TY - JOUR T1 - ASsociation between medicare advantage plan star ratings and enrollment AU - Reid RO, Deb P, Howell BL, Shrank WH Y1 - 2013/01/16 N1 - 10.1001/jama.2012.173925 JO - JAMA SP - 267 EP - 274 VL - 309 IS - 3 N2 - Importance  The US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services publishes star ratings reflecting Medicare Advantage plan quality to inform enrollment decisions.Objective  To assess the association between publicly reported Medicare Advantage plan quality ratings and enrollment.Design, Setting, and Participants  Cross-sectional study of 2011 Medicare Advantage enrollments among 952 352 first-time enrollees and 322 699 enrollees switching plans.Main Outcome Measure  Association between star ratings and enrollment was modeled using conditional logit regression, controlling for beneficiary and plan characteristics.Results  Among the 952 352 included first-time enrollees, a 1-star higher rating was associated with a 9.5 (95% CI, 9.3-9.6) percentage-point increase in likelihood to enroll. The highest rating available to a beneficiary was associated with a 1.9 (95% CI, 1.8-2.1) percentage-point increase in likelihood to enroll. Among the 322 699 enrollees switching plans, a 1-star higher rating was associated with a 4.4 (95% CI, 4.2-4.7) percentage-point increase in likelihood to enroll. A rating at least as high as a beneficiary's prior plan was associated with a 6.3 (95% CI, 6.0-6.6) percentage-point increase in likelihood to enroll. Star ratings were less strongly associated with enrollment for black, rural, low-income, and the youngest beneficiaries.Conclusion and Relevance  Medicare's 5-star rating program for Medicare Advantage is associated with beneficiaries' enrollment decisions. SN - 0098-7484 M3 - doi: 10.1001/jama.2012.173925 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.2012.173925 ER -