CarePoint Health Plans Receives Senior Choice Gold Award for Excellence in 2015 Medicare Plan Benefits in Selected New Jersey Markets

HUDSON COUNTY, N.J., Nov. 3, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- CarePoint Health Plans is one of 40 Medicare plans nationally to be recognized for cost-sharing effectiveness and value in the design of their 2014 medical and Part D prescription drug benefits for Medicare beneficiaries.  CarePoint Health Plans' Advantage PPO $0 premium plan is the only Medicare Advantage plan offered in selected northern New Jersey counties (Essex, Hudson, Passaic) to qualify for the 2014 Senior Choice Gold Award.

The award recipients were selected from over 110 Medicare managed care plans based on cost-sharing comparisons conducted by HealthMetrix Research Inc., a national independent managed care research firm. In announcing the 2015 Senior Choice Gold Award recipients, HealthMetrix Research and MedicareNewsWatch.com president Alan Mittermaier pointed out the importance of the award for Medicare beneficiaries:

"This award addresses the concerns that beneficiaries may have with both Medicare plan performance and the out-of-pocket costs incurred after they enroll. CarePoint Health Plans has demonstrated a commitment to delivering maximum value in the design of their plan benefits, copayments, deductibles, and premiums. We believe that informed beneficiaries can rely on this award as an indication of excellence just as they rely on other awards and consumer ratings that recognize excellence in quality of care, health outcomes and member satisfaction."            

CarePoint Medicare Advantage Plan has expanded into 6 counties in northern New Jersey – Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Passaic, Somerset and Union.  Northern New Jersey's only zero premium PPO open-access Medicare Advantage plan has partnered with New Jersey's premier physicians and healthcare facilities to offer member-centric programs focused on improving and maintaining our customers' health.

"Before launching the CarePoint Medicare Advantage Plan, we invested in the best-in-class technology, created the highest quality Care Management programs, and minimized bureaucracy that is otherwise typical in competing plans," said Alex McLean, CEO of CarePoint Health Plans. "We firmly believe that in order to ensure improved clinical outcomes, our members must be able to access the right provider for their specific needs and have complete choice of provider with zero restrictions."

CarePoint Medicare Advantage Plan's Care Management programs link members to a team of providers in order to deliver individualized care. "We don't believe in providing cookie-cutter health care," said McLean. "We are founded on the belief that profitability will come from working hand-in-hand with our members and the care team to promote overall health and well-being.  Profits should not be driven by denying care or claims. None of our employees are incentivized to reduce costs – they are only incentivized to improve health outcomes, which is unique in the industry."

The award selections were based on the 2015 estimated cost-sharing comparisons conducted in over 100 cities during October 2014 by HealthMetrix Research Inc. The annual comparisons estimate the out-of-pocket costs for beneficiaries based on health status categories (healthy/episodic/chronic) and corresponding utilization of the most common plan benefits (physician office visits, emergency or urgent care, hospital care, prevention care, prescriptions). The comparisons identify the Medicare plans with the lowest and highest estimated annual out-of-pocket costs based on the approved 2015 member copayments, deductibles and premiums that appear in the Medicare Plan Finder database (www.medicare.gov).         

About CarePoint Health Plans
CarePoint Health Plans is proud to provide our neighbors with access to their physicians and their hospitals, all within their local community. For more information about CarePoint Health Plans, visit our website at www.carepointadvantage.org or call us at 855-593-5757.

HealthMetrix Research Inc. has provided independent information to a national audience of managed care organizations and consumers since 1997. The CostShare Report is the most independent analysis of Medicare plan cost-sharing available. HealthMetrix Research Inc. neither recommends nor endorses specific Medicare managed care plans.

For Media Inquiries, Contact:
Jarrod Bernstein
CarePoint Health
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 201-884-5300

"Excellence in Medicare Benefits Value"

The Senior Choice Gold Award is based on independent comparisons of the approved 2015 MA-Part D plan benefits for Aetna, AmeriHealth, CarePoint, Horizon Healthcare, United HealthCare, WellCare. 
For 2015 comparison details, visit www.MedicareNewsWatch.com
Reprinted with permission and distributed by CarePoint Health Plans. 
Medicare has neither reviewed nor endorsed this information.
The Senior Choice Gold Award is not given by Medicare.

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SOURCE CarePoint Health Plans