Study: Star rating system resonating with seniors

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association finds that first-time enrollees in Medicare Advantage plans are relying on Medicare's star-rating system to make plan choices.

Medpage Today: Seniors Favor Higher-Rated Medicare Plans
First-time enrollees in Medicare Advantage plans and those switching plans were more likely to enroll in ones with a higher star rating, a study of nearly 1.3 million Medicare beneficiaries found. An increase of one star in the ratings made it 9.5 percent more likely a first-time Medicare Advantage enrollee would choose a given plan, the study published in Tuesday's Journal of the American Medical Association found. Similarly, for those switching plans, a higher star rating was associated with a 4.4 percent greater chance of enrollment. … But awareness and use of Medicare Advantage's star-rating system has been mixed, Jack Hoadley, PhD, of the Health Policy Institute at Georgetown University, in Washington, wrote in an accompanying editorial (Pittman, 1/15).

Kaiser Health News: Capsules: Study: Seniors Look For Star Ratings On Medicare Advantage Plans
America's seniors are benefiting from a star rating system that ranks the quality of Medicare Advantage plans, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association" (Rao, 1/16).