Frequently Asked Questions

Medicare Advantage (Part C) is an alternative to Original Medicare offered by private insurance companies approved by CMS. Plans must cover all Medicare Part A and Part B services, and most include Part D drug coverage. Many plans offer additional benefits like dental, vision, and hearing not covered by Original Medicare.

CMS assigns Medicare Advantage plans a quality star rating from 1 to 5 stars. Ratings are based on measures across domains including preventive care, chronic condition management, member satisfaction, and customer service. A 5-star plan is considered excellent; 4 stars is above average. CMS uses these ratings to determine bonus payments to plans.

PlainMedicare covers plan availability for 3,188 counties across all 50 states and U.S. territories. Search your state or county page to see which plans are offered in your area, along with their star ratings, premiums, and supplemental benefits.

The Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) runs October 15 – December 7 each year. During this period, you can switch Medicare Advantage plans, switch to Original Medicare, or add/drop Part D drug coverage. Changes take effect January 1. There are also Special Enrollment Periods for qualifying life events.

Plans in their first year of operation, plans that have recently changed contracts, or plans with insufficient enrollee data may not have a star rating assigned by CMS. These plans are listed on PlainMedicare with their premium and benefit data but without a star rating.

No. PlainMedicare is an independent data portal and is not affiliated with CMS, Medicare, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or any insurance company. We present publicly available CMS data to help people research their options, always verify final plan details at Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE before enrolling.

We update our database when CMS publishes new Medicare Advantage data, typically annually in October/November. Current data reflects the 2026 plan year. Because enrollment data and plan details can change, always confirm current plan information directly with the insurer or at Medicare.gov.