U.S. News & World Report Announces the 2015 Best Medicare Plans

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Oct 15, 2014, 10:39 ET

WASHINGTON, Oct. 15, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- To help the 50+ million Americans enrolled in Medicare find coverage that meets their needs, U.S. News & World Report today released the 2015 Best Medicare Plans. The new ratings are a resource for Medicare beneficiaries and their families searching for the best coverage options during the annual open-enrollment period, which began today and runs through December 7, 2014.

The Best Medicare Plans ratings include Honor Rolls of the Best Medicare Advantage Plans and Best Part D Plans, which highlight insurance companies that consistently offer highly rated health coverage to those 65-and-older. The plan ratings and Honor Rolls are offered through the U.S. News Health Insurance site, which helps health insurance buyers of all kinds navigate the options available to them.

"Finding a Medicare plan that meets an individual's specific needs is a daunting task," said Ben Harder, managing editor and director of health care analysis for U.S. News. "By giving consumers more information to work with, we hope to make picking a plan or changing coverage an easier process."

The U.S. News ratings give up to 5 stars for each Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D plan available in each state. Insurance companies made the Honor Roll if either their Medicare Advantage or their Part D plans received an average rating of 4.5 stars or higher across all plans in a given state. Companies that offer consistently highly rated Medicare Advantage plans in multiple states include Erickson Advantage, with top-rated plans in 9 states, and Kaiser Permanente, with top plans in 6 states. For Part D plans, which cover prescription drugs, 20 states have one insurer that made the U.S. News list. In 2015, 17 of the 20 plans on the Medicare Part D Honor Roll are Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans.

U.S. News used plan-ratings data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to identify the Best Medicare Advantage Plans and Best Medicare Part D Plans. CMS rates individual plans on a scale of 1 to 5 stars, factoring in member satisfaction, customer service and other criteria. The U.S. News methodology analyzes all plans offered by an insurer in a given state.

The Best Medicare Plans ratings serve the broader U.S. News mission to provide trusted information and rankings that help Americans navigate complex health care issues, from finding health insurance and doctors to hospitals and nursing homes.

About U.S. News & World Report

U.S. News & World Report is a multimedia publisher of news, consumer advice, rankings and analysis. Focusing on Education, Health, Personal Finance, Travel, Cars and News & Opinion, www.usnews.com has earned a reputation as the leading provider of consumer advice and analysis that helps its readers make informed life decisions. U.S. News & World Report's signature franchise includes its "Best" series of consumer advice guides and publications that include rankings of colleges, hospitals, mutual funds, cars and more.

SOURCE U.S. News & World Report