Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s Medicare Advantage Plans in Ohio Receive 4-Star Ratings from CMS

Managed Care Weekly Digest

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Managed Care Weekly Digest -- Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Ohio (Anthem) announced that heading into next year, Anthem's 2018 Medicare Advantage HMO and PPO plans will be rated four stars - with five stars being best rating - by the Medicare Star Ratings program issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Anthem offers these plans in 66 counties throughout Ohio. Recently, the CMS released their latest Star Ratings, which gives health plans scores for the quality and performance of their services (see also Health Maintenance Organizations).

"Anthem's continued commitment to giving our members access to high-quality, affordable health care is one of the main reasons our plans achieved high Star Ratings this year," said David McNichols, president of Anthem's Medicare central region. "We are grateful for our network of providers who collaborate with us to ensure that we're delivering the quality and performance members expect from their health plan. We will continue to partner with our members to ensure we are providing them with the benefits they want, in order to meet their health care and lifestyle needs."

Anthem MediBlue Essential (HMO), Anthem MediBlue Enhanced (HMO), Anthem MediBlue Prime Select (HMO) and Anthem MediBlue Dual Advantage (DSNP) received four-star ratings from CMS and is available in the following counties: Anthem MediBlue Essential (HMO): Adams, Allen, Ashland, Ashtabula, Auglaize, Belmont, Brown, Butler, Carroll, Champaign, Clark, Clermont, Clinton, Columbiana, Crawford, Cuyahoga, Darke, Defiance, Delaware, Erie, Fairfield, Fayette, Franklin, Fulton, Geauga, Greene, Hamilton, Hancock, Highland, Huron, Jefferson, Lake, Lawrence, Licking, Lorain, Lucas, Madison, Mahoning, Marion, Medina, Mercer, Miami, Montgomery, Morrow, Muskingum, Ottawa, Pickaway, Portage, Preble, Richland, Ross, Sandusky, Scioto, Seneca, Shelby, Stark, Summit, Trumbull, Tuscarawas, Union, Van Wert, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Williams, and Wood counties. Anthem MediBlue Enhanced (HMO): Belmont, Brown, Butler, Carroll, Columbiana, Delaware, Greene, Hamilton, Lucas, Mahoning, Miami, Montgomery, Muskingum, Portage, Preble, Shelby, Stark, Summit, Trumbull, Tuscarawas, Union, and Wood counties. Anthem MediBlue Prime Select (HMO): Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage, and Summit counties. Anthem MediBlue Dual Advantage (DSNP): Adams, Allen, Ashland, Ashtabula, Auglaize, Belmont, Brown, Butler, Carroll, Champaign, Clark, Clermont, Clinton, Columbiana, Crawford, Cuyahoga, Darke, Defiance, Delaware, Erie, Fairfield, Fayette, Franklin, Fulton, Geauga, Greene, Hamilton, Hancock, Highland, Huron, Jefferson, Lake, Lawrence, Licking, Lorain, Lucas, Madison, Mahoning, Marion, Medina, Mercer, Miami, Montgomery, Morrow, Muskingum, Ottawa, Pickaway, Portage, Preble, Richland, Ross, Sandusky, Scioto, Seneca, Shelby, Stark, Summit, Trumbull, Tuscarawas, Union, Van Wert, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Williams, and Wood. Anthem MediBlue Access (PPO) and Anthem MediBlue Access Plus (PPO) also received four stars from the agency and is available in the following counties: Anthem MediBlue Access (PPO): Adams, Allen, Ashland, Ashtabula, Auglaize, Belmont, Brown, Butler, Carroll, Champaign, Clark, Clermont, Clinton, Columbiana, Crawford, Cuyahoga, Darke, Defiance, Delaware, Erie, Fairfield, Fayette, Franklin, Fulton, Geauga, Greene, Hamilton, Hancock, Highland, Huron, Jefferson, Lake, Lawrence, Licking, Lorain, Lucas, Madison, Mahoning, Marion, Medina, Mercer, Miami, Montgomery, Morrow, Muskingum, Ottawa, Pickaway, Portage, Preble, Richland, Ross, Sandusky, Scioto, Seneca, Shelby, Stark, Summit, Trumbull, Tuscarawas, Union, Van Wert, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Williams, and Wood. Anthem MediBlue Access Plus (PPO): Belmont, Carroll, Columbiana, and Stark. Residents in the following counties have access to this plan for a $89 monthly premium: Cuyahoga, Delaware, Geauga, Greene, Lake, Lorain, Miami, Montgomery, Muskingum, Preble, Sandusky, Summit, and Trumbull counties.

"We are pleased that CMS has recognized our efforts to improve the health outcomes and experiences of our current plan members and those we hope to have the privilege of serving in the future," McNichols added.

Keywords for this news article include: HMO, Health Policy, Health Insurance, Medicare and Medicaid, Health Maintenance Organizations, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Ohio.