Medicare Advantage Star Ratings — How to Use Them
What CMS stars measure and what they do not replace.
Stars are a quality signal
CMS publishes star ratings for Advantage and Part D plans based on clinical and customer-experience measures. Higher stars can indicate better measured quality.
Stars do not guarantee your doctors are in-network or your drugs are cheap — still verify both.
Use stars as one input
Combine stars with total cost estimates, network checks, and drug reviews on Medicare.gov.
Ratings can change yearly; do not rely on last year's marketing alone.
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Frequently asked questions
- Do higher stars mean lower premiums?
- Not necessarily. Compare total costs and benefits.
- Are stars available for Medigap?
- Star ratings apply to Advantage/Part D, not Medigap letters.
Sources
- Medicare.gov — the official U.S. government Medicare site · reviewed 2026-01-15
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) · reviewed 2026-01-15
- OLYRON HealthMatch editorial methodology — how we source and rate options · reviewed 2026-01-15