Which Medicare advantage plans have a 5-star rating and which are low performing in 2025?
While you may enroll in Medicare advantage plans without a five-star rating only when you turn 65, or during the open enrollment period from October 15 through December 7, the rules for 5-Star rated Medicare advantage plans are different. You may enroll in or switch between 5-Star rated advantage plans at any time during the year, provided you meet the requirements to join a Medicare advantage plan.
How can you find a Medicare Advantage Plans with a 5-star rating?
In an effort to improve the transparency of Medicare advantage plans, CMS, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is rewarding high quality plans and alerting beneficiaries who are enrolled in lower performing plans. When you have been shopping for a plan lately, you may have noticed that plans are rated from 1 to 5 stars, ranging from poor to high performance. The score results are published each fall, just in time for the annual enrollment.
If you currently are enrolled in a consistently low performing plan (meaning the plan had consistently less than 3 stars during the past three years), you should receive a notification letter in the mail with information how to switch to a higher rated plan if you choose to do so. High rated Medicare advantage plans are serving a majority of beneficiaries across the country. In 2025, 62% of people on Medicare in the United States have access to 4-star, 4.5 star and 5-star rated Medicare Advantage plans with and without prescription drug coverage, as not all plans are available in each geographic area.
How are the star-ratings for Medicare advantage plans determined?
CMS.gov evaluates Medicare Advantage Plans (Part C) and Prescription Drug Plans (Part D) each year and publishes the results prior to the annual enrollment period. The overall score for 2025 is the result of up to 40 important quality signals, taken from member satisfaction and health care providers surveys. The questions include topics such as staying healthy, managing chronic conditions, a plan’s responsiveness and care, member complaints and appeals, customer service. Additional questions for plans with prescription drug coverage include drug pricing and patient safety.
Which Medicare Advantage Plans are rated 5 Stars in 2025?
For 2025, 209 Medicare advantage plans with drug coverage (MA-PD) are rated as high performers with more than 4 stars.
Which Medicare Advantage Plans are rated ‘Low Performing’ in 2025?
CMS has also marked some plans for consistently low ratings in the past three years. You can view and download the complete rating list as pdf document from the official website here.
