HealthLiteracyCopilot by HealthcareGPS · Version 2026-10Free kit · no form
11 measures are leaving Stars. Here's where member documents still count
What the CY2027 rule changed and when, with primary links, and a worksheet that re-ranks your member documents by the measures they touch that stay in the formula. All of it is on this page.
Last reviewed 2026-10-09
A planning aid, not a Star Ratings forecast.
What changed, and when
The CY2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D final rule removes 11 measures from the Star Ratings, and keeps the historical reward factor instead of adding the Health Equity Index reward. CMS released the 2027 Star Ratings on Oct 8, 2026: 37% of Medicare Advantage drug-plan contracts earned 4 stars or more, and five-star contracts fell to 15, from 22 in CMS's revised 2026 ratings. Measurement year 2027, which drives the 2029 Star Ratings, starts on 2027-01-01. Plans are re-ranking where to spend, and member-document budgets are part of that.
Oct 8, 2026
CMS released the 2027 Star Ratings
2027-01-01
Measurement year 2027 starts
2029 Star Ratings
Driven by measurement year 2027
Which measures stay, and the documents that touch them
Lead with the measures that stay. The table shows the member documents that touch each one. Those documents are part of the member experience a measure asks about. They do not drive a score on their own.
Counted in the Star Ratings formula
- CAHPS
- HEDIS screening and care measures
- Part D medication adherence
- HOS outcome measuresWeight rising
- Depression Screening and Follow-UpAdded from the 2029 Star Ratings
Leaving the formula
- Customer Service and 5 moreLast counted in the 2028 Star Ratings
- Call center foreign-language interpreter and TTY availability, Statin Therapy for Cardiovascular DiseaseLast counted in the 2027 Star Ratings
| Measure group | Status | Member documents that touch it |
|---|---|---|
| CAHPS: Getting Needed Care, Getting Appointments and Care Quickly, Care Coordination, Rating of Health Plan, Rating of Drug Plan, Getting Needed Prescription Drugs, Annual Flu Vaccine | Stays | EOC and ANOC, prior-authorization and denial letters, formulary and transition-fill notices, provider-directory pages, flu reminders |
| HEDIS screening and care measures (for example breast and colorectal cancer screening, diabetes eye exam, kidney health evaluation, controlling blood pressure, transitions of care) | Stays | Gap-in-care letters, FIT-kit inserts, screening reminders, post-discharge letters |
| Part D medication adherence | Stays | Refill reminders, 90-day and mail-order notices, Medicare Prescription Payment Plan materials |
| HOS outcome measures (Improving or Maintaining Physical and Mental Health) | Stays, weight rising | Care-management and wellness materials. The link is indirect. |
| Depression Screening and Follow-Up (new, Part C, weight 1) | Added from the 2029 Star Ratings (measurement year 2027) | Screening outreach and follow-up instructions |
| Customer Service, Rating of Health Care Quality, complaints, members choosing to leave, appeals timeliness and review, Plan Finder accuracy | Leaving: last counted in the 2028 Star Ratings; display page from 2029 | Forms, appeal and grievance notices. These still matter for CAHPS, complaints, audits and accreditation, just not in the Stars formula. |
| Call center foreign-language interpreter and TTY availability (Part C and D), Statin Therapy for Cardiovascular Disease | Leaving: last counted in the 2027 Star Ratings | Language-assistance taglines and notices. Section 1557 obligations continue regardless. |
Re-ranking worksheet
List your highest-volume member documents. For each, note the measures it touches and whether they stay. Rank first the documents that touch measures that stay, reach the most members and have never been scored. The first row is an example.
| Member document | Measures it touches | Status | Yearly volume | Last scored | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prior-authorization denial letter (example) | Getting Needed Care | Stays | 40,000 | Never | 1 |
Type in the table, then download it for Excel or Google Sheets. Your entries stay in this tab: nothing is sent or saved, so download before you leave the page.
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Questions
Will clearer documents raise our Star Rating?
We don't claim that. Documents are part of the member experience the measures ask about, and a rating depends on many things. The worksheet helps you decide which documents to review first.
Why list the measures that are leaving?
They are still counted in the 2027 or 2028 Star Ratings, and the documents behind them still matter for CAHPS, complaints, audits and accreditation.
Where do these changes come from?
The CY2027 final rule in the Federal Register and CMS's Star Ratings documents, linked below. We re-check them whenever CMS publishes new Technical Notes or a new rule.