MA-PD Star Ratings Fall for the Second Consecutive Year

Payer anxieties about lower Star Ratings for the 2024 plan year came to fruition last week with CMS’s release of the annual Part C and Part D quality measurements. The average Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug (MA-PD) contract scored a 4.04, down from 4.14 last year and the lowest average rating since 2017. Just 31 contracts received 5 stars, representing 6.8% of current MA-PD enrollment, vs. 57 contracts serving 21.5% of enrollees last year.

Several methodology changes fueled the ratings decline, which Stars experts have dubbed "TukeyGate," referring to CMS efforts to remove outliers from calculating the cut points for non-Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) measures. The agency also added two new Part C measures, one for care transitions and another for follow-ups after emergency visits for people with high-risk chronic conditions. A Part C measure on kidney disease monitoring for diabetes patients was removed.