Kaiser Foundation Health Plan was the highest-ranked Medicare Advantage plan based on overall satisfaction, while Centene was the lowest of the 10 plans, study The findings were released today. The report comes from consumer research, data and analytics firm JD Power.
The annual study, now in its eighth year, measures member satisfaction across six dimensions: coverage and benefits, provider selection, cost, customer service, information and communications, and billing and payment. The report is based on responses from 3,094 MA program members between May and July.
In 2022, the industry average customer satisfaction will reach 809 (1000 points), an increase of 3 points from 2021 and an increase of 15 points from the past 5 years. Caesar is 844 points. Humana came in second with 824 points and Highmark came in third with 811 points. Centene came in last with 773 points.
These rankings are related to last year’s report: Kaiser ranked first with 846 points and Highmark ranked second with 834 points. Humana tied for third with Cigna with 822 points. Centene remains last with 769 points.
JD Power said that while overall customer satisfaction with the MA program has improved over the last year, there are still deficiencies in some programs, including mental health and substance use disorder services. Only 38% of Medicare Advantage members said they had adequate mental health coverage. For substance use disorder services, only 27% said they had adequate coverage.
That’s worrying given that about 1.7 million Medicare beneficiaries have been diagnosed with a substance use disorder, and one in four suffers from a mental health problem. National Library of Medicine and Commonwealth Fund.
“For some health plans, coverage can be improved,” Christopher Lis, managing director of global medical intelligence at JD Power, said in a release. “For others, increasing customer awareness of mental health benefits may be a greater opportunity because beneficiaries may know that some coverage is available, but may not fully understand which services and drugs are covered. But coverage does not Access is not always guaranteed, as finding providers who accept health insurance can be a challenge in some areas.”
Lis provides a four-tiered approach to improving these services. First, health plans can increase member engagement and keep patients informed of all available support services. Second, programs can work to expand the number of mental health professionals in the network. Third, critically ill patients need to be prioritized for timely face-to-face treatment with the right specialist. Finally, plans need to implement better ways to care for less ill patients, such as through telehealth or app-based services.
“With this layered approach, we can focus the right resources on the right patients, reducing the burden on mental health professionals and minimising significant wait times for patients with urgent mental health needs,” he said. .
Other findings from the study:
- Satisfaction with substance use and mental health insurance contrasted sharply with those who said they had adequate coverage for routine diagnoses (91%) and those who had adequate coverage for preventive and health services (89%).
- Despite a positive consumer experience with telehealth, usage among MA members has declined. Only 24% used telehealth last year, compared to 35% in 2021. However, 48% of those who used it said they would use it again, a 5 percentage point increase from last year.
- Portals are growing in popularity, with 82% of MA members signing up for their health plan membership portal, an increase of 4 percentage points from last year. However, 14% of this group were registered but never logged in.
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