HealthMetrix Research Selects 2019 Medicare Advantage Plans for Exceptional Benefit Value & Overall Performance

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Oct 15, 2018, 11:00 ET

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Oct. 15, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Medicare Advantage plans in 86 cities will be recognized for exceptional value in the design of their medical and Part D prescription drug benefits available effective January 1. The 2019 Senior Choice Gold Award recipients were selected from Medicare Advantage plans across 47 states and Puerto Rico based on cost-sharing analysis conducted by HealthMetrix Research Inc. and MedicareNewsWatch.com. The 2019 Senior Choice Gold Award selections include special recognition for plans achieving at least 3.5-star overall ratings for quality and performance as reported by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

According to HealthMetrix Research Inc. president Alan Mittermaier:

"This prestigious consumer award is unique for considering both forward-looking cost-sharing along with the recently announced CMS quality and performance ratings. Each award recipient has demonstrated a commitment to excellence in the design of their 2019 Medicare plan benefits, copayments, deductibles and premiums including the Part D prescription drug benefits. Nearly 80% of the award recipients also achieved at least 4-star CMS overall ratings for exceptional performance that raises the bar for all Medicare Advantage competitors. HealthMetrix Research commends those organizations for this distinctive dual recognition."

The award criteria were based on 2019 benefits and cost-sharing features approved by Medicare for the selected plans as published on Medicare Plan Finder (www.Medicare.gov). These include applicable plan copayments, deductibles and premiums adjusted for beneficiaries' health status (Excellent, Good, Poor) and utilization of healthcare services. The HealthMetrix Research cost-sharing analysis is available at www.MedicareNewsWatch.com. HealthMetrix Research neither recommends nor endorses specific Medicare plans.

2019 Senior Choice Gold Award Recipients

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issues ratings annually on a 1-Star (lowest) to 5-Star (highest) scale.

East	* Previous year Senior Choice Gold Award recipient
Albany	WellCare* (4 Star)
Atlanta	Aetna* (4 Star)
Baltimore	Kaiser Permanente (5 Star)
Boston	Aetna* (4 Star)
Bradenton	Humana (4.5 Star)
Buffalo	WellCare (4 Star)
Burlington	MVP (4.5 Star)
Charlotte	Aetna* (4 Star)
Concord NH	Humana* (4 Star)
Fort Lauderdale	Aetna Coventry (4.5 Star)
Fort Myers	WellCare (4 Star)
Greensboro	Aetna (4 Star)
Harrisburg	Aetna* (3.5 Star)
Hartford	Aetna* (4.5 Star)
Miami	WellCare (4 Star)
Naples	Humana (4.5 Star)
Pensacola	WellCare* (4 Star)
Philadelphia	Aetna Coventry (4.5 Star)
Pittsburgh	Highmark (4.5 Star)
Portland ME	Aetna* (4.5 Star)
Raleigh	FirstCarolinaCare (3.5 Star)
Richmond VA	Anthem* (4 Star)
Rochester	WellCare* (4 Star)
San Juan PR	PMC (4.5 Star)
Sarasota	WellCare (4 Star)
Springfield MA	Aetna (4 Star)
Tallahassee	United HealthCare* (4.5 Star)
Tampa-St. Petersburg	CarePlus (5 Star)
Washington DC	Kaiser Permanente* (5 Star)
West Palm Beach	Simply Healthcare* (4 Star)
Wilmington DE	Humana* (4 Star)
Midwest	* Previous year Senior Choice Gold Award recipient
Baton Rouge	Peoples Health* (4.5 Star)
Birmingham	Aetna* (3.5 Star)
Canton	Anthem (3.5 Star)
Chattanooga	Amerigroup (4 Star)
Chicago	Humana* (4.5 Star)
Columbus	Anthem (3.5 Star)
Des Moines	Aetna Coventry (3.5 Star)
Detroit	HAP (3.5 Star)
Fort Wayne	Aetna (4 Star)
Grand Rapids	Aetna (4 Star)
Indianapolis	Aetna (4 Star)
Kansas City	Aetna Coventry* (4 Star)
Knoxville	Amerigroup (4 Star)
Lansing	Humana* (3.5 Star)
Little Rock	Aetna Coventry* (3.5 Star)
Louisville	Humana* (4.5 Star)
Madison	Senior Preferred (4.5 Star)
Memphis	Amerigroup (4 Star)
Milwaukee	Aetna (4 Star)
Minneapolis-St. Paul	Blue Cross Blue Shield (4.5 Star)
Montgomery	Aetna (4 Star)
New Orleans	Peoples Health* (4.5 Star)
Oklahoma City	Generations Healthcare (3.5 Star)
Omaha	Aetna Coventry (3.5 Star)
Peoria	Aetna Coventry (4 Star)
St. Louis	Aetna Coventry (4 Star)
Sioux Falls	Humana (4 Star)
Tulsa	Generations Healthcare (3.5 Star)
Wichita	Aetna Coventry* (4 Star)
West	* Previous year Senior Choice Gold Award recipient
Bakersfield	Brand New Day* (3.5 Star)
Billings	Humana (4 Star)
Boise	Blue Cross (4 Star)
Denver-Colorado Springs	Humana (4 Star)
El Paso	Cigna HealthSpring* (4.5 Star)
Fresno	Health Net (4 Star)
Honolulu	Humana* (4 Star)
Houston	Cigna HealthSpring (4.5 Star)
Las Vegas	Humana (4 Star)
Los Angeles Metro Los Angeles, Orange San Bernardino, Riverside, Ventura	Alignment Health Plan (4 Star) Central Health* (4 Star)
Oakland	Health Net* (4 Star)
Phoenix	Aetna (3.5 Star)
Portland	Humana (4.5 Star)
Reno	Aetna (3.5 Star)
Sacramento	Anthem* (4.5 Star)
Salt Lake City	Molina Healthcare (3.5 Star)
San Antonio	Aetna* (4 Star)
San Diego	Alignment Health Plan (4 Star)
Seattle	Aetna (3.5 Star)
Tucson	Amerigroup* (4 Star)