Kaiser health plan tops in satisfaction

Kaiser Foundation Health Plan won the highest satisfaction rankings from its members among health plans in the Northwest region that includes Washington and Oregon, the market research firm J.D. Power said Monday.

It was the second year that Kaiser achieved the top rankings in the Northwest, J.D. Power said. Kaiser had a ranking of 736 on a 1,000 point scale, earning a designation marking it as being “among the best.” Group Health Cooperative ranked second, with 710 points, followed by Providence Health Plan with 707 points. The Northwest region average was 693 points.

Other Northwest health plans listed in the survey are Regence BlueShield of Washington, 692 points; Premera BlueCross, 686 points; Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon, 686 points; Cigna, 681 points; and UnitedHealthcare, 681 points.

The study, now in its ninth year, measures member satisfaction at 134 health plans in 18 U.S. regions. It asks members to indicate their satisfaction in six areas: coverage and benefits; provider choice; information and communication; claims processing; cost; and customer service.

Nationally, member satisfaction averages 679, up 10 points from 2014. The biggest jump in satisfaction from last year is in the area of information and communication, up 17 points, which J.D Power said “is primarily a result of efforts among many of the health plans to retool their approach by refining messaging, adjusting message frequency and upgrading their website.” Customer service climbed by 11 points and cost satisfaction was up by 13 points.

J.D. Power said health plan administrators appear to be taking a more “customer-centric” approach that is building customer trust and loyalty.

“Health plans have come a long way since last year as the focus has shifted toward better serving member needs and building trust. However, there is still a lot of work to do,” said Rick Johnson, senior director of healthcare practice at J.D. Power.

The full survey is available at www.jdpower.com/press-releases/2015-member-health-plan-study

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