J.D. Power and Associates have released the results of their 2009 National Health Insurance Plan Study. Now in its third year, the J.D. Power and Associates study attempts to measure member satisfaction among 131 health plans in 17 regions throughout the United States. The study focuses on seven key factors of health insurance plans:

• Coverage and Benefits
• Provider Choice
• Information and Communication
• Claims Processing
• Statements
• Customer Service
• Approval Processes

Overall, the results of the study were quite typical. The 2009 study found that health plan members working for small employers are less satisfied with their health plan than those working for larger companies. Out of a 1,000-point scale, here’s how the satisfaction scores varied:

• Small Employers (50 employees or fewer) – satisfaction score of 692

• Large Employers (501-5,000 employees) – satisfaction score of 717

• Jumbo Employers (5,000+ employees) – satisfaction score of 725

Health plan members working for large and jumbo employers are also more likely to recommend their health insurance plan to others.

Just like members of small employer groups, individuals who purchase health insurance on their own also express lower levels of satisfaction. On the 1,000-point scale, members of individual health insurance plans showed a satisfaction score of 694. These health plan members were also less likely to re-enroll in the health plan or recommend the insurance plan to others.

Overall, the study found that health plan members in the New England, Michigan, Pennsylvania-Delaware, California, and South Atlantic regions are the most satisfied. And in the New England, South Atlantic, California, Arizona-Utah, and Illinois-Indiana regions, member satisfaction has actually increased significantly since 2008. – Which is actually quite surprising, considering the poor state of our economy & the American public’s overall concern with our health system.

So, who ranked the best in each region? We congratulate the following health insurance providers for their steadfast focus on member satisfaction.

The Top Three Plans in Overall Member Satisfaction by Region

The names in bold represent the health plan that ranked the highest in its respective region.

Arizona-Utah *

• BlueCross BlueShield of Arizona
• SelectHealth

California *

• Kaiser Foundation Health Plan

Colorado *

• Kaiser Foundation Health Plan

East South Central

• Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kentucky (tie)
• BlueCross Blue Shield of Alabama (tie)
• CIGNA

Florida

• BlueCross BlueShield of Florida
• Humana
• UnitdHealthcare

Heartland

• BlueCross BlueShield of Nebraska
• BlueCross BlueShield of Kansas
• Wellmark BlueCross BlueShield of Iowa

Illinois-Indiana

• BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois
• Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of Indiana
• Humana

Michigan *

• Health Alliance Plan (HAP)
• BlueCross BlueShield of Michigan

Minnesota-Wisconsin

• Dean Health Insurance
• HealthPartners
• BlueCross BlueShield of Minnesota

New England

• Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
• Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of Connecticut
• Tufts Associated Health Plans

New York-New Jersey

• HIP Health Plan
• Excellus BlueCross BlueShield
• Empire BlueCross BlueShield

Northwest

• Kaiser Foundation Health Plan
• Group Health Cooperative
• Providence Health Plan

Ohio

• Medical Mutual of Ohio
• Humana
• Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of Ohio

Pennsylvania-Delaware

• Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield
• Highmark Blue Shield
• Capital BlueCross

South Atlantic

• Humana
• UnitedHealthcare
• BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina

Texas

• Humana
• CIGNA
• Aetna

Virginia-Maryland

• Kaiser Foundation Health Plan
• CIGNA
• CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield

* No other plan in this region performs above the region average

Source: J.D. Power and Associates 2009 National Health Insurance Plan StudySM