Home > About BNE > Press Room > 2008 Archive > May > HealthNow gets righ rank

Two area health insurers rank high for customer satisfaction

By Jonathan Epstein NEWS BUSINESS REPORTER

Two of Buffalo’s three health insurers ranked among the top three plans in New York and New Jersey for customer satisfaction, according to a new study by ratings firm J. D. Power and Associates.

HealthNow New York’s BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York and Blue Shield of Northeastern New York tied for second place in the region with New York City-based Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield of New York.

Both Buffalo-based Health- Now and Empire, a subsidiary of WellPoint of Indianapolis, scored a 742 on a 1,000-point scale. Rochester-based Excellus Blue Cross and Blue Shield, parent of Univera Healthcare, came in third, with 735 points.

All three were beaten out by United Healthcare, which earned a 749, although Health- Now and Empire are still considered “among the best” by J. D. Power.

Independent Health Association, which routinely scores among the top in national customer service and member satisfaction rankings, including Consumer Reports, was not listed among the 10 plans in the two states. Westlake Village, Calif.-based J. D. Power said firms were only ranked if they had at least 250,000 members in commercial insurance products, not including Medicare and Medicaid, and Independent Health fell just short.

HIP Health Plan of New York was fourth at 732. Other plans, including MVP Health Care of Schenectady, Horizon BlueCross BlueShield of New Jersey, Aetna, Group Health, and Oxford Health Plans, scored below the two-state average of 727.

The highest score nationwide, 784, was earned by Pittsburgh- based Highmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield. Unicare, also a unit of WellPoint, had the lowest score nationally, at 676.

J. D. Power’s second annual National Health Insurance Plan Study measured member satisfaction among 107 health plans in 17 regions. The study included responses from 37,060 plan members surveyed online in November and December.

The report was based on scores in seven criteria, including coverage and benefits; choice of doctors, hospitals and pharmacies; information and communication; approval processes; claims processing; insurance statements; and customer service.

Most consumers rate their health plans lowest for communications and information to help them understand their coverage, with only 45 percent saying they understood.