How your Medicare plan is (or isn’t) like a 5-star hotel

You’ve probably looked at a star rating when searching for a top-notch hotel, but what about your health plan? Medicare plans have ratings, too!

When I plan vacations, I usually look at a hotel’s star rating to help me decide where to stay. When I want exceptional service, a fantastic location and amenities that can’t be beat, I know to look for a hotel with a 5-star rating.

If you’ve been researching Medicare plans, you might have noticed that some promote their Medicare Star Rating. Like hotels, Medicare plans are rated on a scale of one to five stars, with five being the highest rating a plan can get. These quality ratings are given by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and are based on a plan’s overall performance in more than 40 areas across nine general categories. Plans with a 5-star rating provide top-notch care and timely service, so you can focus on doing more of what you love.


If you’re already enrolled in Medicare, you can switch to a 5-star Medicare Advantage Plan, Medicare Cost Plan, or Medicare Prescription Drug Plan once from Dec. 8–Nov. 30.

Just as more stars mean a higher quality hotel, Medicare Star Ratings give you an idea of how well a Medicare plan does at putting its members’ health and experience first. Here are just a few examples of the ratings:


Getting five stars is pretty rare. For 2018, only 26 Medicare plans in the whole country got the 5-star rating. You can find out more about the Medicare Star Ratings here. And when you’re shopping for a Medicare plan and want the best, just look for that star rating to guide you.