The 2019 Star Ratings are out! While our experts crunch the numbers and analyze the data, here are a few “fast facts:”

Of the 360 contracts rated in both 2018 and 2019,

• 80 earned higher overall ratings in 2019 compared to 2018
• 90 earned lower overall ratings in 2019 than in 2018
• 190 maintained the same rating in 2018 and 2019

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

• 45% of Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug Plans (MA-PDs) (170 contracts) earned 4+ stars in 2019, compared to 44% (170 contracts) in 2018
• Approximately 74% of MA-PD enrollees are currently in contracts that will have 4+ stars in 2019, compared to 73% in 2018
• The 2019 average Star Rating (weighted by enrollment) is 4.05 in 2019, compared to 4.07 in 2018
• 376 contracts met the criteria to receive an overall rating in 2019, compared to 385 in 2018
• Humana (with 84% of its 3.5 million members in 4+ star contracts), United (with 70% of its 5.4 million members in 4+ star contracts), and Kaiser (with 100% of its members in 4+ star contracts) continue to dominate the competitive Medicare Advantage (MA) Star Ratings arena

Sponsors with the most members impacted by year-over-year changes in the overall ratings are among industry giants:

• Some of the big winners in 2019 include Cigna, Highmark, MCS, Wellcare, and Centene
• Among those with the most members in contracts earning lower ratings in 2019 are United, Anthem, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota

Although the Star Ratings headwinds are strong for new plans, sponsors continue flocking to MA:

• 22% of contracts operating less than 5 years earned 4+ Star Ratings in 2019, compared to 41% of contracts operating between 5 and 10 years, and 54% of contracts operating more than 10 years
• 210 contracts were not rated in 2019 because they were too new to receive a rating or did not have enough data to be rated, compared to 168 in 2018

See a trend in the Star Ratings you’d like us to comment on in our upcoming Star Ratings webinar? Get in touch with one of our experts, and we’ll address it in our webinar!

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