Health Plan Weekly

MAOs — Especially CVS/Aetna — Gain With Revamped Star Ratings

  • Jul 12
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    Jul 12, 2024

    CMS’s recent revision of Medicare Advantage Star Ratings made some health insurers, especially CVS Health Corp.’s Aetna, big winners in the eyes of Wall Street. A number of insurers received higher bonus payments from CMS for the 2024 plan year after the revision, and others were able to resubmit their bids for the 2025 plan year on more favorable terms. 

    The changes are the result of the rulings in lawsuits brought by SCAN Health Plan and Elevance Health, Inc. against CMS. In the SCAN lawsuit, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia found that CMS’s failure “to follow its own regulation” resulted in the not-for-profit MA insurer receiving an incorrect 2024 Star Rating, which cost the plan nearly $250 million in quality bonus payments (QBPs) for 2025. That same court also ruled separately that CMS must recalculate Elevance subsidiary Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia’s Star Ratings. 

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    • Peter Johnson

    Peter has worked as a journalist since 2011 and has covered health care since 2020. At AIS Health, Peter covers trends in finance, business and policy that affect the health insurance and pharma sectors. For Health Plan Weekly, he covers all aspects of the U.S. health insurance sector, including employer-sponsored insurance, Medicaid managed care, Medicare Advantage and the Affordable Care Act individual marketplaces. In Radar on Drug Benefits, Peter covers the operations of (and conflicts between) pharmacy benefit managers and pharmaceutical manufacturers, with a particular focus on pricing dynamics and market access. Before joining AIS Health, Peter covered transportation, public safety and local government for various outlets in Seattle, his hometown and current place of residence. He graduated with a B.A. from Colby College.

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Reporter, Radar on Medicare Advantage and Spotlight on Market Access

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