Thirty-two percent of Medicare Advantage plan members with chronic conditions responded they were familiar with the Star ratings system used by CMS.
This is up from 22% awareness in 2018. Of those familiar, 49% used the grading system to help them choose a plan for 2019 enrollment compared to 51% percent last year. Most of the remaining percent who were unfamiliar with Star Ratings said they would use them once they were informed, with 74% of respondents in 2019 plans saying they would use Star Ratings to help choose a plan in the future, versus 75% in 2018. The results are from HealthMine surveys of 781 Medicare Advantage plan members fielded in June 2018, and 800 surveyed in 2019.
Despite most Medicare Advantage plan members not familiar with Stars, most are choosing plans with high ratings. According to an analysis in 2018, 74% of enrollees were in the plans with four or more Stars. Yet, the HealthMine data revealed that just 15% of the total respondent base of 800 used Star Ratings in picking a 2019 plan.
“Awareness of Star Ratings is slightly on the rise, but still low at less than one in three people. Yet, most Medicare Advantage enrollees are ending up in the highest rated plans,” said Jean Arrington, chief innovation officer at HealthMine. “We only expect that to grow and push to ubiquity where almost all members are in four-plus Star rated plans.
For plans, Arrington said it means increased pressure to excel in performing in a value-based insurance design world.
“The engine driving plan performance is clearly each member taking the right health actions,” she said. “We are seeing that our health plan clients that create deep connections with members are realizing results with high Star Ratings.”
About HealthMine : HealthMine is the only Health Action as a Service company (HAaaS) originally built inside a Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) health plan. HealthMine’s services help health plans target and empower individuals to take actions that improve clinical outcomes while decreasing total cost of care and increasing plan revenue. HealthMine is online at www.healthmine.com.
