Star ratings can offer useful insight into how Medicare Advantage plans perform across various metrics. Earning an overall rating of 5 stars is rare and indicates superior quality, according to the Medicare rating system.

Medicare Advantage (Part C) plans are coverage options offered by Medicare-approved private insurance companies. These plans are alternatives to Original Medicare that include additional benefits, such as vision, dental, and hearing care, and prescription drug coverage.

Since there are many different plan options from a range of insurance carriers, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) developed a rating system that aims to help buyers understand the quality of a potential plan before they enroll.

Five stars is the highest score a plan can earn. In this article, we list the 5-star plans for 2025 and discuss how the rating system works.

If a plan earns 5 stars, the CMS considers it to be “excellent.”

The list below includes the health plans (and their parent organizations) that earned overall ratings of 5 stars in 2025:

  • Highmark Choice Company (Highmark Health)
  • Leon Health, Inc. (LMC Family Holdings, LLC)
  • Network Health Insurance Corporation (Network Health, Inc.)
  • Alignment Health Plan of North Carolina, Inc. (Alignment Healthcare USA, LLC)
  • HealthSun Health Plans, Inc. (Elevance Health, Inc.)
  • MCS Advantage, Inc. (MHH Healthcare, L.P.)
  • Optimum Healthcare, Inc. (Elevance Health, Inc.)

These seven health plans represent roughly 1% of all Medicare Advantage plans offered across the United States.

Medicare Advantage plans are offered regionally and typically have area-based networks of healthcare professionals, hospitals, and care facilities. Thus, not everyone will have access to a 5-star Medicare Advantage plan.

The plans previously mentioned are only available in the following states:

  • Florida
  • North Carolina
  • Nevada
  • Pennsylvania
  • Wisconsin

Every October, prior to the start of the Medicare open enrollment period, the CMS releases its star ratings for Medicare Advantage and Part D drug plans for the coming year. Medicare open enrollment runs from October 15 through December 7.

The CMS assesses plans on 30 or 42 independent quality and performance measures, depending on whether the plan includes drug coverage. It bases its ratings on data it collects from the health plans themselves, CMS contractors, CMS administrators, and member surveys.

Measures include elements such as:

  • health screening and vaccination rates
  • management of conditions such as diabetes and heart disease
  • member satisfaction
  • efficiency of appeals processing

These measures are grouped into five categories, with each plan receiving its own star rating in each category:

  • Staying Healthy: Screening, Tests, and Vaccines
  • Managing Chronic (Long-Term) Conditions
  • Member Experience with Health Plan
  • Member Complaints and Changes in the Health Plan’s Performance
  • Health Plan Customer Service

The CMS has a coverage finder tool that you can use to compare Medicare Advantage plans in your area. The initial search results page will show the overall rating of every plan listed.

When you click through to see further details on an individual plan, you can view a breakdown of the plan’s star ratings across the various metrics that contribute to the overall rating.

If a Medicare Advantage plan has a 5-star rating, you can expect it to deliver superior quality service. However, the most important thing to consider when shopping for a Medicare Advantage plan is defining your personal needs.

While a plan’s star rating can be a useful point of data to consider during your search, it shouldn’t be the sole factor you use when making your final decision.

Also, do not judge a plan solely on its overall rating. The overall rating reflects an average of the plan’s performance on various unique measures.

The result is a comprehensive picture of where a plan excels and where it might fall short. This granular look at plan performance can be useful for narrowing your search.

For example, if a plan has low marks in an area of care or performance that you find valuable, it may suggest looking for alternatives.

In 2025, seven Medicare Advantage health plans received an overall rating of 5 stars. This indicates that they deliver excellent quality care and perform well in key measures assessed by the CMS.

Five-star plans are rare and limited to certain geographic areas. Thus, they won’t be available to all individuals.

Medicare’s star ratings can be a useful consideration when shopping for health insurance. However, a person should prioritize finding a plan that meets their personal needs.