Medicare Blog

what are the medicare star ratings?

by Emmanuelle Kovacek Published 2 years ago Updated 1 year ago
image

CMS Star Ratings for 2022

Contract Name Parent Organization Enrollees as of 10/2021 5 Stars (2021)
Sierra Health & Life Insurance Company, ... UnitedHealth Group, Inc. 1,524,329 No
Kaiser Foundation HP, Inc. Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. 1,295,548 Yes
HealthSpring of Florida, Inc. Cigna 61,020 Yes
Blue Care Network of Michigan Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Mutua ... 91,548 No
Jun 14 2022

Full Answer

What do those Medicare star ratings mean?

What Medicare star ratings mean A Medicare star rating is a plan’s overall performance and quality score that's calculated across a wide range of criteria including customer satisfaction, access to health care and the rate of receiving preventative care.

What does a 5-star Medicare rating mean?

A 5-star rating is the highest rating or considered "excellent." The star rating is defined as the overall rating of plan quality and performance. Star ratings are calculated each year and may change from one year to the next. For 2021 Star Ratings a total of 28 Medicare plans earned 5 stars.

What do the Medicare nursing home star ratings mean?

The overall star rating for nursing homes lets you compare nursing homes on topics you consider most important, and gives you a “snapshot” of the quality of each nursing home. The rating, between 1 to 5 stars, combines results and data from 3 important sources, including:

Do new Medicare plans have star ratings?

Star Ratings are also awarded for various discrete aspects of Medicare Part D and Medicare Advantage plans. New Medicare Part D or Medicare Advantage plans naturally do not have any historical information, so they will not have any Star or quality ratings for the first year.

image

What are star ratings in Medicare?

Medicare uses a Star Rating System to measure how well Medicare Advantage and Part D plans perform. Medicare scores how well plans perform in several categories, including quality of care and customer service. Ratings range from one to five stars, with five being the highest and one being the lowest.

What Medicare has a 5-star rating?

The 21 health plans earning 5 stars include KelseyCare Advantage, Kaiser Permanente, UnitedHealthcare, CarePlus by Humana, Tufts Health Plan, Health Partners, Capital District Physicians' Health Plan, Quartz Medicare Advantage of Wisconsin, Cigna, Health Sun - Anthem, BCBS - Health Now New York and Martins Point.

What are star ratings important to Medicare Advantage plans?

Medicare star ratings are important because they give you an idea about which plans in your area have the highest satisfaction ratings. Star ratings only pertain to Medicare Advantage and Part D plans. For both types of coverage, the ratings provide a way to compare your plan options beyond their cost.

What is the 5-star rating system?

The Five-Star Quality Rating System is a tool to help consumers select and compare skilled nursing care centers. Created by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in 2008, the rating system uses information from Health Care Surveys (both standard and complaint), Quality Measures, and Staffing.

What are the top 3 most popular Medicare supplement plans in 2021?

Three Popular Medicare Supplement PlansBlue Cross Blue Shield. According to Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS), Plans F and N are available in most areas. ... AARP United Healthcare. The United Healthcare Medicare Supplement plan is also very popular. ... Humana.

Who has the highest rated Medicare Advantage plan?

Blue Cross Blue Shield, Humana and United Healthcare earn the highest rankings among the national carriers in many states. Overall, Aetna Medicare ranks the best in the most (23) states. That said, there is no single “best plan.” Your needs and preferences will determine the best choice for you.

What states have 5-star Medicare Advantage plans?

States where 5-star Medicare Advantage plans are available:Alabama.Arizona.California.Colorado.Florida.Georgia.Hawaii.Idaho.More items...•

How do star ratings work?

Summary star ratings are an average of a provider's question level star ratings. Patient star ratings are calculated by dividing the patient's aggregate mean score by 20. For clients using only one question in the patient star rating, the star rating would simply be the individual question score, divided by 20.

What is the purpose of star ratings?

Star rating is a method of grading accommodation to help customers make a choice that best suits their needs and budget. The rating system was introduced initially for hotels by motoring organisations like the AA (Automobile Association) and RAC (Royal Automobile Association) as early as 1912.

Is 3 stars a good rating?

Three stars meant 'excellent,' two 'good,' and one star meant 'mediocre. ' And no stars at all 'means the picture's right bad,'" wrote Thirer. Carl Bialik speculates that this may have been the first time a film critic used a star-rating system to grade movies.

What is the best rating system?

The four-point rating scale. Many organizations have used the standard three-point rating scale. However, in our research looking at the distribution of performance responses, we have found that a 4-point rating scale is often the best option to go for.

What are the types of rating scale?

When conducting an survey, there are four types of rating scales that can be used effectively:Graphic rating scale.Numerical rating scale.Descriptive rating scale.Comparative rating scale.

Key Takeaways

Medicare Star Ratings were developed to give people more information to consider when choosing a health or prescription drug plan.

Let's keep in touch

Subscribe to receive important updates from NCOA about programs, benefits, and services for people like you.

What Are Medicare Star Ratings?

Medicare star ratings are an objective way for consumers to compare private Medicare Advantage plans and Medicare Part D prescription drug plans based on quality and performance.

CMS Star Ratings for 2022

The overall star ratings for Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans (MA-PD) have improved in recent years. According to CMS, about 68% of MA-PD plans earned four stars or higher in 2022 — a 19% increase from 2021.

What Do Medicare Star Ratings Measure?

Medicare Advantage plans and Part D plans are measured differently within the star rating system. But each plan rates various measures within the following categories:

How To Find a 5-Star CMS Health Plan

You can use CMS’s plan finder tool or call 1-800-MEDICARE to compare ratings and find the best plans in your area. Since plan quality ratings are updated every year, be sure to check the most up-to-date ratings for a more accurate comparison.

What Is the 5-Star Special Enrollment Period?

The 5-star special enrollment period allows you a one-time opportunity to switch to a 5-star plan in your service area between December 8 and November 30.

Top 5-star Medicare Advantage plans

Medicare Advantage plans with five stars are top-tier plans that are considered "excellent" by the Medicare's administering agency, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

5-star special enrollment period

If a 5-star plan is available in your location, you qualify for a 5-star special enrollment period (SEP) that allows you to switch to a 5-star plan at any time during the year.

How Medicare star ratings are calculated

Each Medicare plan's overall star rating is a weighted average of several different data points. This means it's a robust measurement that can help you understand which are the best-performing Medicare plans in your area.

Frequently asked questions

Medicare star ratings are calculated using 40 criteria across Part C and Part D coverage. This includes survey data about member satisfaction, calculations about the number of complaints, outcomes such as how often those with diabetes fill their prescriptions and more.

Methodology

Data and analysis is based on Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) public use files, fact sheets and technical notes. Medicare Advantage analysis only includes plans that include prescription drug coverage and excludes employer-sponsored plans, special needs plans, PACE plans, sanctioned plans and health care prepayment plans (HCPPs).

What does it mean when your Medicare rating is lower?

Instead, a lower rating simply means that there may be better options available.

What does higher star rating mean?

Higher star ratings mean that a provider has either gone above and beyond the standard or that patient satisfaction is far greater for that provider compared to others.

What are the criteria used to measure quality?

The criteria used to measure quality include things like patient experience, but the ratings are also based on performance when measured against time. This means that things like readmission rates at hospitals, timeliness of care, and efficient use of medical imaging are all contributing factors to the facility’s overall star rating.

image
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9