Humana Leads Medicare Advantage Star Ratings
Humana topped the latest Medicare Advantage star-ratings released Friday, with 95% of its members in plans rated four stars or higher for 2027.
The rating boost lifted the insurer’s share price nearly 12%, according to Seeking Alpha, surpassing J.P. Morgan’s forecast of roughly six-in-ten coverage.
Forty-two percent of Humana members are enrolled in 4.5-star plans, the insurer said.
By contrast, UnitedHealthcare’s share of plans rated four stars or above fell from 81% last year to about 67% for 2027, per J.P. Morgan analysis.
UnitedHealth Group will hold its third-quarter earnings call at 8 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13, while Humana’s earnings call is set for Nov. 6.
“They’re a direct reflection of the hard work that thousands of Humana employees put in everyday, helping members get the high-quality care and coordinated support they need to achieve their best health,” said Jim Rechtin, Humana CEO. “We’ll keep finding new, better ways to support our members and improve their experience.”
Rating details
The firm said it saw performance gains across all measure categories, crediting tailored member engagement for preventive and primary care.
For 2027, the insurer holds six Medicare Advantage contracts rated 4.5 stars and twelve contracts rated four stars, adding eleven more four-star-or-higher contracts than the prior year.
In September, an estimated 600,000 Medicare Advantage members were expected to receive notices that their current plans would not be offered in 2027, reflecting targeted exits for unprofitable plans.
CVS Health announced that Aetna placed more than 69% of its Medicare Advantage members in plans rated four stars or higher for 2027.
Aetna’s statement highlighted strong performance across clinical quality, preventive care and member experience measures.
HFMA data show Aetna announced terminations of MA plans for 2027 affecting 950,000 members, while UnitedHealth Group announced terminations of plans affecting 390,000 members.
Fewer plans earned five stars this year—15 compared with 22 in 2026.
About 71% of Medicare Advantage prescription-drug plan enrollees will be in contracts rated four stars or higher for 2027, positioning insurers for quality-bonus payments despite the reduced number of qualifying contracts.
Industry comparison
Among eight insurers with at least ten Medicare Advantage contracts in 2027, Devoted Health leads with eighteen of twenty-nine contracts (62.1%) rated four stars or above.
Humana follows closely, with a comparable tally, eighteen of its thirty contracts, meeting the same threshold (60%).
UnitedHealth Group reports sixteen of fifty-four contracts (29.6%) at four stars or higher, Centene three of forty-six (6.5%), Aetna eleven of thirty-nine (28.2%) and Elevance Health eight of thirty-seven (21.6%).
