The Medicare Advantage plans offered by the region’s health insurance companies scored well in the latest ratings from the federal agency that oversees the Medicare program.
Independent Health and Univera Healthcare both received 4½-star ratings – out of five stars – for their Medicare Advantage HMO plans, while BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York received 3½ stars for its HMO plans.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS, rate each plan’s quality and performance based on up to 48 measures such as customer service, the management of chronic conditions and member satisfaction with the plans.
The ratings “support the efforts of CMS to improve the level of accountability for the care provided by physicians, hospitals, and other providers,” the agency said in a statement.
The average rating for a Medicare Advantage plan that includes prescription drug coverage is 3.84 for 2014, an increase from the 3.66 average rating for this year, according to CMS. About 38 percent of the plans active for next year earned four stars or better.
A search of the Medicare.gov website found that local seniors and others eligible for Medicare could choose from 25 Medicare Advantage plans that include prescription drug coverage, along with others that don’t include this coverage.
About 54 percent of seniors in Erie County enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan in 2012, compared with 28 percent nationally.
Independent Health has about 75,000 Medicare Advantage enrollees in its five plans, more than any other local insurer. BlueCross BlueShield has about 46,000 members in its six Medicare Advantage plans for individuals, while Univera has 21,657 in its five plans.
BlueCross BlueShield saw its CMS rating for its Medicare Advantage HMO plans fall from 4½ stars this year to 3½ stars for 2014.
The insurer is aware of “challenges” in some of its 2012 clinical data – the source of the 2014 ratings – and has moved to improve those areas where its score decreased, spokeswoman Julie Snyder said.
Buffalo Niagara’s three top providers of these plans received “excellent” ratings in the National Committee for Quality Assurance’s Health Plan Report Card, released this summer.
People interested in signing up for a Medicare Advantage plan, or making a change to their existing plan, have until Saturday to do so in order for it to go into effect in 2014.
email: swatson@buffnews.com
Independent Health and Univera Healthcare both received 4½-star ratings – out of five stars – for their Medicare Advantage HMO plans, while BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York received 3½ stars for its HMO plans.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS, rate each plan’s quality and performance based on up to 48 measures such as customer service, the management of chronic conditions and member satisfaction with the plans.
The ratings “support the efforts of CMS to improve the level of accountability for the care provided by physicians, hospitals, and other providers,” the agency said in a statement.
The average rating for a Medicare Advantage plan that includes prescription drug coverage is 3.84 for 2014, an increase from the 3.66 average rating for this year, according to CMS. About 38 percent of the plans active for next year earned four stars or better.
A search of the Medicare.gov website found that local seniors and others eligible for Medicare could choose from 25 Medicare Advantage plans that include prescription drug coverage, along with others that don’t include this coverage.
About 54 percent of seniors in Erie County enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan in 2012, compared with 28 percent nationally.
Independent Health has about 75,000 Medicare Advantage enrollees in its five plans, more than any other local insurer. BlueCross BlueShield has about 46,000 members in its six Medicare Advantage plans for individuals, while Univera has 21,657 in its five plans.
BlueCross BlueShield saw its CMS rating for its Medicare Advantage HMO plans fall from 4½ stars this year to 3½ stars for 2014.
The insurer is aware of “challenges” in some of its 2012 clinical data – the source of the 2014 ratings – and has moved to improve those areas where its score decreased, spokeswoman Julie Snyder said.
Buffalo Niagara’s three top providers of these plans received “excellent” ratings in the National Committee for Quality Assurance’s Health Plan Report Card, released this summer.
People interested in signing up for a Medicare Advantage plan, or making a change to their existing plan, have until Saturday to do so in order for it to go into effect in 2014.
email: swatson@buffnews.com