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By Your Best Editorial Team · Updated · How we rank

Guide · Medicare.gov rules · 2027 CMS star ratings

The 5-Star Special Enrollment Period: Every 5-Star Plan for 2027

Medicare lets you switch into a plan rated 5 stars once a year, even after Open Enrollment closes. Few plans earn 5 stars, and only in some places. Here are the rules, the trap to avoid, and every 5-star plan in the CMS 2027 plan data.

December 8 – November 30the window, usable once
53general Advantage plan listings rated 5 stars, in 10 states and territories
0stand-alone Part D plans rated 5 stars
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How it works

The drug coverage trap. Moving from an Advantage plan with drug coverage to a 5-star Advantage plan without it can leave you with no drug coverage until your next enrollment period, and you may owe a Part D late enrollment penalty. Moving to a stand-alone 5-star drug plan takes you out of your Advantage plan and back to Original Medicare for your health care.

How rare is 5 stars?

CMS rates each plan contract from 1 to 5 stars on quality and member experience. For 2027, CMS reports 15 Medicare Advantage contracts with drug coverage at 5 stars, against 188 at 4 stars or more. Ratings belong to the contract, so every plan under a 5-star contract shows 5 stars. No stand-alone Part D contract in the 2027 landscape file is rated 5 stars.

Every 5-star plan for 2027, by state

Alabama

Alabama Special Needs Plans

Arizona

Arizona Special Needs Plans

Colorado

Colorado Special Needs Plans

Connecticut

Connecticut Special Needs Plans

Delaware

Delaware Special Needs Plans

District of Columbia

District of Columbia Special Needs Plans

Florida

All Florida Advantage plans ranked · Florida Special Needs Plans

Georgia

All Georgia Advantage plans ranked · Georgia Special Needs Plans

Idaho

Idaho Special Needs Plans

Illinois

Illinois Special Needs Plans

Indiana

Indiana Special Needs Plans

Maine

Maine Special Needs Plans

Maryland

Maryland Special Needs Plans

Michigan

Michigan Special Needs Plans

Mississippi

Mississippi Special Needs Plans

Missouri

Missouri Special Needs Plans

Nevada

All Nevada Advantage plans ranked · Nevada Special Needs Plans

New Hampshire

New Hampshire Special Needs Plans

New Jersey

All New Jersey Advantage plans ranked · New Jersey Special Needs Plans

New York

All New York Advantage plans ranked · New York Special Needs Plans

North Carolina

North Carolina Special Needs Plans

Ohio

Ohio Special Needs Plans

Oklahoma

Oklahoma Special Needs Plans

Oregon

Oregon Special Needs Plans

Pennsylvania

All Pennsylvania Advantage plans ranked · Pennsylvania Special Needs Plans

Puerto Rico

All Puerto Rico Advantage plans ranked · Puerto Rico Special Needs Plans

Rhode Island

Rhode Island Special Needs Plans

South Carolina

All South Carolina Advantage plans ranked · South Carolina Special Needs Plans

Texas

All Texas Advantage plans ranked · Texas Special Needs Plans

Utah

Utah Special Needs Plans

Virginia

Virginia Special Needs Plans

Washington

Washington Special Needs Plans

West Virginia

All West Virginia Advantage plans ranked · West Virginia Special Needs Plans

From the CMS CY 2027 landscape file and 2027 Star Ratings data tables (overall rating for Advantage plans, Part D summary rating for drug plans). Plans under CMS sanction aren’t listed. Medicare Cost Plans aren’t in our data; check the Medicare Plan Finder, which also shows the plans in your ZIP code.

Questions

What is the 5-star Special Enrollment Period?

If a Medicare Advantage plan, Medicare drug plan or Medicare Cost Plan with a 5-star rating is available where you live, you can switch into it once between December 8 and November 30 of the following year, outside the usual enrollment periods.

Are there 5-star Part D drug plans for 2027?

No stand-alone Part D plan in the CMS 2027 landscape file is rated 5 stars, so the 5-star period can’t be used to move to a stand-alone drug plan this year.

Can I lose drug coverage by using it?

Yes. If you move from an Advantage plan with drug coverage to a 5-star Advantage plan without it, you can be left without drug coverage until your next enrollment period and may owe a Part D late enrollment penalty.

How many times can I use it?

Once between December 8 and November 30 of the following year.

Sources

  1. Medicare.gov, “Special Enrollment Periods” (5-star Special Enrollment Period) — medicare.gov, checked October 28, 2026.
  2. CMS, 2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D Star Ratings fact sheet — cms.gov; 2027 Star Ratings Data Tables — cms.gov.
  3. CMS, CY 2027 Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plan Landscape — cms.gov.

Educational information, not a recommendation to join any plan. We are not an insurance agent or broker, and we are not connected with or endorsed by the U.S. government or the federal Medicare program. · Advertiser disclosure

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