Independent Health Association, the second-largest health insurer in Western New York, is the highest-rated health insurer for quality and customer satisfaction in the nation, according to the latest study from J.D. Power and Associates.
Independent Health is not only the highest-ranked health insurance plan in New York and New Jersey for the fourth straight year, but it scored the highest among all plans nationwide, according to the California-based research firm, known for its ratings and rankings of companies based on quality and customer satisfaction.
Independent Health’s score of 763 on a 1,000-point scale easily bested not only its rivals and the regional average of 694, but also the average score nationwide in the 2013 U.S. Member Health Plan Study, which was 701. The regional average satisfaction rating fell by five points from 2012.
Among its local rivals, Buffalo-based HealthNow New York’s BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York and BlueShield of Northeastern New York came in fourth, with a score of 711.
Univera Healthcare was not listed separately but its parent, Rochester-based Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield, scored 695, barely above the regional average.
Independent Health received five “Power Circles” – like five stars – in J.D. Power’s Member Satisfaction Index, the highest rating a health plan can achieve in the firm’s ranking.
“This prestigious award reinforces what we strive to do each day – to engage our members to improve their health while we provide quality coverage and service to our members,” said Dr. Michael W. Cropp, Independent Health’s president and CEO. “Our members want a trusted source to help them simplify and navigate the complex health care system and this study provides a credible representation of the experience they have with us during a time of great change in health care.”
Albany-based Capital District Physicians Health Plan, or CDPHP, came in second in the region, with a score of 755, followed by New York City-based Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield, a subsidiary of Indianapolis-based WellPoint that rated 725. New Jersey’s Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield ranked fifth, scoring 707.
Cigna Corp. of Philadelphia and Schenectady-based MVP Health Care came in sixth and seventh, respectively, followed by Excellus. UnitedHealth Group, Aetna, Emblem Health and United subsidiary Oxford Health Plan all came in below average.
email: jepstein@buffnews.com
Independent Health is not only the highest-ranked health insurance plan in New York and New Jersey for the fourth straight year, but it scored the highest among all plans nationwide, according to the California-based research firm, known for its ratings and rankings of companies based on quality and customer satisfaction.
Independent Health’s score of 763 on a 1,000-point scale easily bested not only its rivals and the regional average of 694, but also the average score nationwide in the 2013 U.S. Member Health Plan Study, which was 701. The regional average satisfaction rating fell by five points from 2012.
Among its local rivals, Buffalo-based HealthNow New York’s BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York and BlueShield of Northeastern New York came in fourth, with a score of 711.
Univera Healthcare was not listed separately but its parent, Rochester-based Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield, scored 695, barely above the regional average.
Independent Health received five “Power Circles” – like five stars – in J.D. Power’s Member Satisfaction Index, the highest rating a health plan can achieve in the firm’s ranking.
“This prestigious award reinforces what we strive to do each day – to engage our members to improve their health while we provide quality coverage and service to our members,” said Dr. Michael W. Cropp, Independent Health’s president and CEO. “Our members want a trusted source to help them simplify and navigate the complex health care system and this study provides a credible representation of the experience they have with us during a time of great change in health care.”
Albany-based Capital District Physicians Health Plan, or CDPHP, came in second in the region, with a score of 755, followed by New York City-based Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield, a subsidiary of Indianapolis-based WellPoint that rated 725. New Jersey’s Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield ranked fifth, scoring 707.
Cigna Corp. of Philadelphia and Schenectady-based MVP Health Care came in sixth and seventh, respectively, followed by Excellus. UnitedHealth Group, Aetna, Emblem Health and United subsidiary Oxford Health Plan all came in below average.
email: jepstein@buffnews.com