2027 Medicare Advantage 5-Star Plans: Complete List, Ratings & Special Enrollment Period

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has released the official 2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D Star Ratings, giving beneficiaries a new quality measure to review before Medicare Open Enrollment begins.

For 2027, only:

15 Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug contracts earned a 5-star overall rating.

That is down from:

22 five-star MA-PD contracts for 2026.

CMS reviewed 508 Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug contracts that will be offered in 2027. Of those:

188 contracts, or about 37%, received 4 stars or higher.

Weighted by current enrollment, however, approximately:

71% of MA-PD enrollees are currently in contracts that will carry 4 or more stars in 2027.

Five-star status matters for another reason beyond quality comparison:

If a 5-star Medicare Advantage, Medicare Cost, or Medicare drug plan is available where you live, Medicare provides a special enrollment opportunity that can let you switch into it outside the normal fall Open Enrollment period.

Here is the complete official list of 5-star MA-PD contracts for 2027, what the ratings mean, and how the 5-Star Special Enrollment Period works.

2027 Medicare Advantage Star Ratings at a Glance

2027 MA-PD Rating	Number of Contracts	Share of Rated Contracts
5 stars	15	2.95%
4.5 stars	65	12.80%
4 stars	108	21.26%
3.5 stars	164	32.28%
3 stars	124	24.41%
2.5 stars	31	6.10%
2 stars	1	0.20%
Total rated	508	100%

The enrollment-weighted average MA-PD rating for 2027 is:

3.99 stars

compared with:

4.01 stars in 2026.

The overall quality distribution therefore declined slightly, even though most current enrollment remains concentrated in contracts rated 4 stars or higher.

Complete List of 2027 Medicare Advantage 5-Star Contracts

CMS lists the following 15 MA-PD contracts as receiving the high-performing 5-star icon for 2027:

Contract ID	Contract Name	Parent Organization	October 2026 Enrollment	Also 5 Stars in 2026?
H0710	Care Improvement Plus South Central Insurance Co.	UnitedHealth Group, Inc.	45,252	No
H1644	Longevity Health Plan of Florida, Inc.	Longevity Health Founders, LLC	818	No
H2292	Care Improvement Plus South Central Insurance Co.	UnitedHealth Group, Inc.	8,859	No
H2960	Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Nevada	Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc.	22,016	No
H4286	Leon Health, Inc.	LMC Family Holdings, LLC	40,630	Yes
H5141	Clover Insurance Company	Clover Health Holdings, Inc.	155,135	No
H5374	Longevity Health Plan of North Carolina, Inc.	Longevity Health Founders, LLC	904	Yes
H5577	MCS Advantage, Inc.	MHH Healthcare, L.P.	360,519	Yes
H5652	Sierra Health and Life Insurance Company, Inc.	UnitedHealth Group, Inc.	6,996	Yes
H5774	Triple S Advantage, Inc.	Guidewell Mutual Holding Corporation	120,943	No
H6988	Anthem HP, LLC	Elevance Health, Inc.	9,636	Yes
H7557	Longevity Health Plan of Michigan, Inc.	Longevity Health Founders, LLC	1,354	No
H8947	Peak Health Insurance Corporation	West Virginia United Health System, Inc.	12,789	No
H9590	Longevity Health Plan of Illinois, Inc.	Longevity Health Founders, LLC	985	Yes
H9942	Longevity Health Plan of New Jersey Insurance Comp.	Longevity Health Founders, LLC	1,126	No

CMS says:

6 of the 15 five-star contracts also had the high-performing icon in 2026.

The remaining nine reached 5-star status for 2027 after not holding that designation the previous year.

Important: A Contract Is Not the Same Thing as Every Plan Sold by an Insurer

This distinction is critical.

CMS Star Ratings are generally assigned at the:

contract level

not simply to an insurer’s entire national Medicare Advantage business.

For example, the fact that one UnitedHealthcare contract earned 5 stars does not mean every UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plan in every state has 5 stars.

Likewise, a company can operate multiple contracts with different ratings.

You should therefore check the exact:

• plan name;
• contract number;
• plan benefit package;
• county; and
• Star Rating

for the specific plan you are considering.

Use the official Medicare Plan Finder to check the plans available at your ZIP code.

What Do Medicare Star Ratings Mean?

CMS publishes Star Ratings every year to help beneficiaries compare the quality and performance of Medicare Advantage and Part D coverage.

Plans receive ratings from:

1 star to 5 stars

with:

5 stars representing excellent performance.

CMS evaluates MA-PD contracts using up to:

43 quality and performance measures

for the 2027 ratings.

MA-only contracts can be rated on up to 32 measures, while standalone Part D contracts can be rated on up to 13 measures.

What Does CMS Measure?

Medicare Advantage Star Ratings can reflect areas such as:

• staying healthy;
• managing chronic conditions;
• member experience;
• customer service;
• complaints;
• appeals;
• medication adherence;
• drug safety;
• preventive care; and
• health outcomes.

CMS converts performance on individual measures into star values and ultimately an overall contract rating.

Why 5-Star Medicare Advantage Plans Matter

Five-star plans receive special attention for two reasons.

1. They represent CMS’s highest overall quality rating

A 5-star rating indicates strong performance across the measures CMS uses for that contract.

2. They can create a Special Enrollment Period

Medicare provides a special enrollment opportunity allowing beneficiaries to switch into an available 5-star plan outside normal fall Open Enrollment.

This is called the:

5-Star Special Enrollment Period.

How the 5-Star Special Enrollment Period Works

Medicare currently says you can use the 5-Star Special Enrollment Period:

once between December 8 and November 30 of the following year.

For 2027 coverage, this generally means a beneficiary can use the special opportunity once between:

December 8, 2026

and:

November 30, 2027.

The 5-star plan must be available in your service area.

What Can You Switch Into?

Depending on availability, Medicare’s 5-Star Special Enrollment Period can be used to switch into a:

• 5-star Medicare Advantage plan;
• 5-star Medicare Cost plan; or
• 5-star Medicare prescription drug plan.

However, no standalone Part D contract earned 5 stars in CMS’s 2027 Star Ratings.

CMS reports:

0 five-star standalone PDP contracts for 2027.

Therefore, the practical 2027 5-star opportunity is concentrated in qualifying Medicare Advantage/MA-PD options and any other eligible 5-star coverage available locally.

You Can Use the 5-Star SEP Only Once

This is not a monthly switching privilege.

Medicare says the 5-Star SEP can generally be used:

one time

during the December 8 through November 30 window.

Do not use it casually.

Before switching, verify that the new plan meets your health-care and prescription-drug needs.

Be Careful About Drug Coverage

Medicare specifically warns beneficiaries about drug coverage when using the 5-Star SEP.

For example, if you move from a Medicare Advantage plan that includes prescription-drug coverage to a 5-star Medicare Advantage plan that:

does not include drug coverage

you can lose your Medicare drug coverage.

You may then have to wait until another enrollment opportunity to get Part D coverage and could potentially face a late-enrollment penalty.

Likewise, joining a stand-alone Medicare drug plan from an MA-PD plan can cause you to be disenrolled from Medicare Advantage and returned to Original Medicare.

Always verify the consequences before submitting an enrollment change.

Does a 5-Star Rating Mean It Is the Best Plan for You?

No.

A 5-star rating is an important quality signal.

But it does not mean the plan automatically has:

• your doctors;
• your hospital;
• your medications;
• the lowest premium;
• the lowest copayments;
• the lowest annual out-of-pocket maximum; or
• the best benefits for your individual needs.

A 4-star plan with your doctors and medications could be substantially better for you than a 5-star plan with the wrong provider network.

What to Check Before Joining a 5-Star Plan

Feature	What to Verify
Doctors	Are your primary doctor and specialists in-network?
Hospitals	Are the hospitals you use included?
Drugs	Are all your prescriptions covered?
Drug tiers	What copays or coinsurance apply?
Premium	What is the plan premium in addition to Part B?
Medical copays	What do office visits, tests and hospital stays cost?
Maximum out-of-pocket	What is the annual medical spending limit?
Prior authorization	Which services require approval?
Travel	How does coverage work outside your local network?
Extra benefits	What are the real limits on dental, vision and hearing?

2027 5-Star Plans vs. 2026

Five-star status became less common for 2027.

Rating Year	5-Star MA-PD Contracts
2025	9
2026	22
2027	15

Change from 2026 to 2027:

15 − 22 = −7 contracts

Percentage decline:

7 ÷ 22 × 100 ≈ 31.8%

So the number of 5-star MA-PD contracts fell by approximately:

32%

year over year.

Only 37% of MA-PD Contracts Earned 4 Stars or More

CMS reports:

188 of 508 rated MA-PD contracts

earned:

4 stars or higher.

That equals approximately:

37%

of rated contracts.

But those higher-rated contracts contain a disproportionately large share of enrollment.

CMS says approximately:

71% of current MA-PD enrollees

are enrolled in contracts that will have 4 stars or higher in 2027.

The Average Rating Slipped Slightly

The enrollment-weighted average MA-PD rating was:

4.01 in 2026

and:

3.99 in 2027.

This is a relatively small numerical decline, but the distribution shifted.

CMS had:

89 contracts rated 4.5 stars in 2026

versus:

65 in 2027.

Five-star contracts also fell from 22 to 15.

Nonprofit vs. For-Profit Medicare Plans

CMS says nonprofit MA-PD contracts were more likely to receive higher ratings.

For 2027:

about 44% of nonprofit MA-PD contracts earned 4 stars or more

compared with:

about 34% of for-profit contracts.

However, 14 of the 15 five-star MA-PD contracts were operated by for-profit organizations under CMS’s tax-status classification.

Four Contracts Received the Low-Performing Icon

CMS also identifies contracts with a:

low-performing icon

when they meet the agency’s criteria for consistently low quality.

Four MA-PD contracts received the low-performing icon for 2027.

They are:

Contract ID	Contract Name	Parent Organization
H3814	Atrio Health Plans	ATRIO Health Plans
H4982	Aetna Better Health of California Inc.	CVS Health Corporation
H7389	HealthSpring Life & Health Insurance Company, Inc.	Health Care Service Corporation
H9066	Visiting Nurse Association of Central New York	Visiting Nurse Association of Central New York

Medicare provides a separate Special Enrollment Period for beneficiaries in plans that have received a rating of less than 3 stars for the last three years.

Check Medicare’s official enrollment rules before making a change.

2027 Star Ratings Arrive Just Before Open Enrollment

CMS released the 2027 Star Ratings on:

October 8, 2026.

Medicare Open Enrollment begins:

October 15, 2026

and ends:

December 7, 2026.

The ratings are already displayed in Medicare Plan Finder for people comparing 2027 coverage.

For a complete shopping checklist, see our Medicare Open Enrollment 2027 guide.

What If Your Current Medicare Advantage Plan Is Ending?

The Star Ratings release is especially important this year because some beneficiaries need to replace plans that will not return in 2027.

If your plan is being discontinued, your decision is broader than simply finding the highest-rated replacement.

You need to compare:

• replacement Medicare Advantage plans;
• Original Medicare;
• Part D;
• Medigap rights; and
• Special Enrollment Period deadlines.

See our Medicare Advantage Plan Ending in 2027 guide for the complete process.

2027 Medicare Advantage Market Changes

CMS projects approximately:

5,532 Medicare Advantage plans

nationally for 2027.

Although national availability remains broad, insurers are changing local footprints, networks and plan portfolios.

For a broader overview, see our Medicare Advantage 2027 Changes guide.

Don’t Forget Prescription Drug Costs

Many 5-star contracts include Part D coverage.

But high quality does not mean every prescription will be inexpensive.

For 2027, the defined-standard Part D deductible is:

$700

and the defined-standard out-of-pocket threshold is:

$2,400.

Check each drug’s:

• formulary status;
• tier;
• copayment or coinsurance;
• prior authorization;
• step therapy; and
• preferred pharmacy pricing.

See our Medicare Part D 2027 guide.

Does IRMAA Change Because a Plan Has 5 Stars?

No.

Medicare’s Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount is based on income—not Star Ratings.

A beneficiary can join a 5-star plan and still owe:

• Part B IRMAA; and
• Part D IRMAA

if income exceeds the applicable thresholds.

For current estimates, see our 2027 Medicare IRMAA Brackets guide.

Should You Switch From a 4-Star Plan to a 5-Star Plan?

Not automatically.

Consider this example.

Your current 4-star plan:

• includes your cardiologist;
• includes your hospital;
• covers every prescription;
• has a $0 premium; and
• has predictable copayments.

A nearby 5-star plan:

• does not include your cardiologist;
• puts one medication on a more expensive tier; and
• has a higher hospital copayment.

The 4-star plan could still be a better personal choice.

Star Ratings should inform the decision—not make the decision by themselves.

How to Find a 5-Star Plan Near You

The 15 contracts above are not necessarily available everywhere.

To see what is available to you:

1. Go to Medicare Plan Finder.
2. Enter your ZIP code.
3. Add your prescriptions if comparing drug coverage.
4. Review Medicare Advantage plans.
5. Check each plan’s 2027 overall Star Rating.
6. Confirm provider networks directly.
7. Compare estimated annual cost.

Use the official Medicare Plan Finder.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Medicare Advantage plans received 5 stars for 2027?

CMS says 15 MA-PD contracts received the 5-star high-performing icon for 2027.

How many received 5 stars in 2026?

There were 22 five-star MA-PD contracts for 2026.

Can I join a 5-star Medicare Advantage plan outside Open Enrollment?

If an eligible 5-star plan is available in your area, Medicare provides a 5-Star Special Enrollment Period that can generally be used once between December 8 and November 30 of the following year.

Can I use the 5-Star Special Enrollment Period more than once?

No. Medicare says it can generally be used only once during the applicable period.

Does every UnitedHealthcare plan have 5 stars because some UnitedHealthcare contracts are on the list?

No. Ratings apply to specific contracts. Always check the exact plan and contract offered in your area.

Are there any 5-star standalone Part D plans for 2027?

CMS reports zero standalone PDP contracts with a 5-star Part D rating for 2027.

What percentage of Medicare Advantage contracts have at least 4 stars?

Approximately 37% of MA-PD contracts being offered in 2027 earned 4 stars or higher.

What percentage of members are currently in 4-star or higher contracts?

Weighted by enrollment, CMS says approximately 71% of current MA-PD enrollees are in contracts that will have 4 or more stars in 2027.

Is a 5-star plan always the best Medicare Advantage plan?

No. Provider networks, prescription coverage, premiums, copays, prior authorization and total annual costs also matter.

When is Medicare Open Enrollment for 2027?

It runs from October 15 through December 7, 2026.

Bottom Line

CMS has officially released the 2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D Star Ratings.

The headline number is:

15 MA-PD contracts earned 5 stars for 2027.

That is down from:

22 in 2026.

Only:

37% of rated MA-PD contracts

earned 4 stars or more, although approximately:

71% of current enrollment

is concentrated in contracts that will carry 4+ stars.

If a 5-star plan is available where you live, the rating can give you an additional enrollment opportunity through Medicare’s 5-Star Special Enrollment Period.

But do not choose a plan solely because it has five stars.

Before enrolling, verify:

• your doctors;
• your hospitals;
• your prescriptions;
• your total annual costs;
• your out-of-pocket maximum; and
• the exact benefits available in your county.

The best Medicare plan is not necessarily the plan with the biggest number beside its name.

It is the plan that provides the best combination of quality, access, drug coverage and cost for your own health-care needs.

Related Reading on Elite Era Trends

• Medicare Advantage Plan Ending in 2027? What to Do
• Medicare Advantage 2027 Changes
• Medicare Open Enrollment 2027: Dates & Checklist
• Medicare Part D 2027 Costs
• 2027 Medicare IRMAA Brackets
• 2027 Retirement Guide