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 |
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