Medicare Advantage

Before you shop in Cleveland Heights: how to read Medicare Star Ratings the right way

Cuyahoga County has 99 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Compared with 2026, 31 plans are not coming back, 18 are new, and 37 continuing plans changed in some way you should check before December 7, 6 of them under a new name. This guide covers what those numbers mean for Cleveland Heights, not which plan to pick.

Medicare AdvantageCleveland Heights, OH

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio — Every fall, just before Medicare's Annual Enrollment Period opens on October 15, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services publishes updated Star Ratings for Medicare Advantage and Part D drug plans. The 2027 ratings land on Medicare Plan Finder this month, and they are one of the few apples-to-apples tools a Cleveland Heights shopper has to size up how a plan actually performs — not just what it costs.

But Star Ratings are widely misunderstood. They are not a ranking, they are not a recommendation, and a higher number does not automatically mean a plan is right for you. Here is what the stars actually measure, how they get published, and how to use them without letting them do your thinking for you.

What the stars actually measure

Star Ratings are CMS's quality scorecard. Medicare Advantage plans with drug coverage are rated on roughly 40 individual measures, and stand-alone Part D drug plans are rated on about a dozen. Those measures fall into a few big buckets:

• Staying healthy: whether members get recommended screenings, vaccines and check-ups.
• Managing chronic conditions: how well the plan supports members with diabetes, heart disease and similar long-term issues.
• Member experience: survey answers about getting care, getting appointments, and how members rate the plan overall.
• Member complaints and plan performance: how often people leave, file complaints, or have problems getting care.
• Customer service: call center performance, appeals handling, and accuracy of information.
• Drug plan measures: medication safety, price accuracy, and how easy it is to fill prescriptions.

Each measure gets its own score, and CMS then combines them into one overall star rating from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent).

What the stars do not measure

This is where a lot of Cleveland Heights readers get tripped up. Star Ratings do not tell you:

• Whether your doctor or hospital is in the plan's network.
• Whether your specific medications are covered, or what tier they fall on.
• How much the plan will cost you personally.
• Whether the plan covers benefits you care about, like dental or a fitness program.

In other words, a plan can earn a strong overall rating and still be a poor fit for one person's prescriptions or preferred providers. A lower-rated plan can be a fine fit for someone else. The stars are about the plan's track record on quality — not about your situation.

How and when ratings are published

CMS calculates Star Ratings each year using data from the prior measurement period — things like member surveys, clinical data reported by plans, and complaint records collected by Medicare. The updated ratings are posted to the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov in early October, ahead of the Annual Enrollment Period that runs October 15 through December 7.

When you look up plans on Plan Finder from a Cleveland Heights ZIP code, the overall star rating appears right next to each plan's name. You can also click through to see the breakdown by category, which is often more useful than the headline number.

Cleveland Heights sits in Cuyahoga County, where Medicare Advantage and Part D plan availability is set at the county level. That means the same slate of rated plans that shows up for a neighbor in Shaker Heights or Lakewood will generally show up for you.

How to actually use Star Ratings when you shop

Think of Star Ratings as one input, not the final answer. A reasonable order of operations:

1. Start with your must-haves. List your doctors, your pharmacy, and every prescription you take with the dose. 2. Filter for fit. On Plan Finder, narrow to plans that cover your drugs and include your providers in network. 3. Then look at the stars. Among plans that pass your fit test, use the ratings to compare quality and member experience. 4. Read the sub-scores. If customer service or drug pricing accuracy matters to you, check those measures specifically rather than only the overall number.

Also worth knowing for 2027: the Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,400, and the maximum Part D deductible is $700. The old coverage-gap "donut hole" is gone — Part D now has three phases. The optional Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs across the calendar year in monthly installments. None of that shows up in a star rating, but all of it affects what you actually pay.

A note on mid-year and 5-star plans

If a 5-star Medicare Advantage or Part D plan is offered in your area, Medicare allows a one-time Special Enrollment Period to switch into it once between December 8 and November 30 of the following year. That is a program rule, not a recommendation — whether it makes sense depends on the same fit questions above.

Where to get personalized help

Star Ratings are public information, and so is the Plan Finder tool. For questions that depend on your own health, drugs or budget, use a source that can look at your full picture:

• Medicare.gov — the official Plan Finder and plan details.
• 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) — 24/7, including TTY at 1-877-486-2048.
• Ohio SHIP (Ohio Senior Health Insurance Information Program) — free, unbiased one-on-one counseling for Ohio residents, including Cuyahoga County.