September 2005
| CR Quick Recommendations Many health-care plans cluster in the same area of our HMO and PPO Ratings from year to year, indicating that the care the plans provide, whether good or not so good, has been consistent over time. HMOs Kaiser Permanente (OR, WA), whose parent is the nation’s largest nonprofit health-care provider, covering more than 8 million consumers in 9 states and Washington, D.C., and Capital District Physicians’ Health Plan, which serves more than 385,000 members in 29 New York counties, topped our charts in 2003 and receive consistently high marks for billing and customer support. PPOs Blue Cross Blue Shield plans dominate the top 10, as they did in 2003. Most plans had very good scores for choice of doctors. However, care from BCBS plans is inconsistent; a few state plans also fall in the bottom third of the PPO Ratings. |
