Blue Shield of California Medicare Plans Receive Four Stars for Quality

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Oct 29, 2012, 01:10 ET

Sacramento County Medicare Advantage Plan Earns Separate Award for Overall Value

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Blue Shield of California's 2013 Medicare Advantage HMO and Medicare Part D prescription drug plans received four stars for program quality from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). This is the second year in a row CMS awarded Blue Shield of California a 4 Star rating.

"These quality and benefit measurements both recognize our efforts and fully align with Blue Shield's mission to provide access to quality, affordable health care for all Californians," said Kathy Swenson, senior vice president, Individual, Small Group, & Government Business Unit.

CMS measures the quality and performance of Medicare health and prescription drug plans using more than 50 metrics such as keeping members healthy, managing chronic conditions, plan responsiveness, customer service, pricing and safety, and pharmacy services. Plan performance Star Ratings are assessed each year and may change from one year to the next. The ratings can be found on the Medicare Plan Finder website at www.medicare.gov/find-a-plan.

Blue Shield also announced today that its new Medicare Advantage HMO plan in the Sacramento area earned the 2013 Senior Choice Gold Award for excellence in Medicare benefits value and performance.

"It is an honor to have our Medicare Advantage plan recognized as the most affordable plan in Sacramento County," said John Hedberg, vice president, senior markets, Individual, Small Group, & Government Business Unit.

The award recipients were selected from more than 200 Medicare managed care plans based on cost-sharing comparisons conducted by HealthMetrix Research Inc., a national independent managed care research firm. Medicare has neither reviewed nor endorsed this information.

About Blue Shield of California

Blue Shield of California, an independent member of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, is a not-for-profit health plan with 3.3 million members and 4,800 employees. Founded in 1939 and headquartered in San Francisco, Blue Shield of California provides health, life, dental, vision, and Medicare insurance and health care service plans in California, has one of the largest provider networks, and $9.7 billion in annual revenue. In 2012, Blue Shield of California was named one of the World's Most Ethical Companies. Since 2005, the company has contributed more than $200 million to Blue Shield of California Foundation, one of BusinessWeek's most generous corporate foundations. Contact your local agent or broker about Blue Shield of California products and services, or visit www.blueshieldca.com.