Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota and Blue Plus Medicare plans are among top-rated in nation on member experience, service

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Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota

Oct 30, 2023, 10:03 ET

The No. 1 Medicare plan chosen by Minnesotans receives 4.5 out of 5 stars for 2024 Medicare Advantage and Cost plans from CMS

EAGAN, Minn., Oct. 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota (Blue Cross) and Blue Plus today announced that two of its most popular Medicare offerings, Blue Cross Medicare Advantage plans and Platinum Blue^SM Cost plans, have earned 4.5 out of a possible five stars from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Overall, 100 percent of Blue Cross Medicare membership in CMS-rated plans for 2024 will be in a 4-star plan or higher. In addition to the 4.5-star ratings for Medicare Advantage and Cost plans, the Blue Plus SecureBlue^SM (HMO SNP) Minnesota Senior Health Options plan and MedicareBlue^SM Rx Part D received 4-star ratings for 2024.

Every year, Medicare evaluates Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug (Part D) plans based on a 5-star rating system across a series of quality performance measures, including member experience, customer service, appropriate clinical care, health plan administration and member health outcomes.

"Our record of consistently earning high overall ratings really speaks to our focus on meeting and exceeding the rising bar for member experiences and customer service," said Victoria Losinski, vice president of the Blue Cross Star Ratings, Risk Adjustment, and Quality Center of Excellence. "We are very pleased that all of our members will be enrolled in a 4-star rated plan or higher for 2024, especially considering that CMS introduced new, challenging guidance this year."

Blue Cross Medicare Advantage plans are top-rated by members for customer service, receiving 5 out of 5-starsⁱ. Additionally, Medicare Advantage plans saw increases on key member experience measures, including making it easy for members to get needed prescription medications and coordination between providers and the health plan. According to Blue Cross data, more than two-thirds (78%) of Medicare member calls are successfully resolved in a single phone call. Backed by a service team of nearly 500 Minnesota-based Member Experience Advocates, Blue Cross retains 95% of its Medicare enrollees from one plan year to the next. According to a Blue Cross survey earlier this yearⁱⁱ, nearly all (98%) of Medicare-enrolled Minnesota seniors consider customer service to be an important factor within their plan.

The mission of the Star Ratings, Risk Adjustment, and Quality Center of Excellence is to drive health plan quality to new heights each year through its focus on provider engagement, member experience with Blue Cross and their providers, health improvement programs, administrative excellence and data analytics. 2024 Star Ratings are based on services and care members received in 2022 and measures are graded on a curve relative to other plan's performance that year.

Blue Cross' status as the No. 1 Medicare plan chosen by Minnesotans is based on December 2022 enrollment data from CMS. More information about Blue Cross' Medicare plans can be found at Bluecrossmn.com/medicare.

About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota

For 90 years, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota (bluecrossmn.com) has supported the health, wellbeing and peace of mind of our members by striving to ensure equitable access to high quality care at an affordable price. Our 2.5 million members can be found in every Minnesota county, all 50 states and on four continents. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

Blue Cross offers PPO, Cost and PDP plans with Medicare contracts and Blue Plus offers an HMO SNP plan that contracts with both Medicare and the Minnesota Medical Assistance (Medicaid) program to provide benefits of both programs to enrollees. Enrollment in these Blue Cross or Blue Plus plans depend on contract renewal.

ⁱ Based on 2023 CAHPS results. Star rating information is on medicare.gov/plan-compare.
ⁱⁱ Survey methodology: Blue Cross surveyed 510 Minnesota residents 65+ years of age. The survey was fielded August 11-24, 2023.

SOURCE Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota