Medicaid recipients are more satisfied with their coverage than individuals who are enrolled in commercial health plans, according to the J.D. Power 2017 Managed Medicaid Special Report.
The Costa Mesa, Calif. firm surveyed 2,145 managed Medicaid health plan members, and found that overall satisfaction with managed Medicaid organizations was reported as 784 out of a possible 1,000 — 78 points higher than commercial health plan member satisfaction as measured by the J.D. Power 2017 Member Health Plan Study.SM
The most important factor for enrollees in managed Medicaid health plans is the ability to choose from a variety of providers, according to the survey. The number one factor shaping the experiences of those in commercially insured plans is the type of coverage and benefits they are able to receive.
However, more than 4 in 10 (42 percent) Medicaid managed care recipients put off getting the medical treatments they needed because of cost. Likewise, 40 percent avoided buying prescription medications due to cost.
With 74 million Americans now receiving health coverage through Medicaid, the government program has become the single largest source of health insurance in the country. But member experiences across states can be markedly different, according to the survey.
Iowa, Tennessee, Arizona and Indiana — states that have a dominant regional plan or a plan that owns a health system — have the easiest access to doctors and hospitals, compared with the other states included in the study. Moreover, Indiana, which requires every Medicaid recipient to contribute to a health savings account, has higher out-of-pocket expenditures than the national average, but without a corresponding drop in cost satisfaction among recipients, the survey found.
“While, on the whole, Medicaid managed care organizations are scoring relatively high marks for overall customer satisfaction, there are some significant challenges involving access to care and cost of care that have the potential to have a counterproductive effect on patient engagement, and, ultimately, population health,” says Valerie Monet, senior director of U.S. health insurance operations at J.D. Power. The states with the highest levels of satisfaction among Medicaid recipients are Utah (885), Iowa (859), Colorado (854), Arizona (840) and Virginia (840). The lowest-performing states in terms of overall recipient satisfaction are Kansas (683), Mississippi (686), Delaware (716), New Jersey (728) and California (731).
Medicaid managed care plans evaluated in the study include and/or are operated by the following parent companies: Aetna, Anthem; BlueCare Tennessee; BlueShield of California; CalOptima; CareSource; Centene; EmblemHealth; Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC); HealthFirst; Horizon Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Jersey; Humana; Independence Health; Inland Empire Health Plan; LA Care Health Plan; Meridian Health Plan; Molina Healthcare; NYS Catholic Health Plan; Partnership Health Plan of California; United Healthcare; University of Pittsburgh Medical Centers (UPMC); and WellCare Health Plans.
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Katie Kuehner-Hebert
Katie Kuehner-Hebert is a freelance writer based in Running Springs, Calif. She has more than three decades of journalism experience, with particular expertise in employee benefits and other human resource topics.
