The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently announced that of 563 Medicare Advantage plans rated nationwide, only 11 Medicare health plans with prescription drug benefit earned 5 stars for 2013 — the highest overall rating for quality and service.
Each year through the Medicare Star Quality Ratings system, CMS rates Medicare health plans (both parts C and D) on a scale of 1 to 5 stars, with 5 stars representing the highest quality. The overall scores are based on more than 50 care and service quality measures across five categories, including staying healthy, managing chronic conditions, member satisfaction, customer service and pharmacy services.
In addition to receiving high-quality care and service, 5-star excellence means that Medicare beneficiaries may enroll in a 5-star plan from Dec. 8, 2012, to Nov. 30, 2013, without having to wait until the next annual enrollment period.
Leading the nation with six of the 11 Medicare health plans earning 5 stars was Kaiser Permanente. The Kaiser Permanente 5-star Medicare plans are those operating in California, the Northwest, Hawaii, Colorado, Ohio and the Mid-Atlantic States. Kaiser Permanente’s Georgia region is the top-rated plan in its area with 4.5 stars.
Medicare beneficiaries can learn more about the Medicare Star Quality Ratings by visiting kp.org/medicarestars or medicare.gov, or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).
