Helping Medicare Advantage Plans Adjust to Changes in Star Ratings

As the COVID-19 pandemic raged on, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services relaxed how it calculated Medicare Advantage Star ratings for 2021 and 2022. Doing so resulted in a record number of plans last year earning four or more Stars on a five-star scale. In fact, 68% of plans that offered a prescription drug benefit in 2022 garnered four stars, up from 49% in 2021 and 52% in 2020.

That was then. We are in a new normal now. For the 2023 plan year, CMS eliminated most of the COVID-19 flexibilities. That, along with other program changes, led to a precipitous drop in Star ratings —...