must cover all services that Original Medicare covers and often include extra benefits like dental, vision, hearing, and prescription drugs.
What do CMS star ratings mean?
CMS rates Medicare Advantage plans on a 1–5 star scale each year based on quality measures including preventive screenings, chronic disease management, member satisfaction, and customer service. Plans rated 4 or 5 stars qualify for bonus payments and may offer enhanced benefits.
Where does PlainMedicare data come from?
All data comes from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Medicare Advantage 2026 plan data, including the Star Ratings dataset and the Plan Finder benefit data. PlainMedicare is not affiliated with CMS or Medicare.
How do I compare Medicare Advantage plans?
Browse by your state, then find your county to see all plans available where you live. Compare CMS star ratings, drug coverage, plan type, and supplemental benefits like dental and vision. Always confirm current plan details directly with the insurer during the enrollment period.
PlainMedicare is rendered directly from CMS Medicare Advantage and Part D public files, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a correction. Data current as of September 2026.