Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug Plans Offered by Capital BlueCross Subsidiaries Receive Excellent Ratings for Overall Performance

HARRISBURG, Pa., Nov. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug plans offered through Capital BlueCross subsidiaries recently received excellent ratings for overall performance by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The CMS is a federal government agency that administers the Medicare program. The CMS rates the relative quality of the private plans that are offered to Medicare beneficiaries on a scale of one to five, with five stars representing the highest quality.

The SeniorBlue® HMO, a Health Maintenance Organization, earned 4.5 Stars (out of a possible 5 Stars), while the SeniorBlue® PPO, a Preferred Provider Organization, earned 4.0 Stars (out of a possible 5 Stars) for 2012. The HMO is offered by Keystone Health Plan® Central, Inc., and the PPO is offered by Capital Advantage Insurance Company®, both Capital BlueCross subsidiaries.

Ratings of 4.5 and 4.0 Stars are both above average. Of the 446 Medicare plans evaluated, only 15 percent received a 4.5 Star or higher rating.  The national enrollment weighted average score for 2012 is 3.56 Stars.

The federal government has a five-star rating system for Medicare insurance and prescription drug plans in nine performance categories that are important to consumers who are selecting a health insurer. The categories are:

1. Staying Healthy
2. Managing Chronic (Long-Term) Conditions
3. Ratings of Health Plan Responsiveness and Care
4. Health Plan Member Complaints and Appeals
5. Health Plan Telephone Customer Service
6. Drug Plan Customer Service
7. Drug Plan Member Complaints and Medicare Audit Findings
8. Member Experience with Drug Plan
9. Drug Pricing and Patient Safety

"Our above average star ratings come as no surprise because Capital BlueCross works diligently to provide its Medicare members with a high standard of quality and satisfaction at a competitive cost," said Bill Lehr, chairman & CEO. "Because of our exceptional performance, we are fortunate to have many long-standing, committed Medicare members who trust and rely on us to deliver their health insurance needs."

Capital BlueCross is a leading health insurer in its region, providing health insurance coverage to residents in central Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley.

Capital BlueCross is committed to making health insurance simple for its customers and members through all the stages of life by offering nationally acclaimed customer service and a full range of innovative benefit programs for groups and individuals at competitive prices.

By establishing a culture of caring, Capital BlueCross constantly strives to do more in order to deliver more for the men, women and children who depend on the company for their health insurance needs. Capital BlueCross has been providing medical value to the people and communities of central Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley for more than 70 years and employs over 1,800 people in the region.

Headquartered in Harrisburg, Pa., Capital BlueCross is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

More information about Capital BlueCross and its subsidiaries can be found by going to www.capbluecross.com.

SeniorBlue® PPO is offered by Capital Advantage Insurance Company®, a Medicare Advantage organization with a Medicare contract. SeniorBlue® HMO is offered by Keystone Health Plan® Central, a Medicare Advantage organization with a Medicare contract. Capital BlueCross and its subsidiaries, Keystone Health Plan® Central and Capital Advantage Insurance Company®, are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Communications issued by Capital BlueCross in its capacity as administrator of programs and provider relations.

Plan performance summary star ratings are assessed each year and may change from one year to the next.

If you would like to get additional information on our plan's performance please contact us at 1-888-340-3978 (toll-free) or 800-779-6961 (TTY/TDD), Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., or you may visit www.medicare.gov.

SOURCE Capital BlueCross