Medicare star ratings: what they mean and the 5-star window

Medicare rates Medicare Advantage plans and Part D drug plans from 1 to 5 stars, based on quality of care, member experience, complaints and customer service. New ratings come out each October, before Open Enrollment, and show in the Medicare Plan Finder. Medigap policies aren't rated.

How to use them

• Stars are a useful tie-breaker, not the whole picture. A plan still has to include your doctors and cover your drugs at a cost you can manage.
• Look at the parts of the rating that matter to you, like customer service or drug pricing accuracy, not just the overall score.
• New plans may not have a rating yet.

The 5-star Special Enrollment Period

If a Medicare Advantage plan, drug plan or Medicare Cost plan with a 5-star overall rating is available where you live, you can switch to it once between December 8 and November 30 of the following year, outside the usual enrollment windows.

Be careful with drug coverage: if you leave a Medicare Advantage plan that included drugs for a 5-star plan that doesn't, you could lose drug coverage until your next chance to enroll, and may owe a Part D late penalty.

Low ratings

Plans that score below 3 stars for several years in a row are flagged in the Plan Finder with a warning, and members are notified. Take that seriously when comparing.