Medicare Advantage

Understanding Medicare Star Ratings Before Oct. 15

STARKVILLE, Miss. — With the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period opening October 15, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will once again release its yearly Star Ratings for Medicare Advantage and Part D plans this fall. For people in Oktibbeha County weighing their choices, understanding what those stars actually measure — and what they don't — can make the next few weeks a lot less stressful.

What Star Ratings actually measure

Medicare Star Ratings are CMS's quality report card for Medicare Advantage and Part D prescription drug plans. Each plan gets an overall score from 1 to 5 stars, with 5 being the highest. Behind that single number sit dozens of individual measures grouped into big categories like:

• Staying healthy — how well the plan helps members get screenings, vaccines and check-ups.
• Managing chronic conditions — how members with ongoing illnesses are supported.
• Member experience — what current members say in surveys.
• Member complaints and plan performance — how often members leave, file appeals, or report problems.
• Customer service — how quickly and fairly the plan handles calls and requests.

Part D drug plans are rated on a similar but shorter list focused on drug pricing accuracy, safety and customer service.

Why the fall release matters

CMS publishes the new ratings each October, timed to the Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 – December 7). That's the window when most people can switch Medicare Advantage or Part D plans for the following year. The fresh ratings are meant to help you look at plan quality alongside coverage details when you're comparing options.

There's also the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period from January 1 to March 31 for people already in a Medicare Advantage plan who want to make one change.

What Star Ratings do not tell you

This is where a lot of readers get tripped up. A star score is a quality snapshot — not a personal recommendation. It doesn't tell you:

• Whether your doctors or the Starkville-area hospitals you use are in a plan's network.
• Whether your specific prescriptions are on a plan's formulary.
• What a plan will cost you personally.
• Whether a plan's extra benefits match your health needs.

Two people in the same ZIP code can look at the same 4-star plan and have very different experiences with it. That's why CMS itself encourages beneficiaries to use ratings as one input among several.

How ratings can shift year to year

Star Ratings are recalculated annually. A plan can move up or down based on new survey data, new clinical measures, and changes in how CMS weights certain scores. So even if you remember a plan's rating from last year, it's worth checking again during AEP.

CMS has also been adjusting its methodology in recent years, which can move scores across the whole industry — not just for one plan.

Putting ratings in context with 2026 and 2027 changes

Quality is only one piece of your decision. Several program-level changes shape how any drug plan works in 2026 and 2027:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026.
• The Part D maximum deductible is $615.
• The old coverage gap ("donut hole") has been eliminated as of 2025 — Part D now has three phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs over monthly payments instead of paying at the pharmacy counter.
• IRMAA surcharges for higher-income beneficiaries start above $109,000 for a single filer in 2026.

These are program-wide rules, not plan features — they apply no matter which plan you pick.

Using ratings well in Oktibbeha County

Starkville is in Oktibbeha County, where a range of Medicare Advantage and stand-alone Part D plans is offered each year. When you go to medicare.gov's Plan Finder during AEP, you'll see the current Star Rating listed next to each plan alongside premium, deductible and drug-coverage details. A sensible approach is to first narrow plans by whether your doctors and drugs are covered, then use Star Ratings to compare the plans that made your short list.

If you'd rather talk to a person, Mississippi's State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) offers free, unbiased counseling.