Medicare Advantage plans with 5 stars in 2027
Fifteen Medicare Advantage plans earned five-star ratings for 2027, down from 22 last year.
CMS released the ratings Oct. 8. Of the 508 contracts that were rated, 188 (37%) earned four stars or higher, compared with about 44% in 2026. About 71% of MA enrollees are currently in contracts that will have four or more stars in 2027.
The enrollment-weighted average MA star rating was 3.99 this year, compared with 4.01 in 2026, 3.95 in 2025 and 4.07 in 2024.
Nonprofit insurers were more likely to earn four stars or higher, at about 44% compared with 34% of for-profit plans. Still, CMS reported that 14 of the 15 five-star contracts are from for-profit carriers.
CMS added two Part D measures for 2027, one tracking concurrent use of opioids and benzodiazepines and one tracking use of multiple anticholinergic medications in older adults.
The agency also tripled the weight of two measures on improving or maintaining physical and mental health. No standalone Part D plan earned five stars this year, compared with two in 2026.
Here are the 15 MA contracts that earned five stars for 2027:
| Contract | Insurer | States available | Enrollment as of Sept. 1 |
| H0710 | UnitedHealthcare | 27 states and D.C. | 45,252 |
| H2292 | UnitedHealthcare | New York | 8,859 |
| H5652 | UnitedHealthcare | Pennsylvania | 6,996 |
| H1644 | Longevity Health Plan | Florida | 818 |
| H5374 | Longevity Health Plan | North Carolina | 904 |
| H7557 | Longevity Health Plan | Michigan | 1,354 |
| H9590 | Longevity Health Plan | Illinois | 985 |
| H9942 | Longevity Health Plan | New Jersey | 1,126 |
| H6988 | Anthem (Elevance Health) | New York | 9,636 |
| H2960 | Kaiser Permanente | Nevada | 22,016 |
| H4286 | Leon Health (LMC Family Holdings) | Florida | 40,630 |
| H5141 | Clover Health | Georgia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas | 155,135 |
| H5577 | MCS Advantage (MHH Healthcare) | Puerto Rico | 360,519 |
| H5774 | Triple S Advantage (GuideWell) | Puerto Rico | 120,943 |
| H8947 | Peak Health (WVU Health, Marshall Health, and Valley Health) | Pennsylvania, West Virginia | 12,789 |
Medicare Advantage plans with 2.5 stars or lower in 2027
Thirty-two Medicare Advantage contracts received 2.5 stars or lower in CMS’ 2027 star ratings, up from 23 last year.
The agency released the ratings Oct. 8, which will determine quality bonus payments for 2028. The enrollment-weighted average MA star rating was 3.99, compared with 4.01 in 2026. Contracts that received five stars are here.
Thirty-one contracts received 2.5 stars and just one received two stars, the lowest rating this year. As of Sept. 1, the 32 contracts had a combined enrollment of more than 285,000 people. Together they account for about 6% of the 508 rated MA contracts and less than 1% of total MA enrollment.
Newer contracts were more likely to fall to 2.5 stars or below, and for-profit insurers hold 28 of the 32 lowest-performing contracts.
Four of the contracts rated 2.5 stars will not offer individual MA coverage in 2027 and are not listed below. Centene’s Oklahoma contract and an HCSC contract that covered Kansas and Missouri are ending their individual plans, while contracts from Blue Shield of California and HCSC did not offer individual plans in 2026 either.
Here are the MA plans rated 2.5 stars or below for 2027:
| Contract | Insurer | 2027 star rating | States available | Enrollment as of Sept. 1 |
| H5163 | Verda Health Plan | 2 | Texas | 3,889 |
| H3814, H6743, H7006 | ATRIO Health Plans | 2.5 | Oregon | 33,544 combined |
| H3810 | AllCare Advantage | 2.5 | Oregon | 2,443 |
| H4982 | Aetna | 2.5 | California | 9,451 |
| H9431 | Aetna | 2.5 | North Dakota | 676 |
| H7379 | CareFirst BCBS | 2.5 | Maryland, D.C. | 47,293 |
| H0029 | Wellcare (Centene) | 2.5 | Washington | 31,715 |
| H1215 | Wellcare (Centene) | 2.5 | Nebraska | 2,923 |
| H1862 | Wellcare (Centene) | 2.5 | Iowa | 13,020 |
| H2174 | Wellcare (Centene) | 2.5 | Oregon | 4,700 |
| H4661 | Wellcare (Centene) | 2.5 | Delaware | 3,901 |
| H6348 | Wellcare (Centene) | 2.5 | Indiana | 5,999 |
| H6550 | Wellcare (Centene) | 2.5 | Kansas | 2,088 |
| H4733 | Community Health Group | 2.5 | California | 10,177 |
| H6316 | Healthy Blue (Elevance) | 2.5 | Kansas | 3,369 |
| H2694 | eternalHealth | 2.5 | Massachusetts | 5,968 |
| H3551 | eternalHealth | 2.5 | Arizona | 2,386 |
| H1526 | Gold Kidney Health Plan | 2.5 | Florida | 2,875 |
| H4869 | Gold Kidney Health Plan | 2.5 | Arizona | 5,830 |
| H0672 | HealthSpring (HCSC) | 2.5 | Kentucky, New Mexico, Ohio | 26,242 |
| H1722 | Healthfirst | 2.5 | New York | 1,935 |
| H7710 | Highmark BCBS | 2.5 | Delaware | 4,477 |
| H8176 | Molina Healthcare | 2.5 | South Carolina | 3,141 |
| H3124 | Jefferson Health Plans | 2.5 | New Jersey | 942 |
| H6158 | Arkansas BCBS | 2.5 | Arkansas | 4,866 |
| H5435 | UnitedHealthcare | 2.5 | Kansas, Montana | 1,436 |
CDC Monitors Travelers from Russia Amid Suspected Plague Case
The CDC has implemented measures to identify and assess travelers from the Russian region where a woman may have died from pneumonic plague, ABC News reported Oct. 8.
The agency said about 200 travelers from that region come to the U.S. each year, and enter the country through airports where CDC staff are already positioned. Currently, no do-not-board orders are in place.
CDC Director Erica Schwartz, MD, said the threat to the U.S. is “extremely low,” and that the agency is “well positioned to make sure that we are protected from a potential threat.”
“We are working with Department of Homeland Security, working [with] Department of State, Department of War and other agencies within the government to make sure that we know exactly if anyone from that area comes into the United States,” Dr. Schwartz said Oct. 6 at the The Wall Street Journal’s The Future of Health event in Washington, D.C.
The World Health Organization said it does not have enough information from Russian authorities to conduct a full risk assessment of the death. Russian officials told WHO that there was no recently reported case of plague in the region, and that about 200 contacts had been placed in quarantine.
The incident occurred at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia. A 28-year-old female lab technician was diagnosed with pneumonia of “unknown” origin, according to Rospotrebnadzor, Russia’s infectious disease agency. Initial reports indicated the illness could have been caused by Yersinia pestis, the bacterium that causes plague.
The cause of death has not been confirmed, and Russian officials now say the woman died of pneumonia unrelated to her work.
