The Trump administration released the 2027 Medicare Advantage star ratings, with many enrollees in plans that earned at least four stars.
The program scores MA plans on a range of quality and experience metrics, including data from the previous three years. MA prescription drug plans are measured on up to 43 measures, while MA-only plans are scored based on up to 32 metrics. Standalone Part D plans are rated on up to 13 measures.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) counted 508 MAPD contracts for 2027, with an average score of 3.99. That's down slightly from 2026's average score of 4.01, but higher than the 2025 average of 3.95.
The number of contracts also continues to decline, with 545 MAPD contracts scored in 2024. That decreased to 521 contracts in 2025 and 516 in 2026.
For 2027, the largest share of plans fell into a 3.5 score, with 164 contracts, or 32.28%, earning this score. In addition, 24.41% of plans earned three stars, while 21.26% earned four stars.
When scores were weighted by enrollment, however, the trends shifted, with most enrollees in a plan with four or 4.5 stars for 2027. About 71% of MAPD enrollees will be in plans with at least four stars.
"Changes in Star Ratings year-over-year are normal and expected and vary by measure," CMS said in a fact sheet. "Star Ratings are intended to capture a contract's performance during the measurement period, with some contracts performing better or worse in different years."
The average star rating in Part D was 3.22 stars, the highest since 2024, which averaged 3.34 stars.
The largest share of plans, both overall and weighted by enrollment, fell into the three-star category, with 14 contracts, or 34.15%, earning three stars. CMS said about 27% of plans earned a score of four or more for 2027, with 22% of Part D enrollees in a contract with at least four stars.
The CMS data also found that nonprofit health plans tend to have higher scores than for-profit plans. About 44% of nonprofit MAPD plans earned at least four stars, compared to 34% among for-profit plans. The numbers were closer in Part D, with 28% of nonprofit plans and 27% of for-profit plans earning four or more stars.
There are four MAPD contracts that will be listed with a low-performing icon for 2027, as their star ratings have been consistently low. Four plans were similarly tagged in 2026, CMS said.
Fifteen plans, meanwhile, will be tagged as high-performing, as they earned five stars for 2027. Six of these plans were also designated as high performers in 2026.
Medicare's annual enrollment period begins on Oct. 15 and runs through Dec. 7.
The star ratings have proven to be legally fraught over the past several years, with insurers challenging their performance in the courts. A legal decision over the summer in favor of Clover Health launched a recalculation of scores in 2026, and that court battle is continuing to play out, with multiple other MA plans seeking recalculations that model Clover's.
CMS filed an appeal of the Clover decision in July.