2027 Star Ratings are out: 71% of members are in 4+ star plans. The bonus changed hands.

2027 Star Ratings: Humana went from 42% of its members in 4-star plans to 95%. Alignment went from 100% to 24%.

The industry did not move. 71% of Medicare Advantage members are in plans rated 4 stars or more, same as last year. But 4 stars is the line that pays the quality bonus, and underneath that flat number, 4.4 million members are in plans that just climbed over it and 4.8 million are in plans that just fell under it.

The bonus changed hands. Humana's jump comes mostly from one contract with 2.2 million members that moved up to 4.0, right on the line. Alignment, which built its name on stars, lost the bonus on its main contract when it dropped to 3.5. UnitedHealthcare fell from 83% to 68%. Aetna went from 85% to 71%. Clover's main contract reached 5 stars.

If you compete against one of these plans in your county, the money behind their 2028 benefits just changed. A plan over the line gets bonus dollars to spend on lower premiums and richer extras. A plan under it does not.

So the average is the wrong number to watch this year. The bonus did not shrink. It moved.