The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) created the Star Ratings system to help Medicare beneficiaries, their families, and caregivers compare the quality of care provided by Medicare Advantage (MA) plans and Medicare Part D prescription drug plans. Each year, CMS assigns star ratings to MA and Part D plans based on their performance on a set of quality measures. The overall star rating for an MA or Part D plan is a summary measure that reflects the plan’s performance across all of the quality measures.
The Star Ratings system is important because it helps beneficiaries make informed decisions about their health insurance coverage. Beneficiaries can use the star ratings to compare the quality of MA and Part D plans in their area and choose the plan that best meets their needs. The star ratings can also help beneficiaries identify plans that are improving or declining in quality over time.