2025 Medicare Advantage Plan Star Ratings Decline; Check Your Plan Now Before Sign-up Begins

It's important to check your Medicare plan's star rating before signing up for 2025 coverage.Photo byImage by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

Only seven Medicare Advantage plans earned a 5-star rating from the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for 2025. That is down from 38 in 2024.

As a result, in 2025, only 1% of all Medicare Advantage beneficiaries will be enrolled in a 5 Star plan. More than a quarter (28%) of Medicare Advantage enrollees are currently in contracts that will have 3 stars or less in 2025.

Medicare star ratings are crucial for several reasons and it is important to check before signing up for 2025 coverage.

The star rating system provides an objective measure of the quality of Medicare Advantage (Part C) and Part D plans. By using a standardized 1 to 5-star scale, beneficiaries can easily compare different plans based on their performance in various categories. This allows individuals to make informed choices about which plan may best meet their health care needs.

CMS notes that there were no major methodological changes in the 2025 Star Ratings. They note that Approximately 40% of MA-PDs (209 contracts) that will be offered in 2025 earned four stars or higher for their 2025 overall rating.

The Medicare website now lists available plans for 2025 including the Star rating for each plan.

Here are the seven plans that earned 5-stars from CMS:

Alignment Health Plan of North Carolina, contract H5296
Healthsun Health Plans (Elevance Health), contract H5431
Highmark Health, contract H3957
Leon Health, contract H4286
MCS Advantage, contract H5577
Network Health, contract H5215
Optimum Healthcare (Elevance Health), contract H5594

Jesse Slome is director of the American Association for Medicare Supplement Insurance. The organization does not sell or endorse any Medicare products. Slome shares tips and tactics to help seniors make better choices. Please "Like" this story and "Follow" Slome on Newswbreak.