Payers

Humana rebounds, Aetna slips: Winners and losers in the 2027 MA star ratings

By Paige Minemyer Oct 9, 2026 2:00pm

Federal regulators released the hotly anticipated star ratings for the 2027 Medicare Advantage plan year. Winners and losers have emerged in the data.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released the rankings data late Thursday, saying that 71% of Medicare Advantage enrollees overall are in plans that earned at least four stars for 2027.

One of the biggest risers of the year is Humana, which reverses a significant drop-off in 2025 and 2026. The insurer had 25% of enrollees in a plan with four or more stars in 2025, with that number declining further to 20% in 2026. However, for 2027, that percentage jumps to 93%, just shy of its 94% tally in 2024, according to a report from analysts at Stephens.

Four or more stars is the ideal threshold to secure “lucrative” quality bonus payments, analysts at Capstone said. For Humana, its four largest plans, which together include about 68% of its total Medicare Advantage book, all scored at least four stars. The researchers rated the shift as positive for the company.

“Capstone believes Humana is the clear winner among major MA plan carriers,” the analysts wrote.

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