How Medicare star ratings work
CMS rates every Medicare Advantage and drug-plan contract from 1 to 5 stars once a year. In the 2026 ratings, 223 of 500 rated contracts with 2026 plans scored 4 stars or more and 22 scored 5. The 2027 ratings come out in October 2026.
What does a rating measure?
CMS combines dozens of measures: screenings and vaccines, how chronic conditions are managed, members' own ratings of the plan, complaints and appeals, customer service, and for drug plans, how members take their medicines and how prices are handled. Each contract page here lists its lowest- and highest-rated measures.
How are the 2026 ratings spread?
Contracts by 2026 overall rating
Source: CMS 2026 Star Ratings (October 2025).
Why do the stars matter to you?
A plan rated 5 stars opens a special enrollment period: you can switch into it once between December 8 and November 30. The rating belongs to the contract, so every plan under one contract shares it.
Source: Medicare.gov, “Special enrollment periods” (read Oct. 7, 2026).
What else should you check?
- Every contract's ratingWith its 2027 plans
- Find a plan by its IDAnd its contract's rating