Medicare Advantage

Medicare Star Ratings for 2026: What the Numbers Mean

Maricopa County has 79 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Compared with 2026, 13 plans are not coming back, 17 are new, and 20 continuing plans changed something in their terms you should check before December 7, 13 of them under a new name. This guide covers what those numbers mean for Goodyear, not which plan to pick.

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — As Medicare's Annual Enrollment Period runs through Dec. 7, many people in the West Valley are seeing "star ratings" attached to Medicare Advantage and Part D drug plans. Those little 1-to-5 star icons show up on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder every fall, and they can be helpful — but only if you know what they actually measure. Here's a plain-English look at how the ratings work for the 2027 plan year, what CMS grades, and what the stars do not tell you.

What the Star Ratings actually measure

Every year, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) grades Medicare Advantage and standalone Part D plans on a 1-to-5 scale, with 5 being the highest. The scores are based on dozens of separate measures grouped into big categories.

For Medicare Advantage plans that include drug coverage, CMS looks at roughly five areas:

• Staying healthy — things like screenings, tests, and vaccines
• Managing chronic conditions — how well the plan supports members with ongoing illnesses
• Member experience — survey responses on ease of care and satisfaction
• Member complaints and changes in performance — including how many people leave the plan
• Customer service — call center wait times, appeals handled fairly, and language help

For standalone Part D plans, ratings focus more narrowly on drug plan customer service, complaints, member experience, and drug safety (like whether members with diabetes are getting recommended medications).

How CMS gathers the data

The stars aren't guesswork. CMS pulls information from member surveys (including the well-known CAHPS survey), clinical records that plans report, pharmacy claims data, complaint tracking, and CMS's own audits. Because the data comes from the prior measurement year, a rating you see in fall 2026 reflects how the plan performed in earlier periods — not a prediction of the future.

When the 2027 ratings are published

CMS typically releases new Star Ratings in early October, right before the Annual Enrollment Period opens on Oct. 15. Once published, the updated stars appear on the Medicare Plan Finder at Medicare.gov, so shoppers comparing plans during AEP are looking at the newest scores. Ratings can — and do — change from year to year.

What Star Ratings do not tell you

This is where a lot of Goodyear readers get tripped up. A high star rating does not mean a plan is the right fit for you. The stars don't measure:

• Whether your specific doctors or hospitals are in-network
• Whether your prescriptions are on the plan's formulary
• What your out-of-pocket costs would be for the care you actually use
• How the plan handles referrals or prior authorization for your conditions

Two people in the same ZIP code can look at the same 4-star plan and have very different experiences based on their own health needs.

Local context for Goodyear shoppers

Goodyear is in Maricopa County, where Medicare beneficiaries typically have a wide range of Medicare Advantage and Part D options to compare during AEP. Plan availability is set at the county level, so the menu you see on Plan Finder reflects Maricopa County offerings, not just Goodyear city limits. Star Ratings are one filter you can use on Plan Finder to narrow the list — but again, they're a starting point, not a verdict.

How ratings fit with the 2027 program changes

The 2027 plan year brings some program-level updates worth keeping in mind while you compare:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027.
• The Part D maximum deductible is $615 in 2026 and $700 in 2027.
• The coverage gap ("donut hole") is gone as of 2025 — Part D now has three phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs across monthly payments.
• IRMAA income surcharges begin above $109,000 for a single filer in 2026.

These rules apply across plans, no matter the star count.