Which carriers are gaining or losing stars?
Data through 2026 Star Ratings (published Oct 2025) · Updated February 10, 2026
static extract
Humana shows the steepest slide among tracked carriers: 3.8★ → 3.4★ (-0.4) across the 2023–2026 rating years. Kaiser is the outlier holding 4.8★; UHC and Centene drift slowly downward. Each point is the official CMS rating published the preceding October.
3.8★
UHC · -0.2 since 2023
2026 Star Ratings (published Oct 2025)
3.4★
Humana · -0.4 since 2023
2026 Star Ratings (published Oct 2025)
4.8★
Kaiser · 0 since 2023
2026 Star Ratings (published Oct 2025)
3.1★
Centene · -0.3 since 2023
2026 Star Ratings (published Oct 2025)
Enrollment-weighted star average by carrier, by rating year
Only annual October ratings are shown; CMS does not publish quarterly ratings. Each step holds the official value until the next October release.
Data table — official October ratings by rating year
| Rating year | UHC | Humana | Kaiser | Centene |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 (published Oct 2022) | 4 | 3.8 | 4.8 | 3.4 |
| 2024 (published Oct 2023) | 3.8 | 3.6 | 4.8 | 3.1 |
| 2025 (published Oct 2024) | 3.9 | 3.5 | 4.8 | 3.1 |
| 2026 (published Oct 2025) | 3.8 | 3.4 | 4.8 | 3.1 |
So what / Now what
Star declines lag into revenue two years later via quality bonus payments — Humana's slide below 3.5 average and Centene's 3.1 put bonus-eligibility (4.0★ contract-level) increasingly out of reach for large member blocks, while Kaiser's stable 4.8 is a durable benefit-funding advantage.
- Benchmarking a carrier: compare against the trajectory, not the level — a stable 3.8 and a falling 3.8 price differently.
- See the measure-level page for what is driving the declines (CAHPS access measures dominate).
- Payer strategy: model 2027 rebate impact for any book with a falling weighted average; the bonus cliff at 4.0 is the number that matters.
Provenance — Star rating trajectory by carrier
- Source file
- CMS MA Star Ratings (annual, published each October); CMS prior-auth reporting
- Vintage
- 2026 Star Ratings (published Oct 2025)
- Last updated
- February 10, 2026
- Refresh cadence
- Annual (October)
- Method
- Enrollment-weighted average star rating for each carrier's contracts, one point per rating year from the official October release.
- Known limitations
- Only annual October ratings are shown; CMS does not publish quarterly ratings.