Five-Star Medicare Advantage Plans
- Every year, Medicare rates Medicare Advantage plans using a 5-star rating scale, with 5-star plans earning the top possible score. Learn how you may be able to enroll in a five-star plan near you.
One of the most important things to consider when shopping for a Medicare Advantage plan (also known as Medicare Part C) is plan quality.
Fortunately, there’s an easy way to determine just how good a plan is. Every year, Medicare evaluates plans based on a 5-Star Rating System.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) evaluates all Medicare Advantage plans (and Medicare Part D prescription drug plans) and assigns each plan a star rating based on how the plan performs on metrics such as customer service, management of chronic conditions and more.
Plans that earn a five-star rating are the highest rated plans and are typically among the most coveted by beneficiaries. In this review, we look at five-star Medicare Advantage plans, including how they earn that distinction, where to find them, how to enroll in one and more.
What Is a Five-Star Medicare Plan?
A five-star plan is one that has been given a perfect five-star rating by the CMS.
- 5 Stars ★★★★★ = Excellent
- 4 Stars ★★★★ = Above average
- 3 stars ★★★ = Average
- 2 stars ★★ = Below average
- 1 star ★ = Poor
There are 28 unique performance measures used to determine a star rating for Medicare Advantage plans and 38 performance measures to rate a Medicare Advantage plan that includes prescription drug coverage (MA-PD plans).
Those performance measures are grouped into the following categories:
- Preventive health coverage, including screenings and vaccines
- Management of chronic conditions
- Member experience with the plan
- Member complaints and changes in the plan’s performance
- Customer service
For Medicare Advantage plans that include prescription drug coverage, an additional four categories are also used.
- Customer service for drug benefits
- Member complaints about drug coverage and changes in the plan’s drug coverage performance
- Member experience with the drug coverage
- Drug safety and accuracy of drug pricing
The information used to score each category is collected from plan member surveys, information that health care providers submit to the CMS and regular monitoring.
Which Medicare Advantage Plans Have the Highest Rating for 2022?
There are 3,834 Medicare Advantage plans available nationwide in 2022. More than 3,400 Medicare Advantage plans (89%) include prescription drug coverage.1
The CMS does not report the total number of plans with a five-star rating, but there are 74 MA-PD contracts that earned a five-star rating for 2022. Each contract may include several different plans, and more than one plan in each contract may have earned a five-star score.
The table below shows the 74 contracts with at least one five-star plan for 2022.
| Contract Name | Parent Organization |
|---|---|
| VIVA HEALTH, INC. | VIVA Medicare |
| UNITEDHEALTHCARE OF THE MIDWEST, INC. | UnitedHealthcare |
| HUMANA HEALTH PLAN OF OHIO, INC. | Humana |
| CARE IMPROVEMENT PLUS WISCONSIN INSURANCE COMPANY | UnitedHealthcare |
| KS PLAN ADMINISTRATORS, LLC | KelseyCare Advantage |
| KAISER FOUNDATION HP, INC. | Kaiser Permanente |
| KAISER FOUNDATION HP OF CO | Kaiser Permanente |
| SIERRA HEALTH AND LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, INC. | UnitedHealthcare |
| CAREPLUS HEALTH PLANS, INC. | CarePlus Health Plans, Inc. |
| KAISER FOUNDATION HP OF GA, INC. | Kaiser Permanente |
| KAISER FOUNDATION HP, INC. | Kaiser Permanente |
| MARTIN'S POINT GENERATIONS ADVANTAGE, INC. | Martin's Point Generations Advantage |
| CARE IMPROVEMENT PLUS SOUTH CENTRAL INSURANCE CO. | UnitedHealthcare |
| HUMANA HEALTH BENEFIT PLAN OF LOUISIANA, INC. | Humana |
| PEOPLES HEALTH, INC. | Peoples Health |
| SELECTHEALTH, INC. | SelectHealth |
| SIERRA HEALTH AND LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, INC. | UnitedHealthcare |
| KAISER FDTN HLTH PLAN OF THE MID-ATLANTIC STATES | Kaiser Permanente |
| COMMONWEALTH CARE ALLIANCE, INC. | Commonwealth Care Alliance, Inc. |
| UNITEDHEALTHCARE INSURANCE COMPANY | UnitedHealthcare |
| BAYCARE SELECT HEALTH PLANS, INC. | BayCare Health Plans |
| TUFTS ASSOCIATED HEALTH MAINTENANCE ORGANIZATION | Tufts Health Plan |
| OXFORD HEALTH INSURANCE, INC. | UnitedHealthcare |
| PRIMEWEST RURAL MN HEALTH CARE ACCESS INITIATIVE | PrimeWest Health |
| SOUTH COUNTRY HEALTH ALLIANCE | South Country Health Alliance |
| HEALTHPARTNERS, INC. | HealthPartners |
| BLUE PLUS | Blue Plus |
| UCARE MINNESOTA | UCare |
| GROUP HEALTH PLAN, INC. (MN) | HealthPartners |
| ESSENCE HEALTHCARE, INC. | Essence Healthcare |
| INDEPENDENT HEALTH BENEFITS CORPORATION | Independent Health |
| EXCELLUS HEALTH PLAN, INC. | Excellus Health Plan, Inc |
| INDEPENDENT HEALTH ASSOCIATION, INC. | Independent Health |
| CAPITAL DISTRICT PHYSICIANS' HEALTH PLAN, INC. | CDPHP Medicare Advantage |
| HEALTHPARTNERS UNITYPOINT HEALTH, INC. | HealthPartners UnityPoint Health |
| BLUE CROSS & BLUE SHIELD OF RHODE ISLAND | Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island |
| AETNA HEALTH INC. (ME) | Aetna Medicare |
| AULTCARE HEALTH INSURING CORPORATION | PrimeTime Health Plan |
| CARE IMPROVEMENT PLUS WISCONSIN INSURANCE COMPANY | UnitedHealthcare |
| UPMC HEALTH PLAN, INC. | UPMC for Life |
| HIGHMARK SENIOR HEALTH COMPANY | Highmark Inc. |
| KEYSTONE HEALTH PLAN EAST, INC. | Independence Blue Cross |
| HIGHMARK CHOICE COMPANY | Highmark Inc. |
| BLUE CROSS & BLUE SHIELD OF RHODE ISLAND | Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island |
| NHC ADVANTAGE, LLC | NHC Advantage |
| CARITEN HEALTH PLAN INC. | Humana |
| MEDICAL MUTUAL OF OHIO | Medical Mutual of Ohio |
| UNITEDHEALTHCARE BENEFITS OF TEXAS, INC. | UnitedHealthcare |
| HEALTHPARTNERS, INC. | HealthPartners |
| ASURIS NORTHWEST HEALTH | Asuris Northwest Health |
| CDPHP UNIVERSAL BENEFITS, INC. | CDPHP Medicare Advantage |
| KAISER FOUNDATION HEALTH PLAN OF WASHINGTON | Kaiser Permanente |
| WELLCARE OF CALIFORNIA, INC. | Wellcare |
| My Choice Wisconsin Health Plan, Inc. | My Choice Wisconsin Health Plan |
| NETWORK HEALTH INSURANCE CORPORATION | Network Health Medicare Advantage Plans |
| UNITEDHEALTHCARE OF WISCONSIN, INC. | UnitedHealthcare |
| QUARTZ HEALTH PLAN CORPORATION | Quartz Medicare Advantage |
| SHARP HEALTH PLAN | Sharp Health Plan |
| HEALTHSPRING OF FLORIDA, INC. | Cigna |
| MEDICA HEALTHCARE PLANS, INC. | UnitedHealthcare |
| HEALTHSUN HEALTH PLANS, INC. | HealthSun Health Plans, Inc. |
| HEALTHASSURANCE PENNSYLVANIA, INC. | Aetna Medicare |
| Highmark Western and Northeastern New York Inc. | Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New Yor |
| UPMC HEALTH NETWORK, INC. | UPMC for Life |
| MARTIN'S POINT GENERATIONS ADVANTAGE, INC. | Martin's Point Generations Advantage |
| OPTIMUM HEALTHCARE, INC. | Optimum HealthCare, Inc. |
| SIERRA HEALTH AND LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, INC. | UnitedHealthcare |
| BLUE CARE NETWORK OF MICHIGAN | Blue Care Network |
| CAPITAL HEALTH PLAN | Capital Health Plan |
| KAISER FOUNDATION HP OF THE N W | Kaiser Permanente |
| PROVIDENCE HEALTH ASSURANCE | Providence Medicare Advantage Plans |
| DEAN HEALTH PLAN, INC. | Dean Advantage, Prevea360 Medicare Advantage |
| CARE N' CARE INSURANCE COMPANY OF NORTH CAROLINA | CARE N' CARE INSURANCE COMPANY OF NORTH CAROLINA |
| QUARTZ HEALTH PLAN MN CORPORATION | Quartz Medicare Advantage |
When weighted by enrollment, more than 26% of MA-PD enrollees belong to a five-star plan in 2022. Nearly 60% of beneficiaries are enrolled in a plan rated at least 4.5 stars, and 90% belong to plans rated at least four stars.2
Which States Have Five-Star Medicare Advantage Plans?
Five-star Medicare Advantage plans can be found nearly everywhere in the U.S. Plan selection varies by state, so contact a licensed insurance agent to ask about any five-star plans available where you live.
Five-Star Medicare Advantage Plans in Florida
To get an idea of how five-star Medicare Advantage plans may be broken down within a given state, let’s take a look at Florida, which has the second-most Medicare beneficiaries in the country and is among the best states for Medicare.
There are 583 Medicare Advantage plans available in Florida in 2022, and 28 of them are rated five stars by the CMS (approximately 5%). Those plans are provided by 28 companies, seven of which offer at least one five-star plan.3
The following Florida Medicare Advantage plans are rated five stars in 2022.
- BayCare Health
BayCarePlus Complete, BayCare Plus Premier, BayCarePlus Rewards - Capital Health Plan
Capital Health Plan Advantage Plus, Capital Health Plan Preferred Advantage, Capital Health Plan Silver Advantage - CarePlus Health Plans
CareExtra, CareFree, CareFree PLUS, CareOne, CareOne PLATINUM, CareOne PLUS, CareSalute - Cigna
Cigna Fundamental Medicare, Cigna Preferred Medicare, Cigna Preferred Savings Medicare, Cigna Primary Medicare, Leon Medicare - HealthSun Health Plans
HealthSun HealthAdvantage Plan, HealthSun MediMax - Optimum HealthCare
Optimum Gold Plus Plan, Optimum Gold Rewards Plan, Optimum Platinum Plan - UnitedHealthcare
Erickson Advantage Freedom, Erickson Advantage Liberty with Drugs, Erickson Advantage Liberty without Drugs, Erickson Advantage Signature with Drugs, MedicareMax
What Are the Eligibility Requirements for Five-Star Medicare Plans?
Five-star Medicare Advantage plans have the same eligibility requirements as any other Medicare Advantage plan. This means that you qualify for a five-star plan if you qualify for any other Medicare Advantage plan, as long as a five-star plan is available where you live.
You also have to be enrolled in both Medicare Part A and Part B to be eligible.
When Can You Enroll in a Five-Star Medicare Plan?
There are several different enrollment periods when you may be able to enroll in a five-star Medicare Advantage plan.
Five-Star Special Enrollment Period
If you are enrolled in a Medicare plan rated less than five stars, you may be able to switch to a five-star plan anytime between December 8 and November 30 of the following year, during what's called the Medicare Five-Star Special Enrollment Period.
Initial Enrollment Period
When you first become eligible for Medicare, you get an Initial Enrollment Period (IEP) that begins three months before the month you turn 65 years old and lasts seven consecutive total months. During this time, you may enroll in a Medicare Part A, Part B and a Part C Medicare Advantage plan, including a five-star plan.
Annual Enrollment Period
The Annual Enrollment Period, also called AEP or the fall Medicare Open Enrollment Period, lasts from October 15 to December 7 each year. During this time, you may enroll in, drop or switch Medicare Advantage plans, including five-star plans.
Special Enrollment Periods
Additional Special Enrollment Periods may be granted throughout the year for a variety of reasons, such as moving to a new area, losing coverage through no fault of your own and more. If you are granted a Special Enrollment Period because of a qualifying circumstance, you may enroll in a five-star plan if one is available in your area.
How Do You Enroll in a Five-Star Medicare Advantage Plan?
Contact a licensed insurance agent and ask about any five-star Medicare Advantage plans available where you live. An agent can help you compare any five-star plans sold in your area as you review the costs, coverage and provider networks of each plan to find the coverage you need with the doctors you like at a rate you can afford.
Freed M, et al. (Nov. 2, 2021). Medicare Advantage 2022 Spotlight: First Look. Kaiser Family Foundation. https://www.kff.org/medicare/issue-brief/medicare-advantage-2022-spotlight-first-look/.
CMS. 2022 Star Ratings Fact Sheet. (Oct. 8, 2021). https://www.cms.gov/files/document/2022-star-ratings-fact-sheet1082021.pdf.
Ashford, K. (Jan. 19, 2022). Medicare Advantage Plans in Florida. https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/insurance/medicare/medicare-advantage-florida.
