While the Medicare Advantage (MA) Star Ratings are embedded in the majority of our conversations in the industry, members perceive it very differently. Only 32% of members are aware of the program, according to a Patient Engagement HIT article by Sara Heath.
Pulling from a 2019 Healthmine study involving 800 MA members with at least one chronic condition, Heath discussed the role of Star Ratings as a member-facing tool for selecting a high-quality health plan. Although the program is designed to rank MA plans across several measures and help members make an informed decision about their plan, only 49% of respondents said that it impacted their enrollment decision.
Heath noted that members are becoming more aware of the program, however, citing a previous Healthmine study from 2018 where only 22% of MA members said they knew about the program and roughly half said it played a role in which plan they chose. In addition, both sample populations expressed interest in learning about the program. Improvements in member education about Star Ratings could increase these results significantly and give members a better understanding of quality measures that impact their healthcare journeys.
The article also noted how the lack of awareness around Star Ratings has not heavily impacted enrollments, with the majority of members still choosing high-performing plans. This may lead to more pressure on plans to increase performance in a value-based system, but some experts argue that the current ratings system is too simplistic to accurately judge quality measures. An alternative option presented would involve risk-adjustment quality scores that account for inequities in larger member populations.