Medicare Advantage

How CMS Publishes Medicare Star Ratings for Texarkana

TEXARKANA, Texas — As fall approaches, Medicare's annual refresh of its Star Ratings is once again drawing attention from older adults preparing for the enrollment window that opens Oct. 15. The ratings, published each year by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), are one of the few standardized tools shoppers have to compare Medicare Advantage and Part D drug plans side by side — and understanding what they actually measure can save a lot of guesswork before Dec. 7.

Here in Texarkana, where many neighbors sort through their yearly notice of changes over morning coffee, the ratings often come up in conversation. Let's walk through what they are, what they aren't, and where to find them.

What the Star Ratings actually measure

Medicare's Star Ratings run on a 1-to-5 scale, with 5 stars considered excellent and 1 star considered poor. CMS updates them once a year, and they apply to Medicare Advantage plans (Part C) and stand-alone Part D prescription drug plans.

The ratings pull from dozens of quality measures grouped into a few broad areas:

• Staying healthy — how often plans help members get screenings, vaccines, and check-ups.
• Managing chronic conditions — how well plans support people with diabetes, heart disease, and other ongoing needs.
• Member experience — survey feedback on how satisfied members are.
• Member complaints and plan performance — how often people leave the plan, and how issues get resolved.
• Customer service — how the plan handles appeals, calls, and information requests.

For Part D specifically, the ratings also look at drug pricing accuracy and safe medication practices.

When and where they're published

CMS releases the new Star Ratings each fall, typically in early to mid-October — just ahead of the Annual Enrollment Period, which runs Oct. 15 through Dec. 7. That timing is intentional: it gives people a fresh snapshot before they choose or switch plans.

You can look them up on the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov, where each plan available in your area displays its overall star rating along with the underlying category scores.

Why the ratings matter this year

The 2027 plan year continues the Part D changes that took effect in 2026, making quality comparisons more useful than ever:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 for 2026.
• The Part D deductible maxes out at $615.
• The old coverage gap (the "donut hole") is gone — Part D now has three phases instead of four.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread your drug costs across the calendar year in monthly payments if you choose.
• IRMAA surcharges — the extra amounts higher-income beneficiaries pay for Part B and Part D — begin above $109,000 in income for a single filer.

Because drug coverage is changing, the customer-service and pricing-accuracy measures inside the Star Ratings can be especially telling this fall.

A local snapshot for Texarkana

Texarkana sits in Bowie County, and Medicare Advantage and Part D availability is set at the county level. That means the plans, carriers, and star ratings you see on Plan Finder for a Texarkana ZIP code reflect what CMS has approved for Bowie County as a whole — not just the city limits. Neighbors across the state line in Miller County, Arkansas, will see a different lineup, even if they shop at the same grocery store.

When you compare plans, make sure your ZIP code and county are correct on medicare.gov before you look at any ratings.

What Star Ratings are not

This is where a lot of confusion creeps in. Star Ratings are a quality signal, not a personalized recommendation. A 4-star plan that doesn't cover your prescriptions or include your doctor may serve you worse than a lower-rated plan that does. The ratings also don't tell you:

• Whether your specific medications are on the formulary.
• Whether your primary care doctor or preferred hospital is in the network.
• What your total yearly out-of-pocket costs will be.

Think of the stars as one data point among several — helpful, but not the whole story.

How to use the ratings during enrollment

A practical approach during Oct. 15–Dec. 7:

1. Log in or create an account at medicare.gov and enter your ZIP code and current medications. 2. Look at the plans available in Bowie County and note the overall star rating for each. 3. Check the details — formulary, pharmacy network, provider network — before comparing costs. 4. Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) if something on Plan Finder doesn't match what you're seeing elsewhere. 5. For free, unbiased one-on-one help, contact your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) — in Texas, that's the Texas Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP).