Alignment Healthcare has sued the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), arguing that its 2027 Medicare Advantage star ratings were calculated unlawfully after the share of its members in plans rated four stars or higher fell from 100% to 25%, Fierce Healthcare reported. The insurer filed the suit Friday, Oct. 9, in federal court in Washington, D.C.
The case lands just before Medicare open enrollment, which runs Oct. 15 through Dec. 7. Star ratings appear beside each plan in Medicare's online comparison tool, and many seniors and their adult children use them as a shortcut for quality. For Alignment members in California, Arizona, Nevada, North Carolina, and Texas, the immediate question is whether anything changes for their own coverage.
