On October 8, 2026, CMS published the 2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D Star Ratings and put them on Medicare Plan Finder. Open Enrollment starts October 15, 2026, and runs through December 7, 2026, for coverage that begins January 1, 2027.
That timing is deliberate. Star Ratings are one of the few official quality scores you can see next to premiums and drug costs while you compare plans. They are also easy to misuse. A 5-star badge does not mean the plan is cheapest for your drugs, and a 3.5-star plan is not automatically a bad fit.
I read the CMS Oct. 8 fact sheet end to end. Below is the senior-focused version: the new national numbers, what changed in the 2027 methodology, and a simple way to use stars during the next six weeks.
I’m a researcher who compares Medicare.gov and CMS documents for readers. I’m not a licensed insurance agent, and I can’t enroll you in a plan.
The short version
- About 37% of Medicare Advantage–Prescription Drug (MA-PD) contracts offered in 2027 earned 4 stars or higher.
- Weighted by enrollment, about 71% of MA-PD enrollees are in contracts with 4+ stars for 2027.
- For stand-alone Part D plans (PDPs), about 27% of contracts got 4+ stars; about 22% of PDP enrollees are in those contracts.
- Average overall MA-PD rating (enrollment-weighted): 3.99 stars for 2027.
- New or returning measures for 2027 include opioid–benzodiazepine concurrent use, anticholinergic polypharmacy in older adults, and an updated colorectal cancer screening measure. Physical and mental health outcome measures now carry more weight.
- Use stars as a quality screen, then still check your drugs, doctors, prior auth rules, and total estimated yearly cost in Plan Finder.
What Star Ratings are measuring
CMS rates Medicare Advantage and Part D contracts on dozens of quality and performance measures – clinical care, member experience, customer service, and drug safety among them. For 2027:
- MA-PD contracts: up to 43 measures
- MA-only contracts: up to 32 measures
- Stand-alone PDPs: up to 13 measures
Each measure gets a 1-to-5 score against cut points that CMS recalculates from that measurement period’s performance. The overall contract rating is a weighted average. The 2027 ratings now showing on Plan Finder also affect 2028 Medicare Advantage quality bonus payments.
The 2027 national snapshot (from the CMS fact sheet)
Medicare Advantage with drug coverage (MA-PD)
| Overall rating | Contracts | Share of contracts | Share of enrollees |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 stars | 15 | 2.95% | 2.25% |
| 4.5 stars | 65 | 12.80% | 32.70% |
| 4 stars | 108 | 21.26% | 35.78% |
| 3.5 stars | 164 | 32.28% | 19.71% |
| 3 stars | 124 | 24.41% | 8.75% |
| 2.5 stars | 31 | 6.10% | 0.81% |
| 2 stars | 1 | 0.20% | 0.01% |
| 4+ stars combined | 188 | ~37% | ~71% |
Total rated MA-PD contracts: 508. Enrollment-weighted average: 3.99.
For comparison, CMS’s 2026 Star Ratings fact sheet had reported roughly 40% of MA-PD contracts and 64% of members in 4+ star contracts. Year-to-year movement is normal; cut points move, measures change, and contracts gain or lose members.
Stand-alone Part D (PDP)
CMS reports that about 27% of PDPs active in 2027 (11 contracts) received 4 or more stars, covering about 22% of PDP enrollees.
What changed in the 2027 methodology
CMS highlights several measure changes that matter if you are comparing this year’s badges with last year’s:
Added or treated as new for 2027
- Concurrent Use of Opioids and Benzodiazepines (COB)
- Polypharmacy: Use of Multiple Anticholinergic Medications in Older Adults (Poly-ACH)
- Respecified Colorectal Cancer Screening (replacing the legacy measure)
- Care for Older Adults – Functional Status Assessment (returning after specification changes)
Weighted more heavily
- Improving or Maintaining Physical Health
- Improving or Maintaining Mental Health
Both moved from a weight of 1 (2026) to a weight of 3 (2027) after substantive specification changes.
Retired or parked
- Care for Older Adults – Pain Assessment (Part C) and Medication Reconciliation Post-Discharge (Part C) were retired.
- The Medication Therapy Management comprehensive medication review completion measure is on the display page for measurement years 2025–2026 and is scheduled to return as a Star measure with the 2029 ratings.
CMS also began using Part C reporting data to check the completeness of Independent Review Entity appeals data used in timely-appeals measures, with scaled reductions when data-integrity problems show up.
If medicine safety is part of why you care about those new polypharmacy measures, our polypharmacy safety guide explains the everyday version of the same problem.
How to use Star Ratings during Open Enrollment (without over-trusting them)
Think of stars as a filter, not a final answer.
- Pull last year’s Annual Notice of Change and your current drug list. Write down premiums, deductibles, insulin/copay changes, and any fitness or OTC extras you actually use.
- Open Medicare Plan Finder after October 15 (or use the preview tools CMS makes available) and enter every prescription and dose.
- Sort or note the Star Rating, but compare estimated yearly drug + premium cost side by side. A 5-star plan that doesn’t cover your specialist or prices your inhaler poorly can still cost you more.
- Check network and prior authorization. Stars do not replace provider directories. Call the plan or use Plan Finder’s directory tools, knowing directories can lag.
- Know the special enrollment rule tied to stars. Medicare allows a Special Enrollment Period related to 5-star plans under specific rules; it is not a general “switch anytime” pass. Confirm current SEP details on Medicare.gov before relying on it.
- If you want a fuller MA or Part D walkthrough, use our 2027 Medicare Advantage open enrollment guide, Part D 2027 cost guide, area plan comparison steps, and the two-week prep checklist.
What Star Ratings do not tell you
- Whether your cardiologist or oncologist is in network next year
- Your exact out-of-pocket cost for a specific specialty drug
- How aggressive a plan is with prior authorization on the services you need
- Whether a giveback, dental, or OTC card will continue at the same level
- The 2027 Part B premium (CMS had not posted the 2027 Parts A & B premiums/deductibles fact sheet as of October 9, 2026)
For common Open Enrollment mistakes, see our mistakes seniors should avoid checklist.
Common questions
When did CMS release the 2027 Star Ratings?
October 8, 2026. They appear on Medicare Plan Finder for the 2027 Open Enrollment period that begins October 15, 2026.
What percentage of Medicare Advantage plans have 4 stars or higher for 2027?
About 37% of MA-PD contracts, covering about 71% of MA-PD enrollees, per the CMS fact sheet.
Should I only enroll in a 5-star plan?
No. Five-star contracts are uncommon (15 MA-PD contracts in the 2027 ratings). A 4 or 4.5 star plan that covers your doctors and drugs at a lower total cost is often the better fit.
Do Star Ratings affect my Part B premium?
Not directly. They affect plan quality bonuses and can influence plan offerings. Your Part B premium is set separately; the 2027 amount had not been announced as of October 9, 2026.
Where should I compare plans?
Start at Medicare.gov Plan Compare, then confirm details with the plan and your clinicians before you enroll.
Written by Khasim Basha Shaik. I research Medicare rules and compare official CMS and Medicare.gov documents for readers. I’m not a licensed insurance agent or Medicare counselor. This article summarizes the CMS 2027 Star Ratings fact sheet (Oct. 8, 2026) and is not personalized insurance advice. Last reviewed October 9, 2026.
