Medicare Advantage

Before You Compare Plans, Know What Stars Measure

CLAREMONT, N.H. — Each October, just before the Annual Enrollment Period opens, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) refreshes its Star Ratings for Medicare Advantage and Part D drug plans. The 2027 ratings will be posted to the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov, and they're one of the tools people here in Claremont can use to compare coverage between Oct. 15 and Dec. 7. But the stars can be confusing — so here's what they actually measure, and what they don't.

What the stars actually measure

Star Ratings are a quality score CMS calculates every year for Medicare Advantage (Part C) and Part D prescription drug plans. Ratings run from 1 star (poor) to 5 stars (excellent), in half-star steps.

For Medicare Advantage plans that include drug coverage, CMS looks at roughly 40 individual measures. Standalone Part D drug plans are graded on around a dozen. The measures fall into categories like:

• Staying healthy — whether members get recommended screenings, vaccines, and check-ups.
• Managing chronic conditions — how well plans help members with diabetes, heart disease, and similar ongoing needs.
• Member experience — survey results on how easy it is to get care and how members rate the plan.
• Member complaints and changes in performance over time.
• Customer service — including how quickly appeals are handled.
• Drug safety and pricing accuracy for the Part D side.

The result is one overall star score for each contract, plus scores on the underlying categories if you want to dig in.

What the stars do not measure

This is where people trip up. The Star Rating is not a price tag. It doesn't tell you:

• What a plan's premium, deductible, or copays are.
• Whether your specific doctors or hospitals are in network.
• Whether your prescriptions are on the plan's drug list (formulary).
• How a plan will perform for your particular health situation.

A higher-rated plan is not automatically a better fit for you, and CMS is careful not to frame ratings as a ranking of "top" plans. They are a quality signal — useful, but only one piece of the puzzle.

How and when the 2027 ratings are published

CMS typically posts the new ratings in early to mid-October, in time for the Annual Enrollment Period that runs Oct. 15 through Dec. 7. Once posted, they appear on the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov, where each plan card shows its overall star score.

Claremont is in Sullivan County, where plan availability — the number of Medicare Advantage and Part D options offered — is set at the county level. When you use Plan Finder with a Claremont ZIP code, you'll see the plans available in Sullivan County along with each one's current star score.

Star Ratings from the previous year stay in place until the fall release, so the number you see now may update once the 2027 ratings go live.

Using ratings alongside the 2027 rules

The Star Ratings arrive at the same time as some meaningful program changes for 2027 that will shape how people compare plans:

• The Part D annual out-of-pocket cap on covered prescriptions is $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027.
• The Part D maximum deductible is $615 in 2026 and $700 in 2027.
• The old coverage gap (the "donut hole") was eliminated in 2025; Part D now has three phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs across the plan year in monthly installments if you choose.
• IRMAA income-related surcharges for Part B and Part D start above $109,000 for a single filer in 2026.

None of these are reflected in a Star Rating. They apply across plans. So a good approach is to check the stars for a quality read, then compare each plan's specific costs, network, and drug list against your own situation.

A sensible way to use Star Ratings

Think of the stars as a starting filter, not the finish line. A few practical steps:

1. Make a list of your doctors, hospitals, and prescriptions. 2. On medicare.gov's Plan Finder, enter your Claremont ZIP code and add your drugs. 3. Look at the star score, but also click into each plan to check network and formulary. 4. If two plans look similar on paper, the higher star score can be a tie-breaker. 5. If you'd like a person to walk through it with you, contact New Hampshire's State Health Insurance Assistance Program (ServiceLink) or call 1-800-MEDICARE.

If you already have a plan, the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period from Jan. 1 through March 31 gives you one more chance to switch if the fit isn't right.