Potential 5-Star SEP Disruption Depends on Marketing Prowess

With 74 Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug plan contracts earning a 5-star rating for 2022, compared with just 21 such plans last year, an unprecedented number of MA-PD plans have the ability to market 5-star products throughout the year — thanks in large part to COVID-related adjustments to the star ratings that are not likely to reoccur. According to multiple industry experts, that anomaly presents a unique set of challenges for plans that weren’t expecting to be 5 stars and could create some unusual midyear enrollment shifts.

That all depends, however, on how aggressive 5-star plans are with their marketing and how many enrollees take advantage of the so-called 5-star special enrollment period (SEP). While MA insurers have the advantage of marketing their 5-star plans year round, enrollees who are in a service area where a 5-star plan is available may switch from their current Medicare plan to a 5-star contract one time between Dec. 8 and Nov. 30.