The average American household spends nearly 6 percent of its income on health care. Nationwide, this represents $2 trillion in spending annually, which the Council on Foreign Relations reports is more than any other country and 2.5 times more than the international average. In a 2009 survey, the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 90 percent of Americans rated their health plan as good or excellent, but 85 percent were dissatisfied with at least one part of their coverage. Each year, the National Committee for Quality Assurance, NCQA, publishes its list of the best private health insurance plans, and the 2009-2010 list was dominated by plans in New England.
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
Harvard Pilgrim occupied the top two spots on the NCQA list. HPHC, which serves Massachusetts and Maine, topped the list with an average score of 91.1 out of 100, while New Hampshire's HPHC of New England had a 90.2 rating. Both offer health maintenance organizations and point-of-service plans and scored high for customer satisfaction. Both took hits for doctor communication, postpartum care and the treatment of asthma. Both programs had significantly low scores for antibiotic treatment of acute bronchitis and alcohol/drug rehabilitation.
Tufts Associated Health Maintenance Organization
Serving Massachusetts and Rhode Island, Tufts Associated Health Maintenance Organization has more than 737,000 members and works with more than 25,000 doctors. Known as Tufts Health Plan, the plan received an 89.9 score from its customers. Ratings were most high, with five out of five stars in nearly every category. Members rated the ease and speed of care with three out of five stars, and antibiotic use for acute bronchitis with two stars.
Grand Valley Health Plan
The Michigan-based Grand Valley Health Plan earned a score of 89.4 and five out of five stars for treatment satisfaction. Customer service ratings were mostly good, but the plan received low scores for access to care, doctor communications and quality, specialist quality, and claims processing. Preventative medicine received mostly good scores, with asthma care and prenatal visits receiving three stars, and colorectal cancer screenings earning two-star ratings.
References
- U.S. News and World Report: America's Best Health Insurance Plans (via NCQA)
- Visual Economics: How the Average U.S. Consumer Spends Their Paycheck
- Council on Foreign Relations: Healthcare Costs and U.S. Competitiveness
- Kaiser Family Foundation: Americans' Satisfaction With Insurance Coverage (PDF)
- Tufts Health Plan: Company Profile
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