Western New York health insurers dominate satisfaction rankings [The Buffalo News, N.Y.]

Apr. 1--Three of the top four health plans for member satisfaction in New York and New Jersey are in Western New York, according to the newest ranking by research firm J.D. Power and Associates.

The Westlake Village, Calif.-based firm ranked Independent Health Association highest in the heavily populated, two-state region, beating out 11 other major health insurers, including the nation's four largest.

Insurance giant Aetna was second. And HealthNow New York, parent of BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York and BlueShield of Northeastern New York, came in third place. Excellus Health Plan, parent of Univera Healthcare, was fourth. The remaining not-for-profit and publicly traded carriers in the rest of the state trailed behind.

The report scored insurers in seven categories: coverage and benefits; provider choice, information and communications; claims processing; statements; customer service; and approval processes. IHA had top scores in four of them, and near the top in the other three, giving it an overall score of 760 out of 1,000. Aetna scored 722, while HealthNow was 711. The average satisfaction score in the region is 700.

This is the fourth year of the J.D. Power U.S. Member Health Insurance Plan Study, which measures satisfaction among members who bought coverage individually or through employers. The study looked at 133 health plans in 17 regions nationwide, and used responses from nearly 34,000 plan members, including 3,221 in New York and New Jersey. The survey was conducted in November and December.

Overall, member satisfaction nationwide fell sharply in 2010 to below 2008 levels, after improving slightly last year. By region, satisfaction was down in 12 of the 17 regions, including a slight drop in the New York-New Jersey area. The national average score was 701.

"Members are considerably less satisfied with coverage and benefits, which is partially driven by a lack of understanding of their plans' services and benefits and how to successfully access them," said Jim Dougherty, director of J.D. Power's healthcare practice.

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