On October 8, 2021, CMS published the 2022 Medicare Advantage (MA) and Part D Star Ratings, and Medicare Advantage Organizations saw the highest average Star Ratings since the inception of the program. This drastic increase in average Star Ratings can be attributed to protections CMS put in place to support organizations that may have been adversely impacted by COVID in the 2020 performance period. These protections, however, greatly favored existing contracts and did little to help newer contracts salvage their 2022 Star Ratings. This brief discusses the overall changes seen in the 2022 Star Ratings and drivers of the significant increase in ratings.
