Medicaid beats commercial insurance in satisfaction survey

July 31--A J.D. Power survey found people with Medicaid managed care plans were more satisfied with their coverage than people with commercial health plans, according to a Monday news release.

People gave the government plans an average rating of 784 out of 1,000 -- which is 78 points higher than people gave for commercial plans, according to the release . The survey took place early this year and included 2,145 Medicaid managed care plan members in 36 states, including Pennsylvania.

The survey found people with Medicaid prioritized different plan elements than did people with commercial insurance. Those with Medicaid said their choice of available doctors was the most important factor in their satisfaction, while people with commercial plans prioritized coverage and benefits.

And people with Medicaid had the easiest access to doctors and hospitals in places with a dominant health plan or a plan that owns a health system -- places like Pittsburgh, where insurer Highmark owns a hospital system and hospital system UPMC owns a health plan.

UPMC was included in the survey but Highmark wasn't, according to a list in the release. Highmark is part owner of Gateway Health Plan, a Medicaid managed care plan available in the southwest part of the state, that was not named in the survey release.

The survey notes that 74 million Americans have health coverage through Medicaid, a joint state-federal program, making it the largest insurance program in the country. In Pennsylvania, the program covers about 2.9 million people, including about 700,000 who are eligible through a state expansion of the program authorized under the federal Affordable Care Act.

Pennsylvania didn't make the top five states for Medicaid member satisfaction nor did it appear in the bottom five. The top five were Utah, Iowa, Colorado, Arizona and Virginia. The bottom five were Kansas, Mississippi, Delaware, New Jersey and California, according to the release.

Wes Venteicher is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 412-380-5676, wventeicher@tribweb.com or via Twitter @wesventeicher.

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