Did you know Medicare uses a rating system to evaluate health plans? It is based on many quality measures, patient experiences, and other factors. Only a few plans are awarded the highest Medicare rating. Only 11 Medicare Advantage plans 2013 with prescription drug benefits received the highest five-star rating. Six of the 11 plans were Kaiser Permanente.
“We are a top plan because we focus on our patients’ health,”Jed Weissberg, Kaiser Permanente’s senior vice president for Hospitals, Quality and Care Delivery, said: “We help our patients to exercise, eat well, maintain a healthy weight and get regular check-ups. Walking, for example, can have remarkable therapeutic value — cutting the rate of new cases of diabetes by half or more.”
A good health plan will cover all your medical expenses. This means that seniors need to choose a Medicare plan that provides the best doctor for them and also offers the necessary care, treatment, and pharmacy benefits. Kaiser Permanente provides four tips to assist Medicare-eligible beneficiaries in choosing a high quality plan.
1. Get to know your plan’s star quality rating. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services assign an overall star rating to each Medicare plan for how well it performs. The Medicare ratings range in star rating from one star (lowest rating), up to five stars (5 highest rating). The system gives ratings to plans for managing chronic conditions, preventive care, customer service, and pharmacy care.
2. 2. Use the Medicare ratingsTo find a high-quality plan. The best-rated plans provide coordinated, patient-centered healthcare. Seniors who are suffering from chronic illnesses or need hospitalization can benefit from high-quality plans that use best practices to ensure excellent follow-up.
3. Customer service and responsiveness to your requirements are important. The best health insurance plans provide support services that allow patients to make online appointments, get lab results electronically, and send secure emails to their doctors.
4. Medicare’s Special Entry Period allows seniors to choose 5-star excellence at any time of the year. Senior citizens who turn 65 before the end of the year are eligible for Medicare should enroll within the three-month period immediately prior to and following their 65th birthday. They may have to pay more for their coverage if they are not enrolled by the end of this enrollment period. Visit this site to see the 2013 ratings. www.medicare.gov/find-a-plan. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services assess each year plan performance summary star ratings and they may change year to year.
