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The only Medicare Advantage plans rated 5 stars for 2027

These Medicare Advantage 5-star plans for 2027 are the five largest by Sept. 1 enrollment among the 15 contracts CMS gave its top rating

Only 15 Medicare Advantage contracts earned five stars in the 2027 star ratings released Oct. 8 by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). A year earlier, 22 contracts reached that mark. The smaller roster of Medicare Advantage 5-star plans for 2027 arrived alongside a broader slip in ratings across the program.

CMS rated 508 contracts for 2027. Of those, 188, or 37%, earned four stars or higher. For 2026, about 44% of contracts cleared that bar. The share of members in highly rated plans is larger. Roughly 71% of Medicare Advantage enrollees belong to contracts rated four stars or higher for 2027.

The enrollment-weighted average star rating for Medicare Advantage is 3.99 for 2027, down from 4.01 for 2026. It was 3.95 for 2025 and 4.07 for 2024. That puts the 2027 average above the 2025 figure but below the 2024 one.

Ownership shows a split. About 44% of contracts held by nonprofit insurers earned four stars or higher for 2027, compared with 34% of for-profit plans. The five-star tier tilts the other way. CMS reported that 14 of the 15 five-star contracts belong to for-profit carriers.

The 2027 ratings reflect two methodology changes. The agency added two Part D measures. One looks at concurrent use of opioids and benzodiazepines. The other looks at older adults taking multiple anticholinergic drugs. CMS also tripled the weight of two measures that track whether members' physical and mental health improve or stay stable.

Standalone prescription drug coverage had no top scorers this cycle. No standalone Part D plan earned five stars for 2027, compared with two........

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