Medicare Advantage plans are health insurance plans offered by private companies that contract with Medicare to provide coverage for hospital, medical, and prescription drug costs. Medicare Advantage plans are rated by Medicare.gov based on their quality and performance across five categories: screening tests and vaccines, management of chronic conditions, member experience with the plan, member complaints and changes in plan performance, and customer service. The rating system uses a scale of one to five stars, with one star being the lowest and five stars being the highest. A 5-star Medicare Advantage plan is considered an excellent plan that has good customer satisfaction, provides access to needed care, and improves health outcomes for its members.
If a 5-star Medicare Advantage plan is available in your area, you can switch to it at any time by using a special enrollment period that lasts from December 8 to November 30 of the following year. You can only use this special enrollment period once per year. For 2023, there are 73 health plans that earned 5 stars, up from 21 in 2021. Some of the major providers of 5-star plans are UnitedHealthcare, Humana, Kaiser Permanente, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Cigna. The average cost of a 5-star plan with prescription drug coverage is $49 per month, but some plans may have $0 premiums.
If you are interested in a 5-star Medicare Advantage plans in your area, please call Karla at 425-256-3004!
