CMS released 2018 Star Ratings for Medicare Advantage and Part D plans, with approximately 73 percent of all Medicare Advantage enrollees with prescription drug coverage enrolled in a plan earning an overall rating of four stars or higher.
The star ratings measure Medicare Advantage and Part D plan quality and determine Medicare Advantage quality bonus payments. This year, no plan will receive a low performance denotation for the first time since CMS began measuring plans with consistently low performance for at least three years in a row.
Below are the 23 plans receiving a five-star rating, the highest possible, in alphabetical order.
Medicare Advantage with prescription drug coverage
Anthem Health Plans of New Hampshire (Manchester)
Enrollment: 2,003
Service area: Nonemployer group plans in 41 Georgia counties, 46 counties in Kentucky and five counties in New Hampshire; employer group plans in most of the U.S.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield Of Minnesota (Eagan)
Enrollment: 251,069
Service area: 87 counties in Minnesota
Capital District Physicians' Health Plan (Albany, N.Y.)
Enrollment: 3,954
Service area: 62 counties in New York state
Dean Health Plan (Madison, Wis.)
Enrollment: 2,517
Service area: Seven Wisconsin counties
Gundersen Health Plan (Onalaska, Wis.)
Enrollment: 14,827
Service area: Five counties in Iowa, 14 counties in Wisconsin
Healthsun Health Plans (Coconut Grove, Fla.)
Enrollment: 39,534
Service area: Two counties in Florida
Kaiser Foundation Health Plan (Honolulu)
Enrollment: 31,427
Service area: Three counties in Hawaii
Kaiser Foundation Health Plan (Oakland, Calif.)
Enrollment: 1.1 million
Service area: 31 counties in California
Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Colorado (Denver)
Enrollment: 108,915
Service area: 17 counties in Colorado
Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic States (Rockville, Md.)
Enrollment: 73,415
Service area: District of Columbia, 11 counties in Maryland, nine counties in Virginia
Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Northwest (Portland, Ore.)
Enrollment: 89,048
Service area: Nonemployer group plans in nine Oregon counties and four counties in Washington; employer group plans in one Oregon county and one Washington county
KS Plan Administrators (Pearland, Texas); offers KelseyCare Advantage
Enrollment: 31,481
Service area: Nonemployer group plans in four counties in Texas; employer group plans in 251 Texas counties
Optimum Healthcare (Tampa, Fla.)
Enrollment: 53,203
Service area: 25 counties in Florida
Providence Health Assurance (Portland, Ore.)
Enrollment: 52,895
Service area: 15 counties in Oregon and three counties in Washington state
Tufts Associated Health Maintenance Organization (Watertown, Mass.)
Enrollment: 101,005
Service area: 10 counties in Massachusetts
Medicare Advantage only
Medical Associates Clinic Health Plan (Dubuque, Iowa)
Enrollment: 3,460
Service area: Four counties in Wisconsin
Standalone prescription drug plans
Anthem (Indianapolis) and Blue Cross Blue Shield plans of Massachusetts (Boston); Rhode Island (Providence); Vermont (Montpelier)
Enrollment: 165,585
Service area: Nonemployer group plans in one region in central New England; employer group plans in 37 regions
Dean Health Insurance (Madison)
Enrollment: 40,407
Service area: 35 regions
Excellus Health Plan (Rochester, N.Y.)
Enrollment: 8,644
Service areas: 39 regions
Health Alliance Medical Plans (Urbana, Ill.)
Enrollment: 704
Service area: 39 regions
HealthPartners (Bloomington, Minn.)
Enrollment: 1,350
Service area: 34 regions
Tufts Insurance Company (Watertown)
Enrollment: 9,296
Service area: 35 regions
Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield (Des Moines, Iowa) and Blue Cross Blue Shield plans of Minnesota; Montana (Missoula); Nebraska (Omaha); North Dakota (Fargo); Wyoming (Cheyenne)
Enrollment: 288,169
Service area: Nonemployer group plans in one region in the upper Midwest and Northern Plains; employer group plans in 33 regions