Medicare Advantage

What Medicare Advantage Star Ratings Show Glen Cove Enrollees

GLEN COVE, N.Y. — With the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period opening October 15, one of the most useful tools on Medicare.gov is also one of the most misunderstood: the Star Ratings. Each fall, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) refreshes these one-to-five-star scores for Medicare Advantage and Part D drug plans, giving shoppers a snapshot of quality and service before they enroll. Knowing what those stars measure — and what they don't — can help you make a steadier decision this season.

What Star Ratings actually measure

Star Ratings are CMS's way of scoring how a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan is doing overall. Ratings run from one star (poor) to five stars (excellent), with half-star steps in between.

The score is built from dozens of individual measures grouped into broad categories such as:

• Staying healthy — whether members get recommended screenings, vaccines, and checkups.
• Managing chronic conditions — how well the plan supports members living with diabetes, heart conditions, and similar issues.
• Member experience — survey answers about ease of getting care and satisfaction with the plan.
• Member complaints and changes in performance — how often people leave the plan or file grievances.
• Customer service — call center responsiveness and appeals handled fairly and on time.
• Drug plan measures — accuracy of pricing information, medication safety, and adherence support.

The important thing to remember: these numbers describe the plan's track record. They do not predict your personal experience, and they do not tell you whether a plan's network or drug list fits your needs.

When the new ratings come out

CMS releases updated Star Ratings each fall — usually in early to mid-October — and posts them on the Medicare Plan Finder at Medicare.gov. That timing is deliberate. It gives beneficiaries a chance to see the freshest scores before the Annual Enrollment Period begins on October 15 and closes December 7.

If you're comparing plans during those weeks, the ratings you see on Medicare.gov reflect the newest data available for the upcoming plan year.

How Glen Cove residents can use the ratings

Glen Cove is in Nassau County, where Medicare Advantage and Part D plan availability is set at the county level. That means the plans — and the Star Ratings attached to them — that appear on your Plan Finder results are based on your ZIP code and county, not your city alone.

Star Ratings are one input among several. When you compare plans, it helps to look at ratings alongside:

• Whether your doctors and preferred hospitals are in the network.
• Whether your prescriptions are on the plan's formulary.
• The total yearly cost estimate the Plan Finder shows for your specific drug list.

A high star score on a plan that doesn't cover your medications isn't a good match. A moderately rated plan that fits your care team and prescriptions might serve you better. The ratings inform the decision; they don't make it for you.

A common mistake to avoid

The biggest misstep during enrollment season is treating Star Ratings as a ranking or a shortcut. They aren't a "best plans" list, and CMS does not use them to steer you toward any specific carrier. Two plans with the same star score can behave very differently for two different people, depending on the drugs they take and the doctors they see.

Use the ratings the way they were designed — as a quality signal — and pair them with your personal details before you enroll.

What else is changing in 2027

While you're reviewing plans, keep a few program-level facts in mind for the upcoming plan year:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 for 2026.
• The Part D maximum deductible is $615.
• The old "donut hole" coverage gap was eliminated in 2025; Part D now has three phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs across the year in monthly payments instead of paying at the pharmacy counter.
• IRMAA surcharges for higher-income beneficiaries start above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.
• The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs January 1 – March 31 if you want to make one change after AEP ends.