Medicare Advantage and Part D Star Ratings

[AgentPipeline]

CMS released a FACT SHEET on its 2011 star ratings for Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D plans. Here is link to CMS’s website where you can download all of the MA & PDP star ratings by plan.

I’m interested on how you use star ratings when choosing an MA or PDP for you clients. Most companies are in the 3-4 range, so it may not make much of a difference. How are you useing them or do you even take them into consideration?

Thanks for your feedback.

I'm trying to put together some agent thoughts for a blog post. Here is a link to the post. Hope this helps.

 

[ksigmtsu]

According to 2 carriers, the star ratings were based off the data from the 2008 plan year that we're currently seeing on the plans.

Is that relevant to the plans now? I don't really know.

When people ask me about it, I explain to them that there are 30+ criteria for the star ratings, that CMS uses it to determine compensation and that every carrier would love to have a 5 because it would mean they got paid more.

 

[insurance0707]

The government must be mad at Humana, on the medicare website plan finder it has this next to all of the Humana MAPD Plans.....

Caution: For three years in a row, the Medicare program has given this plan a low rating. If you are considering enrolling in this plan, look closely at the detailed ratings for this plan.

No other MAPD plan has it next to it, just Humana