Consumer Reports has released its annual ranking of HMOs and PPOs in its September issue, which goes on sale this week. Although the list is not one that many people in the industry have historically put much stock in, it does provide insights on how consumers feel about some major plans. And, of course, it is a list that becomes increasingly important as the industry moves toward the consumer-driven care model, which stresses consumer involvement in the healthcare purchasing equation. This year 35,000 of the magazine's readers took part.
Kaiser Permanente Northwest, which serves Washington state and Oregon, earned the top satisfaction score (84) in the HMO category. The top-ranked PPO was a tie between Independence Blue Cross of Philadelphia (83) and Anthem BCBS of Connecticut.
- see the report from Consumer Reports