Medicare Advantage

Medicare Star Ratings 2026: Your Timing and Deadline Guide

People in Akron can choose from 100 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, against 113 this year. 30 of this year’s plans are gone, 17 are new to Summit County, and 37 that continue have changed their premium, deductible, plan type or name, 5 of them under a new name.

Medicare Star Ratings for 2027: what the numbers actually measure and when to use them in Akron, Ohio.

AKRON, Ohio — Every fall, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) posts fresh Star Ratings for Medicare Advantage and Part D plans. The ratings, on a 1-to-5 scale, measure things like customer service, member complaints, and how well a plan handles prescriptions and preventive care. They are not a sales pitch — they are a snapshot of plan performance.

But here in Akron, the ratings are only useful if you check them during the right window. Miss the date, and the score on the page won't matter until the following year. This guide walks through the calendar so you can line up the numbers with the deadlines that actually apply to you.

What Star Ratings actually score

Star Ratings look backward. The scores posted in October 2026 for the 2027 plan year are built from data collected over the prior year or two — member surveys, complaint logs, screening and vaccination rates, and how the plan manages medications. A 4- or 5-star plan has generally performed well on those measures. A lower-rated plan may still fit a specific person's needs, and a high-rated plan isn't automatically the right match either.

The ratings live on medicare.gov, and CMS updates them once a year. That once-a-year rhythm is exactly why timing matters so much.

The Annual Enrollment Period: October 15 – December 7

This is the main window. During AEP you can:

• Switch from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan, or the other way around.
• Change from one Medicare Advantage plan to another.
• Join, drop, or switch a Part D prescription drug plan.

Any change you make in this window takes effect January 1, 2027. In Summit County, where 95 Medicare Advantage plans are available for 2027, that's a lot to sort through — and the Star Ratings are one filter you can use to narrow the list before you dig into the details that matter to you personally (your doctors, your medications, your travel patterns).

A practical tip: don’t wait until the first week of December. Call volume at 1-800-MEDICARE and at local SHIP offices spikes at the end, and you want time to double-check your prescriptions in Plan Finder.

The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period: January 1 – March 31

If you’re already in a Medicare Advantage plan on January 1, you get a second, narrower window. During MA-OEP you can:

• Switch to a different Medicare Advantage plan, or
• Drop your Medicare Advantage plan and return to Original Medicare (and pick up a Part D plan if you need one).

You only get one change here, and it takes effect the first of the following month. This window is a safety valve — useful if your new plan isn’t working the way you expected, or if the Star Ratings and your first month of experience don’t line up.

Important: if you’re still on Original Medicare on January 1, this window is not for you. You’d be waiting until next fall.

What happens if you miss the deadlines

For most people, missing AEP means staying on your current coverage for another year. That may be fine — or it may cost you if your plan has changed its drug list or your health has changed.

A few situations open a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) outside the normal windows: moving out of your plan’s service area, losing other coverage, qualifying for Extra Help or Medicaid, or your plan losing its Medicare contract. There’s also a specific SEP tied to Star Ratings: if CMS gives a plan a consistently low rating, members may be allowed to switch. The rules are narrow, so check with 1-800-MEDICARE before assuming you qualify.

If you delay signing up for Part D when you first become eligible and don’t have other creditable drug coverage, a late-enrollment penalty can be added to your premium — permanently. That’s a timing mistake worth avoiding.

How the fall 2026 dates interact with the 2027 rules

A few program-level facts to keep in mind while you’re comparing:

• Part D out-of-pocket costs are capped at $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027.
• The maximum Part D deductible is $615 in 2026 and $700 in 2027.
• The old coverage gap (“donut hole”) is gone as of 2025 — there are now three phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs across the calendar year in monthly amounts instead of paying at the pharmacy counter. You opt in through your plan.
• IRMAA (income-related premium surcharges) start above $109,000 for a single filer in 2026.

These rules apply program-wide, no matter which plan you pick — so when you’re reading Star Ratings, remember they measure plan performance, not the underlying Medicare benefits.

A simple timing plan for Akron readers

1. In October, pull up medicare.gov and log in (or create an account). Enter your prescriptions and preferred pharmacies. 2. Between mid-October and mid-November, review Star Ratings alongside the details that matter to you. 3. Aim to make a decision by late November. That leaves cushion before December 7. 4. If you enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan and something feels off in January, remember MA-OEP runs through March 31.

Where to get unbiased help

• medicare.gov — official Plan Finder, Star Ratings, and enrollment.
• 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) — 24/7, free.
• Ohio SHIP (OSHIIP) — free, one-on-one Medicare counseling from trained volunteers. Ask about appointments serving Summit County.