HAP Earns Highest Medicare Advantage Star Rating Among All Michigan-based Health Insurers

DETROIT, Oct. 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Health Alliance Plan (HAP), a Michigan-based, nonprofit health plan, is celebrating the only 4.5 Star rating awarded to a Michigan-based insurer. HAP's Medicare Advantage (MA) HMO earned 4.5 Stars (out of 5) from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), ranking HAP's plan first among Michigan-based insurers and in the top 10% nationally. CMS uses Star Ratings to help consumers make informed decisions about Medicare supplement options, measuring more than 40 performance metrics in five categories. HAP's Medicare Advantage PPO earned a strong 4.0 rating.

"We have been laser focused on providing competitively priced, high-quality health insurance with an emphasis on customer service," said Michael Genord, M.D. president and CEO of HAP. "As the only 4.5 Star HMO plan based in Michigan, we now offer the best-in-state health plan to our members and potential members. This key rating validates the efforts of our hard-working team and the priority we place on our members and their needs."

Star Ratings provide solid consumer information, while also impacting future benefits and premiums. Exceptional Star Ratings earn a reimbursement from CMS, which is used to strengthen benefits that address and support health equity issues and social determinants of health, in addition to maintaining the strong benefits and programs currently offered in all the communities HAP serves.

CMS's Health Outcomes Survey contributes to an insurer's overall Star Rating, and HAP showed significant improvement in a majority of categories. In the key assessment of whether or not an insurer helped in maintaining or improving members' health, HAP was the only Michigan insurer to improve its ratings, posting a 6.2% improvement for its Medicare Advantage HMO and a 2.3% improvement for its MA PPO. All other Michigan insurers lost ground in this critical category.

In addition to its exceptional Star Rating, HAP continued a positive three-year trend in the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) rating, logging the highest customer service satisfaction score of any Michigan-based Medicare Advantage plan. Also coordinated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, CAHPS most recent ranking dates from 2019 due to the 2020 pandemic. CAHPS surveys patients directly, asking them to report on and evaluate their experiences with health care. These surveys focus on quality aspects that only consumers can assess, such as the communication skills of medical professionals and ease of access to health care services. HAP's strong performance in the MA CAHPS measures is the result of solid, collaborative relationships with health care providers, benefit programs designed to support member health and exceptional attention to customer service. In a separate survey, nine out of 10 new Medicare Advantage members prefer HAP's coverage to their previous health insurer.

Consumers looking to compare Medicare plans (visit www.medicare.gov) will find that CMS has ranked HAP's three Medicare Advantage plans as the top three plans offered in Wayne County. HAP's MA plans also earned the number one spot among Medicare plans in West and Southwest Michigan, both relatively new markets for HAP. CMS uses a formula based on a plan's yearly premiums and drug costs and ranks plans accordingly to assist consumers in making plan choices.

In addition to the strong showings in CMS Star Ratings, plan rankings and CAHPS, HAP also recorded an elite net promoter score (NPS) of 59, which is an excellent score regardless of industry, and certainly for health insurance. NPS is calculated based on responses to a single question, "How likely is it that you would recommend our service to a friend or colleague?" HAP's NPS puts it in an elite customer satisfaction category comparable to Apple or Amazon. HAP conducts more than 600 surveys monthly to track member satisfaction. The resulting data is used to develop its NPS. The survey not only provides data for NPS but allows HAP to address individual members' questions and issues identified through the survey.

"This is all about listening to our members and addressing their needs," said Margaret Anderson, HAP's senior vice president, chief sales and marketing officer. "From check-in calls with Medicare members, to innovative pilot programs, to strong relationships with health care providers, HAP is committed to providing the very best insurance experience."

To learn more about the ways that HAP's Medicare Advantage plans provide exceptional customer satisfaction, visit HAP.org.

About Health Alliance Plan
Health Alliance Plan (HAP) is a Michigan-based, nonprofit health plan that provides health coverage to individuals and companies of all sizes. For 60 years, HAP has partnered with leading doctors and hospitals, employers and community organizations to enhance the health and well-being of the lives it touches. HAP offers a product portfolio with six distinct product lines: Group Insured Commercial, Individual, Medicare, Medicaid (through HAP Empowered Health Plan), Self-Funded and Network Leasing. HAP excels in delivering award-winning preventive services, disease management and wellness programs, as well as personalized customer service. HAP is an operating unit of Henry Ford Health System, one of the nation's leading health care systems. For more information, visit www.hap.org.

Health Alliance Plan (HAP) has HMO, HMO-POS, PPO plans with Medicare contracts. HAP Empowered Duals (HMO SNP) is a Medicare health plan with a Medicare contract and a contract with the Michigan Medicaid Program. Enrollment depends on contract renewals.

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SOURCE Health Alliance Plan