Category: HealthcareUnited States

Medicare Advantage Plan Member Satisfaction Facing Headwinds; Digital Innovation an Emerging New Solution, JD Power Finds

2025-08-18

jillian.breska

TROY, Mich.: 19 Aug. 2025 — The Medicare Advantage program has undergone significant policy changes during the past year, affecting deductibles, out-of-pocket costs, provider networks and prior authorization determinations. According to the JD Power 2025 U.S. Medicare Advantage Study,^SM released today, these changes have contributed to increased confusion, lower member satisfaction and a widespread lack of trust among Medicare Advantage plan members.

“With so much rumbling in the marketplace right now about increased government oversight, policy changes and profitability challenges confronting Medicare Advantage plans, it can be misleading for plans to conclude that the significant decline in member satisfaction is a byproduct of changes that are outside their control,” said Christopher Lis, managing director of global healthcare intelligence at JD Power. “Yet top-performing plans that invest in robust new-member onboarding, increased transparency, new digital tools, broader networks and social support services are proving that they are better equipped to maintain member trust and satisfaction—even in a volatile environment. These digital tools in particular can help drive increased personalization, automated and more consistent onboarding and increased transparency with real-time updates that members need.”

Following are some of the key findings of the 2025 study:

• Lack of trust drives satisfaction decline: Overall customer satisfaction with Medicare Advantage plans is 623 (on a 1,000-point scale), down 29 points from a year ago. The primary cause of this decline in customer satisfaction is a 39-point drop in members’ overall level of trust in their Medicare Advantage plan. Other factors showing significant declines in this year’s study are product/coverage offerings meet needs and ease of doing business.
• High-performing plans deliver on digital: One key criterion that separates the highest-performing Medicare Advantage plans from the lowest-performing plans[1] is the ability to engage with members via digital channels. Digital satisfaction among members of the highest-performing plans are 98 points higher, on average, than among those of the lowest-performing health plans. What’s more, 85% of members of high-performing plans have used their member portal (vs. 76% of low-performing plans), and 52% of members of high-performing plans find the features or tools offered on their plan’s website very easy to use (vs. 40% of low-performing plans).
• First-year member satisfaction lags: When new members join a Medicare Advantage plan, their first year often comes with confusion, unmet expectations and administrative challenges. Only 38% of first-year members say their insurer fulfills their service expectations. That number rises to 45% among established members, or those who have been with the same plan for more than one year. Common challenges cited by new members include explanation of benefits, how to find in-network doctors, deductibles, prior authorizations and usage of their Health Savings Account (HSA)/Health Retirement Account (HRA).

Study Rankings

Kaiser Permanente ranks highest in overall customer satisfaction with Medicare Advantage plans in California for a second consecutive year, with a score of 675. SCAN Health Plan (672) ranks second and Alignment Health Plan (658) ranks third.

Freedom Health ranks highest in overall satisfaction with Medicare Advantage plans in Florida, with a score of 670. Humana (640) ranks second and Wellcare (623) ranks third.

UnitedHealthcare ranks highest in overall satisfaction with Medicare Advantage plans in Georgia for a second consecutive year, with a score of 648. Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield (625) ranks second.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois ranks highest in overall satisfaction with Medicare Advantage plans in Illinois, with a score of 654. UnitedHealthcare (631) ranks second.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan ranks highest in overall satisfaction with Medicare Advantage plans in Michigan, with a score of 675. HAP (660) ranks second and Priority Health Medicare (656) ranks third.

Excellus BlueCross BlueShield ranks highest in overall satisfaction with Medicare Advantage plans in New York for a third consecutive year, with a score of 648. Healthfirst (617) ranks second.

UnitedHealthcare ranks highest in overall satisfaction with Medicare Advantage plans in North Carolina for a second consecutive year, with a score of 663. Blue Cross NC (641) ranks second.

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield ranks highest in overall satisfaction with Medicare Advantage plans in Ohio for a second consecutive year, with a score of 680. Aetna Medicare (655) ranks second.

UPMC For Life ranks highest in overall satisfaction with Medicare Advantage plans in Pennsylvania for a third consecutive year, with a score of 708. Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield (682) ranks second and Independence Blue Cross (653) ranks third.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas ranks highest in overall satisfaction with Medicare Advantage plans in Texas for a third consecutive year, with a score of 639. UnitedHealthcare (617) ranks second and Cigna Healthcare (616) ranks third.

The U.S. Medicare Advantage Study, now in its 11th year, measures member satisfaction with Medicare Advantage plans—also known as Medicare Part C or Part D—based on eight factors (in order of importance): level of trust; able to get health services how/when I want; helping to save me time or money; product/coverage offerings meet my needs; ease of doing business; people—representatives, call center agents; resolving problems or complaints; and digital channels. 

The 2025 U.S. Medicare Advantage Study is based on the responses of 10,888 members of Medicare Advantage plans in 10 market-based U.S. regions: California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas. It was fielded from January through June 2025.

For more information about the U.S. Medicare Advantage Study, visit https://www.jdpower.com/business/resource/us-medicare-advantage-study.  

About JD Power
JD Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services, and data and analytics. A pioneer in the use of big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic modeling capabilities to understand consumer behavior, JD Power has been delivering incisive industry intelligence on customer interactions with brands and products for more than 55 years. The world’s leading businesses across major industries rely on JD Power to guide their customer-facing strategies.

JD Power has offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. To learn more about the company’s business offerings, visit JDPower.com/business. The JD Power auto-shopping tool can be found at JDPower.com.

Media Relations Contacts
Geno Effler, JD Power; West Coast; 714-621-6224; [email protected]
John Roderick; East Coast; 631-584-2200; [email protected] 

About JD Power and Advertising/Promotional Rules: www.jdpower.com/business/about-us/press-release-info

¹High Performer health plans identified as top 10 in overall satisfaction rankings; Low Performer health plans identified as bottom 10 in overall satisfaction rankings.

 

Poor Member Digital Experience Weighs Heavily on Health Insurers, JD Power Finds

2025-04-07

jillian.breska

TROY, Mich.: 8 April 2025 — Health insurance members across both commercial and Medicare Advantage plans are increasingly using their health plan’s websites and mobile apps as their primary conduits of communication, but the quality of these digital experiences is lagging far behind what they have come to expect from other industries they interact with digitally such as financial services, property and casualty insurance and automotive finance. According to the JD Power 2025 U.S. Healthcare Digital Experience Study,^SM released today, the websites and digital apps provided by commercial member health plans and Medicare Advantage plans are routinely missing the mark on ease of navigation, ability to review coverage and several other basics of the digital experience.

“So many daily interactions with service providers are successfully managed digitally, resulting in continually higher customer expectations for a world-class digital experience,” said Eric McCready, director of digital solutions at JD Power. “However, health insurance providers have a lot of work to do to close the gap to other industries. The most important factors driving member satisfaction with mobile apps and websites include making it easy to find the information they need; providing clear explanations of deductibles and out-of-pocket spending; and offering intuitive navigational elements. Many plans are simply not delivering on those basics.”

• Health insurance mobile app experience lags other service industries: On average, customer satisfaction with apps is 653 (on a 1,000-point scale) among commercial member health plans and 597 among Medicare Advantage plans. Comparatively, customer satisfaction with apps is significantly higher in three other industries in which JD Power conducts studies: full-service wealth management companies (794);¹ property and casualty insurers (700);² and automotive finance companies (672).³
• Digital experience affects satisfaction and intent to renew: Among commercial member health plan digital experiences in which overall satisfaction scores are 801 or higher, 58% of members are likely to have a much more positive impression of their employer. Among Medicare Advantage plan digital experiences in which overall satisfaction scores are 801 or higher, 85% of members say they “definitely will” renew with their current plan, which is more than double the intended loyalty rate for those digital experiences with scores of 500 or less.
• Missing basics of ease of use and navigation: The most important factor driving satisfaction with both commercial health plans and Medicare Advantage plans is ease of finding information needed. When that basic criterion is met, overall member satisfaction rises 83 points. Yet, health plans are failing to deliver that level of digital experience 39% of the time.
• Mobile apps show promise—when they work: The percentage of commercial health plan members who have used their insurer’s mobile app within the past year rises to 37% in 2025, up from 31% in 2024, and overall satisfaction is highest (636) among those who use the mobile app when compared with a website (607) or phone (607). However, when members have a poor digital experience, their likelihood of reusing that channel again in the future falls to just 27%.

Study Rankings

Cigna Healthcare ranks highest in satisfaction among commercial member health plans with a score of 683. Kaiser Foundation Health Plan (680) ranks second and Centene (664) ranks third.

UPMC Health Plan ranks highest in satisfaction among Medicare Advantage plans with a score of 687. UnitedHealthcare (650) ranks second and Cigna Healthcare (644) ranks third.

The U.S. Healthcare Digital Experience Study, now in its second year, measures satisfaction across five factors (in order of importance): visual appeal; navigation; information/content; speed; and telehealth. The 2025 study is based on evaluations from 6,259 members of the 15 largest Medicare Advantage plans and 15 largest commercial member health plans in the United States. The study was fielded from August through December 2024.

For more information about the U.S. Healthcare Digital Experience Study, visit https://www.jdpower.com/business/healthcare/healthcare-digital-experience-study.

About JD Power
JD Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services, and data and analytics. A pioneer in the use of big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic modeling capabilities to understand consumer behavior, JD Power has been delivering incisive industry intelligence on customer interactions with brands and products for more than 55 years. The world’s leading businesses across major industries rely on JD Power to guide their customer-facing strategies.

JD Power has offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. To learn more about the company’s business offerings, visit JDPower.com/business. The JD Power auto-shopping tool can be found at JDPower.com.

Media Relations Contacts
Geno Effler, JD Power; West Coast; 714-621-6224; [email protected]
John Roderick; East Coast; 631-584-2200; [email protected] 

About JD Power and Advertising/Promotional Rules: www.jdpower.com/business/about-us/press-release-info

¹JD Power 2024 U.S. Wealth Management Digital Experience Study^SM
2JD Power 2024 U.S. Insurance Digital Experience Study^SM
3JD Power 2024 U.S. Automotive Finance Digital Experience Study^SM

 

Telehealth Continues to Score Points for Convenience and Speed, but Overall Experience Varies Widely Between Providers and Across Demographics, JD Power Finds

2024-09-23

jillian.breska

TROY, Mich.: 26 Sept. 2024 — Heralded for its potential to break down socioeconomic and geographic barriers to care and celebrated as a lifeline during the pandemic, telehealth has become one of the most closely watched corners of healthcare delivery in the United States. Is it living up to its potential in the eyes of patients? According to the JD Power 2024 U.S. Telehealth Satisfaction Study,^SM released today, results have been mixed. With more people than ever using telehealth—and many having great experiences—not all encounters have been perfect. Experiences vary considerably between telehealth providers and concerns remain over the effectiveness of telehealth for different types of care.

“The telehealth marketplace has grown rapidly and although its usage has been normalized in recent years, we’re still in a growth phase where individuals can have vastly different experiences based on the providers they use, their medical conditions and even things like the quality of internet and phone connections where they live,” said Christopher Lis, managing director of global healthcare intelligence at JD Power. “Most consumers agree that telehealth is tough to beat when it comes to convenience and accessing care quickly, but it is not the ideal channel for all healthcare encounters. The wide variation in patient experience is something telehealth providers, insurers and public health officials will want to monitor closely.”

Following are some key findings of the 2024 study:

• Overall satisfaction varies widely: Overall patient satisfaction with direct-to-consumer telehealth providers is 730 (on a 1,000-point scale), which is down one point from 2023. Overall patient satisfaction with payer-provided telehealth offerings is 708, up 18 points from a year ago. This wide variation between the two categories of providers and within individual providers profiled in the study suggests that patients are experiencing significant variability in their perceived quality of care and ease of accessing care.
• Convenience is king, but barriers persist: The top reasons patients cite for using telehealth services are convenience (65%); ability to receive care quickly (46%); and having a condition that is covered by a telehealth visit (30%). The top barriers making the telehealth experience difficult are internet/cellular connectivity difficulties (25%); limited services provided (25%); and data security concerns with personal/medical information (15%). Overall, 65% of telehealth patients experienced at least one barrier during their telehealth visit.
• Biggest gaps in experience: Among specific services in which patients indicate that they would prefer to use telehealth, reviewing medication options and chronic care follow-up are the two areas in which the gap in customer experience is largest. Nearly three-fourths (74%) of those having an easy experience with a medication review said they would use telehealth again, while only 58% who had a difficult experience said they would use it again. When following up on a chronic condition, 44% of patients who had an easy experience said they would use it again, while only 28% of those who had a difficult experience said they would use it again.
• Experience varies across socioeconomic and demographic groups: Overall satisfaction with telehealth providers is highest among patients covered by Medicaid, those living in urban environments and those in Gen Y[1] and Gen Z. Satisfaction is lowest among patients covered by Medicare and private insurance, those living in suburban environments, and those in the Boomer and older generations. 

Study Rankings

MyTelemedicine ranks highest in telehealth satisfaction among direct-to-consumer brands, with a score of 747. Doctor On Demand (743) and Teladoc Health (743) each rank second in a tie.

Humana ranks highest among payers of health plan-provided telehealth services, with a score of 747. Florida Blue (734) ranks second and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (733) ranks third.

The U.S. Telehealth Satisfaction Study, now in its fifth year, measures customer satisfaction with telehealth service experience based on seven factors (in order of importance): level of trust; visit with provider met my needs; people; digital channels; ease of receiving care; scheduling of appointment; and helping to save me time or money. The study is based on responses of 4,070 healthcare customers who used a telehealth service within the past 12 months. It was fielded from September 2023 through July 2024.

For more information about the U.S. Telehealth Satisfaction Study, visit https://www.jdpower.com/business/resource/us-telehealth-study.

About JD Power
JD Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services, and data and analytics. A pioneer in the use of big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic modeling capabilities to understand consumer behavior, JD Power has been delivering incisive industry intelligence on customer interactions with brands and products for more than 55 years. The world’s leading businesses across major industries rely on JD Power to guide their customer-facing strategies.

JD Power has offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. To learn more about the company’s business offerings, visit JDPower.com/business. The JD Power auto-shopping tool can be found at JDPower.com.

Media Relations Contacts
Geno Effler, JD Power; West Coast; 714-621-6224; [email protected]
John Roderick; East Coast; 631-584-2200; [email protected]

About JD Power and Advertising/Promotional Rules: www.jdpower.com/business/about-us/press-release-info

¹JD Power defines generational groups as Pre-Boomers (born before 1946); Boomers (1946-1964); Gen X (1965-1976); Gen Y (1977-1994); and Gen Z (1995-2006).

 

As Mail Order Pharmacies Continue to Climb in Customer Satisfaction, Chain Drug Stores Fall Behind, JD Power Finds

2024-07-30

jillian.breska

TROY, Mich.: 30 July 2024 — The level of trust and reliability pharmacy customers have come to expect from their local pharmacist is increasingly being found instead through mail order pharmacies. According to the JD Power 2024 U.S. Pharmacy Study,^SM released today, overall satisfaction with mail order pharmacies is rising steadily, with a 6-point increase (on a 1,000-point scale) in overall customer satisfaction this year. Meanwhile, chain drug stores have seen their overall satisfaction scores slide far below the brick-and-mortar category average, with long wait times, lower levels of customer trust in pharmacists and difficulty in ordering prescriptions emerging as problem areas for the segment.

“The critical link that may allow brick-and-mortar pharmacies to keep pace with the rise of mail order and digital pharmacies is the familiarity that customers have with their pharmacist,” said Christopher Lis, managing director of global healthcare intelligence at JD Power. “This is a big differentiator that brick-and-mortar pharmacies need to closely monitor, as 52% of customers are now aware of digital pharmacies, most notably, Amazon Pharmacy. Customers need pharmacies to deliver on convenience, reliability and trust—and mail order and digital pharmacies are working to meet those expectations. As more consumers become aware of digital pharmacies, understand how they work and determine that many accept their insurance, brick-and-mortar stores risk losing market share.”

Following are some of the key findings of the 2024 study:

• Brick-and-mortar pharmacies lose ground to mail order: Even the top-performing brick-and-mortar pharmacies saw overall satisfaction scores decline more than 10 points this year, while satisfaction scores for mail order pharmacies have increased 6 points, on average. The declines in brick-and-mortar chain drug store satisfaction are affected by a combination of long wait times and difficulty ordering prescriptions.
• Retail pharmacists excel on communication but do not foster trust: Brick-and-mortar pharmacies are excelling in pharmacists’ communication with customers, with 89% of them indicating that their pharmacist’s explanation was understood—a significant positive change from 2023. That said, just 51% say prescriptions were filled quickly, and only 51% say their pharmacist is trustworthy.
• Online pharmacies need to prioritize ease of use on digital channels: Ease of ordering prescriptions continues to be the top factor driving customer satisfaction with mail order pharmacies. However, just 18% of mail order customers say their pharmacy offers a well-designed digital experience, indicating mail order pharmacies are losing ground on providing a digital experience that meets customers’ expectations.
• Confusion over insurance still a big obstacle for digital pharmacies: Nearly half (48%) of brick-and-mortar customers say they have not heard of digital pharmacies and just 60% of mail order customers say they have heard of digital pharmacies. The biggest barriers to adoption of digital pharmacies that customers cite are confusion as to whether they would work with their current insurance, trustworthiness and lack of use among people they know.

Study Rankings

Good Neighbor Pharmacy ranks highest among brick-and-mortar chain drug store pharmacies for an eighth consecutive year, with a score of 775. Health Mart (729) ranks second and Rite Aid Pharmacy ranks third (650).

Sam’s Club ranks highest among brick-and-mortar mass merchandiser pharmacies for a ninth consecutive year, with a score of 777. Costco (740) ranks second.

Publix ranks highest among brick-and-mortar supermarket pharmacies with a score of 755. ShopRite (747) ranks second and H-E-B (745) ranks third.

PillPack by Amazon Pharmacy ranks highest in the mail order segment with a score of 759. Amazon Pharmacy (727) ranks second and Kaiser Permanente (726) ranks third.

The U.S. Pharmacy Study, now in its 16th year, measures customer satisfaction with brick-and-mortar and mail order pharmacies. The 2024 study is based on responses from 13,505 pharmacy customers who filled a prescription within the past 12 months and was fielded from September 2023 through May 2024.

For more information about the U.S. Pharmacy Study, visit https://www.jdpower.com/business/healthcare/pharmacy-study.

About JD Power
JD Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services, and data and analytics. A pioneer in the use of big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic modeling capabilities to understand consumer behavior, JD Power has been delivering incisive industry intelligence on customer interactions with brands and products for more than 55 years. The world’s leading businesses across major industries rely on JD Power to guide their customer-facing strategies.

JD Power has offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. To learn more about the company’s business offerings, visit JDPower.com/business. The JD Power auto-shopping tool can be found at JDPower.com.

Media Relations Contacts
Geno Effler, JD Power; West Coast; 714-621-6224; [email protected]
John Roderick; East Coast; 631-584-2200; [email protected]

About JD Power and Advertising/Promotional Rules: www.jdpower.com/business/about-us/press-release-info

 

Retail Pharmacy Customer Satisfaction Surges as Digital Engagement Keeps Rising, JD Power Finds

2023-07-25

jillian.breska

TROY, Mich.: 27 July 2023 — As the pharmacy business continues its transformation from the corner drug store to a multi-channel hub of healthcare services and digital tools, one thing has not changed: personal interactions with pharmacy staff are the key to enduring customer satisfaction. According to the JD Power 2023 U.S. Pharmacy Study,^SM released today, brick-and-mortar pharmacies are delivering on that promise of personalized attention, contributing to a 6-point rise in overall customer satisfaction this year (on a 1,000-point scale). On the mail order side, overall satisfaction is up, too, but so is likelihood of switching providers.

“As pharmacies continue to take on a more significant role in healthcare delivery and ongoing care management, the pharmacist has become a critical link in the healthcare continuum,” said Christopher Lis, managing director of global healthcare intelligence at JD Power. “Customers are rewarding pharmacies that deliver personalized service, including interactions where communications occur on a first-name basis and when the pharmacist is available to answer questions. These elements of personalized service are moments of truth to help brick-and-mortar pharmacies forge meaningful connections with customers. Mail order pharmacies, by contrast, are less likely to have these personal connections and, in turn, are seeing declines in customer loyalty.”

Following are some of the key findings of the 2023 study:

• Long live the friendly neighborhood pharmacist: While the industry has evolved far beyond the days of Norman Rockwell’s famous “Pharmacist” painting, the idea of the neighborhood pharmacist as an essential member of the community is alive and well. Overall satisfaction is 102 points higher among customers who say they know their pharmacist by name, and 93 points higher among those who say they know pharmacy staff or technicians by name.
• Interest in health and wellness services increases: Overall, 83% of brick-and-mortar pharmacy customers indicate an interest in receiving health and wellness services at their pharmacy, up three percentage points from 2022. Top services include vaccinations or flu shots (50%); health screenings (46%); and COVID-19 testing (42%).
• Disruption afoot in mail order space: While overall satisfaction in the mail order pharmacy segment is up a significant 9 points this year, customer loyalty is declining. Some 18% of mail order customers say they “definitely will” or “probably will” switch pharmacies in the next 12 months, up from 14% in 2022. Top reasons for switching include employer insurance requiring a change (31%); medication is too expensive (24%); and want flexible pick-up options (21%).
• Digital engagement increases: Brick-and-mortar pharmacies are seeing increases in digital engagement. In 2022, 76% of customers said they relied on digital technologies to interact with their pharmacy. This year, 81% of customers say they use digital technology. Among mail order pharmacy customers, 89% now rely on digital technology to interact with their pharmacy, up from 84% in 2022. Top digital channels used by mail order customers are pharmacy websites (59%); mobile apps (34%); and text messages (29%).

Study Rankings

Good Neighbor Pharmacy ranks highest among brick-and-mortar chain drug store pharmacies for a seventh consecutive year, with a score of 793. Health Mart (770) ranks second and Rite Aid Pharmacy ranks third (680).

Sam’s Club ranks highest among brick-and-mortar mass merchandiser pharmacies for an eighth consecutive year, with a score of 788. Costco (755) ranks second.

H-E-B ranks highest among brick-and-mortar supermarket pharmacies for a third consecutive year, with a score of 760. Wegmans (753) ranks second and Publix (744) ranks third.

Kaiser Permanente Pharmacy ranks highest in the mail order segment, with a score of 748. PillPack (an Amazon Company) (709) ranks second and Express Scripts Pharmacy (699) ranks third.

The U.S. Pharmacy Study, now in its 15th year, measures customer satisfaction with brick-and-mortar and mail order pharmacies. The 2023 study is based on responses from 12,396 pharmacy customers who filled a prescription within the past 12 months and was fielded from August 2022 through May 2023.

For more information about the U.S. Pharmacy Study, visit https://www.jdpower.com/business/healthcare/pharmacy-study.

About JD Power
JD Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services and data and analytics. A pioneer in the use of big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic modeling capabilities to understand consumer behavior, JD Power has been delivering incisive industry intelligence on customer interactions with brands and products for more than 50 years. The world’s leading businesses across major industries rely on JD Power to guide their customer-facing strategies.

JD Power has offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. To learn more about the company’s business offerings, visit JDPower.com/business. The JD Power auto shopping tool can be found at JDPower.com.

Media Relations Contacts
Geno Effler, JD Power; West Coast; 714-621-6224; [email protected]
John Roderick; East Coast; 631-584-2200; [email protected]

About JD Power and Advertising/Promotional Rules: www.jdpower.com/business/about-us/press-release-info

 

For Medicare Advantage Plans, Trust and Problem Resolution Closely Associated with Likelihood to Renew, JD Power Finds

2023-08-21

jillian.breska

TROY, Mich.: 22 Aug. 2023 — With the eldest members of the Boomer¹ generation now well into their 70s and an estimated 10,000 Americans turning 65 each day,² Medicare Advantage plans are the fastest-growing segment of the health insurance market, with more plans available than ever before. According to the JD Power 2023 U.S. Medicare Advantage Study,^SM released today, the biggest factors influencing retention in this fast-moving, highly competitive market are trust and the ability to resolve problems or complaints.

“As the number of Medicare Advantage plan options continues to grow, competition for new members and retention are becoming increasingly critical,” said Christopher Lis, managing director, global healthcare intelligence at JD Power. “Additionally, in 2023, member experience and satisfaction are prominent drivers of CMS Star Ratings. Complementing these trends, JD Power research demonstrates that consumers are becoming more sophisticated about researching their healthcare options. Consumer-facing brand attributes like trust, reputation, reviews and customer ratings have become key drivers of satisfaction and customer loyalty. Most Medicare Advantage plans are performing well on the basics, yet there are opportunities for improvement in the areas of ease of finding care, care coordination and innovation around digital self-service.”

Following are some of the key findings of the 2023 study:

• Overall satisfaction with Medicare Advantage plans is generally good: Overall customer satisfaction with Medicare Advantage plans is 652 (on a 1,000-point scale), which is squarely in the good-to-great range of the newly redesigned U.S. Medicare Advantage Study index model. Plans perform highest on trust, ease of doing business and meeting member product/coverage needs.
• Trust and problem resolution hold keys to customer loyalty: Level of trust and resolving problems or complaints are the most highly correlated factors associated with members renewing their health plan. Satisfaction with trust increases 353 points among those likely to renew with their health plan compared with those who are unlikely to renew. Similarly, satisfaction with problem resolution increases 351 points among those likely to renew.
• Ease of finding care and digital tools now biggest pain points: Just 31% of Medicare Advantage plan members say their plan made it easy for them to find care and just 34% say they used two or more digital tools offered by their plan. Overall customer satisfaction scores are 158 points higher, on average, when members say it is easy to find care and 62 points higher, on average, when members use two or more digital tools.
• Health plan ratings and customer reviews spur customer satisfaction: The most effective sources of information about Medicare Advantage plans are health plan ratings, information received directly from the plan itself and recommendations from friends, relatives and co-workers.

Study Rankings

SCAN Health Plan ranks highest in overall customer satisfaction with Medicare Advantage plans in California, with a score of 708. Humana (692) ranks second and Kaiser Foundation Health Plan (680) ranks third.

Humana ranks highest in overall satisfaction with Medicare Advantage plans in Florida, with a score of 670. UnitedHealthcare (653) ranks second and Aetna (647) ranks third.

Excellus BlueCross BlueShield ranks highest in overall satisfaction with Medicare Advantage plans in New York, with a score of 700. Healthfirst (680) ranks second and Humana (651) ranks third.

UPMC For Life ranks highest in overall satisfaction with Medicare Advantage plans in Pennsylvania, with a score of 709. Highmark (706) ranks second and Aetna (670) ranks third.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas ranks highest in overall satisfaction with Medicare Advantage plans in Texas, with a score of 676. Cigna Health (668) ranks second and Humana (648) ranks third.

The U.S. Medicare Advantage Study was redesigned for 2023. The study, now in its ninth year, measures member satisfaction with Medicare Advantage plans—also known as Medicare Part C or Part D—based on eight factors (in order of importance): level of trust; able to get health services how/when I want; helping to save me time or money; product/coverage offerings meet my needs; ease of doing business; people—representatives, call center agents; resolving problems or complaints; and digital channels. 

The 2023 U.S. Medicare Advantage Study is based on the responses of 5,887 members of Medicare Advantage plans in five market-based U.S. regions: California, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas. It was fielded from January through June 2023.

For more information about the U.S. Medicare Advantage Study, visit https://www.jdpower.com/business/resource/us-medicare-advantage-study.

About JD Power
JD Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services and data and analytics. A pioneer in the use of big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic modeling capabilities to understand consumer behavior, JD Power has been delivering incisive industry intelligence on customer interactions with brands and products for more than 50 years. The world’s leading businesses across major industries rely on JD Power to guide their customer-facing strategies.

JD Power has offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. To learn more about the company’s business offerings, visit JDPower.com/business. The JD Power auto shopping tool can be found at JDPower.com.

Media Relations Contacts
Geno Effler, JD Power; West Coast; 714-621-6224; [email protected]
John Roderick; East Coast; 631-584-2200; [email protected]

About JD Power and Advertising/Promotional Rules: www.jdpower.com/business/about-us/press-release-info

¹JD Power defines generational groups as Pre-Boomers (born before 1946); Boomers (1946-1964); Gen X (1965-1976); Gen Y (1977-1994); and Gen Z (1995-2004). Millennials (1982-1994) are a subset of Gen Y.

²United States Census Bureau, https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2019/12/by-2030-all-baby-boomers-will-be-age-65-or-older.html

 

Commercial Health Plan Member Satisfaction Declines in Key Areas, JD Power Finds

2023-05-27

jillian.breska

TROY, Mich.: 31 May 2023 — Despite an industry-wide transition to value-based payment models that incentivize preventive care and proactive communication between health plans and members, commercial health plans are missing the mark when it comes to patient engagement. According to the JD Power 2023 U.S. Commercial Member Health Plan Study,^SM released today, customer satisfaction with commercial health plans is particularly strained among members of Gen Y¹ and Gen Z, driven largely by poor customer service and communication scores. Similarly, members with the lowest self-reported health status are most likely to experience communications challenges with their health plans.

“The transition to value-based care is predicated on the idea that payors and providers can drive better outcomes at a lower cost by improving patient engagement, yet many commercial health plans are having challenges getting the right information and support to patients when and where they need it,” said Christopher Lis, managing director, global healthcare intelligence at JD Power. “Moreover, in patients with self-reported health status of ‘poor and fair,’ only 17% were assigned to a case manager. Yet for these patients with oftentimes complex health conditions, seeing multiple providers and taking several prescriptions, care fragmentation leads to poor health outcomes and higher spending in the very population that needs coordinated care the most.”

Following are some key findings of the 2023 study:

• Overall satisfaction declines year over year: Overall satisfaction falls 13 points (on a 1,000-point scale) this year, driven largely by a 33-point decline in satisfaction with customer service. Coverage and benefits (-20 points); provider choice (-16); and information and communication (-16) also decline significantly.
• Net Promoter Score^®2 for new members is poor, highlighting importance of onboarding: The average NPS score for new members is 6 (on a scale of -100 to 100), whereas the average score for established plan members is 25. This significant difference suggests that new members are not receiving clear information and support on how to navigate their healthcare benefits.
• Sicker patients less likely to receive proactive care coordination: Among patients with a self-reported health status of “poor/fair,” just 36% say their health plan helped them coordinate care. Among patients with a self-reported health status of “very good/excellent,” 43% say their health plan helped to coordinate care.
• Despite investment in digital health tools, health plan member usage remains low:  Digital usage for all tools and support remains below 50%.  Even among the sickest patients, use of online health assessments is 18%; use of chronic disease management tools is 8%; use of online triage and nursing support is 10%; and remote monitoring 6%.

Study Rankings

The study measures customer satisfaction with commercial member health plans in 22 geographic regions. Highest-ranking health plans and scores are as follows:

• California: Kaiser Foundation Health Plan (749)
• Colorado: Kaiser Foundation Health Plan (716)
• Delaware/West Virginia/Washington D.C.: Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Delaware (725)
• East South Central: Aetna (760)
• Florida: Florida Blue (739)
• Heartland: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City (743)
• Illinois/Indiana: Health Alliance Medical Plans (731)
• Maryland: Kaiser Foundation Health Plan (797)
• Massachusetts: Mass General Brigham Health Plan (formerly Allways) (711)
• Michigan: Health Alliance Plan of Michigan (735)
• Minnesota/Wisconsin: Quartz Health Plan (709)
• Mountain: UnitedHealthcare (721)
• New Jersey: Cigna (727)
• New York: Capital District Physicians Health Plan (773)
• Northeast: Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Connecticut (730) and Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island (730) in a tie
• Northwest: Aetna (723)
• Ohio: Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Ohio (715)
• Pennsylvania: Geisinger Health Plan (732)
• South Atlantic: Kaiser Foundation Health Plan (785)
• Southwest: Aetna (720)
• Texas: UnitedHealthcare (729)
• Virginia: UnitedHealthcare (726)

The U.S. Commercial Member Health Plan Study, now in its 17^th year, measures satisfaction among members of 147 health plans in 22 regions throughout the United States by examining six factors (in alphabetical order): billing and payment; cost; coverage and benefits; customer service; information and communication; and provider choice. The study is based on responses from 32,656 commercial health plan members and was fielded from January through April 2023.

For more information about the U.S. Commercial Member Health Plan Study, visit https://www.jdpower.com/business/resource/commercial-member-health-plan-study.

About JD Power
JD Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services and data and analytics. A pioneer in the use of big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic modeling capabilities to understand consumer behavior, JD Power has been delivering incisive industry intelligence on customer interactions with brands and products for more than 50 years. The world’s leading businesses across major industries rely on JD Power to guide their customer-facing strategies.

JD Power has offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. To learn more about the company’s business offerings, visit JDPower.com/business. The JD Power auto shopping tool can be found at JDPower.com.

Media Relations Contacts
Geno Effler, JD Power; West Coast; 714-621-6224; [email protected]
John Roderick; East Coast; 631-584-2200; [email protected]

About JD Power and Advertising/Promotional Rules: www.jdpower.com/business/about-us/press-release-info

¹JD Power defines generational groups as Pre-Boomers (born before 1946); Boomers (1946-1964); Gen X (1965-1976); Gen Y (1977-1994); and Gen Z (1995-2004). Millennials (1982-1994) are a subset of Gen Y.

²Net Promoter,® Net Promoter System,® Net Promoter Score,® NPS,® and the NPS-related emoticons are registered trademarks of Bain & Company, Inc., Fred Reichheld and Satmetrix Systems, Inc.

 

JD Power Names Christopher Lis Head of Global Healthcare Intelligence Practice

2022-07-15

crescent.seward

As healthcare innovation and market consolidation continues to accelerate with the increasing adoption of value-based care delivery models, JD Power today announced the hiring of healthcare transformation executive Christopher Lis, Ph.D., MPH, to managing director of the Global Healthcare Intelligence practice. Lis comes to JD Power with an impressive track record of accomplishments in helping companies bridge the gap between where they are today and their future, driving new levels of organizational and revenue growth, operational excellence and a world-class customer experience. 

Lis brings 20 years of healthcare strategy, analytics and operations expertise to JD Power and has served as a thought leader and strategic advisor in the areas of growth strategy and execution, healthcare innovation, operational effectiveness, value-based care delivery and customer service excellence.  In prior roles, Lis served as a senior advisor with Leavitt Partners on the market executive leadership team at ChenMed; as president and chief operating officer of a regional healthcare network; and as corporate chief strategy officer while on the national executive team at Cancer Treatment Centers of America (now part of City of Hope).

“Christopher brings a deep understanding of the U.S. healthcare system with an in-depth understanding of payor and provider economics, coupled with a strategic mindset on how to leverage the role of data, analytics and benchmarking insights to drive growth and healthcare transformation,” said Keith Webster, president of global business intelligence at JD Power. “His expertise and relationships will help take our global healthcare practice to the next level, in line with our mission to unite industry leading data and insights with world-class technology to solve our clients’ toughest challenges.”

To see an online bio of Christopher Lis, please visit https://www.jdpower.com/business/all-bios?page=2.

About JD Power
JD Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services and data and analytics. A pioneer in the use of big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic modeling capabilities to understand consumer behavior, JD Power has been delivering incisive industry intelligence on customer interactions with brands and products for more than 50 years. The world’s leading businesses across major industries rely on JD Power to guide their customer-facing strategies.

JD Power has offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. To learn more about the company’s business offerings, visit JDPower.com/business. The JD Power auto shopping tool can be found at JDPower.com.

Media Relations Contacts
Geno Effler, JD Power; West Coast; 714-621-6224; [email protected]
John Roderick; East Coast; 631-584-2200; [email protected]

About JD Power and Advertising/Promotional Rules: www.jdpower.com/business/about-us/press-release-info

 

Innovations at Retail Pharmacies Accelerate as Digital Competition, Health and Wellness Offerings Grow, JD Power Finds

2022-07-27

crescent.seward

TROY, Mich.: 28 July 2022 — With more than 258.1 million total doses of the COVID-19 vaccine^[1] and an estimated 40 million flu vaccinations seasonally^[2] dispensed at retail pharmacies, U.S. consumers have grown accustomed to—and very comfortable with—the idea of receiving health services at their local pharmacies. According to the JD Power 2022 U.S. Pharmacy Study,^SM released today, the evolution toward health and wellness services—in addition to medication management—may be the key to the future of the retail pharmacy industry as it contends with growing threats from online retailers.

“Customers are beginning to embrace their retail pharmacy as a hub for a broad range of routine health and wellness services,” said Christopher Lis, managing director, global healthcare intelligence at JD Power. “This transformation is happening simultaneously with rising competition from online retailers such as Amazon, which is raising the stakes for local retail pharmacies. This is an opportunity for more retail pharmacies to innovate as a one-stop shop for routine care and to leverage data and technology to create an increasingly personalized customer experience.”

Following are some of the key findings of the 2022 study:

• Customers are interested in routine healthcare services at their pharmacies: Among pharmacy customers who are interested in receiving routine healthcare services, 33% are interested in vision and hearing services and 27% are interested in physical exams and routine lab tests at their local retail pharmacies. However, most customers recognize their pharmacies are not currently offering these services.
• Health and wellness service utilization associated with higher loyalty and brand advocacy: On average, 52% of customers who rely on their pharmacies for health and wellness services say they will not switch pharmacies. This compares with just 45% among those who have not used their pharmacy’s health and wellness services. Likewise, Net Promoter Scores®^[3] are 14 points higher when customers use health and wellness services.
• Watch out for Amazon: Nearly two-thirds (66%) of brick-and-mortar pharmacy customers currently have an Amazon Prime account and nearly half (48%) of pharmacy customers are aware of pharmacy services offered by Amazon.  To date, 14% of those who are aware of Amazon’s Pharmacy Services have used Pill Pack filled through Amazon Pharmacy. Of that group, 38% say they “definitely will” switch pharmacies in the next 12 months.
• Mobile apps could become prescription management battleground: Among brick-and-mortar customers who use their pharmacy’s mobile app, 59% use the app to manage prescription refills and 57% use the app to view prescriptions. Overall satisfaction among those who have used their pharmacy’s mobile app six or more times in the past 12 months is 715 (on a 1,000-point scale), which is 32 points higher than among those who used the app up to five times. Frequent app users are also less likely to say they will switch pharmacy providers.

Study Rankings

Good Neighbor Pharmacy ranks highest among brick-and-mortar chain drug store pharmacies for a sixth consecutive year, with a score of 740. Health Mart (723) ranks second and Walgreens ranks third (660).

Sam’s Club ranks highest among brick-and-mortar mass merchandiser pharmacies for a seventh consecutive year, with a score of 759. Costco (749) ranks second and CVS Pharmacy inside Target (713) ranks third.

H-E-B ranks highest among brick-and-mortar supermarket pharmacies for a second consecutive year, with a score of 785. Wegmans (754) ranks second and Publix (747) ranks third.

Kaiser Permanente Pharmacy ranks highest in the mail order segment, with a score of 734. CenterWell (formerly Humana Pharmacy) (699) ranks second and OptumRx (694) ranks third.

The U.S. Pharmacy Study, now in its 14th year, was redesigned for 2022. It measures customer satisfaction with brick-and-mortar and mail order pharmacies. The 2022 study is based on responses from 12,142 pharmacy customers who filled a prescription within the past 12 months and was fielded from September 2021 through May 2022.

For more information about the U.S. Pharmacy Study, visit
https://www.jdpower.com/business/resource/us-pharmacy-study.

About JD Power
JD Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services and data and analytics. A pioneer in the use of big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic modeling capabilities to understand consumer behavior, JD Power has been delivering incisive industry intelligence on customer interactions with brands and products for more than 50 years. The world’s leading businesses across major industries rely on JD Power to guide their customer-facing strategies.

JD Power has offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. To learn more about the company’s business offerings, visit JDPower.com/business. The JD Power auto shopping tool can be found at JDPower.com.

Media Relations Contacts
Geno Effler, JD Power; West Coast; 714-621-6224; [email protected]
John Roderick; East Coast; 631-584-2200; [email protected]

About JD Power and Advertising/Promotional Rules: www.jdpower.com/business/about-us/press-release-info

^[1] CDC Federal Retail Pharmacy Program for COVID-19 Vaccination https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/retail-pharmacy-program/index.html
^[2] CDS Weekly Flu Vaccination Dashboard https://www.cdc.gov/flu/fluvaxview/dashboard/vaccination-administered.html
^[3] Net Promoter®, Net Promoter System®, Net Promoter Score® and NPS® are registered trademarks of Bain & Company, Inc., Fred Reichheld and Satmetrix Systems, Inc.

 

Customers Perceive Shortfall in Medicare Advantage Plan Coverage of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, JD Power Finds

2022-08-17

jillian.breska

TROY, Mich.: 18 Aug. 2022 — Overall customer satisfaction with Medicare Advantage plans has increased this year, thanks largely to improvements in billing and payments, cost and provider choice. However, according to the JD Power 2022 U.S. Medicare Advantage Study,^SM released today, some concerning  trends are brewing beneath the surface of those positive headline numbers. Most notably, a majority of Medicare Advantage plan members are saying they do not have enough coverage for mental health and substance use disorder services.

“Medicare Advantage plans have recognized that the key to improved patient outcomes is building engagement with members, encouraging the use of preventive health services and fostering great relationships with primary care providers who are leading overall care coordination,” said Christopher Lis, managing director, global healthcare intelligence at JD Power. “With an estimated 1.7 million¹ Medicare beneficiaries living with a diagnosed substance use disorder and one in four² Medicare beneficiaries living with a mental health condition, there is a big opportunity for Medicare Advantage plans to support more patients and families in need. Older adults have been affected by loneliness and social isolation that increased throughout the pandemic. For some health plans, coverage can be improved. For others, increasing customer understanding of mental health benefits may be the bigger opportunity as beneficiaries might be aware that some coverage is available but may not fully understand which services and medications are covered. But coverage does not always guarantee access, as finding providers who accept Medicare may be a challenge in some areas.”

Following are some of the key findings of the 2022 study:

• Overall member satisfaction with Medicare Advantage plans rises: Overall customer satisfaction with Medicare Advantage plans is 809 (on a 1,000-point scale), which is up 3 points from 2021 and up 15 points during the past five years.
• Missing the mark on mental health and substance abuse disorder services: Just 38% of Medicare Advantage plan members say they have enough coverage for mental health treatment, down from 39% a year ago. Just 27% of members say they have enough coverage for substance use disorder services. These numbers compare with 91% of members who say they have enough coverage for routine diagnostics and 89% who say they have enough coverage for preventive and wellness services.
• Telemedicine usage declines, despite largely positive experiences: Just 24% of Medicare Advantage plan members used telemedicine during the past year, down from 35% in 2021. Among those who have used the technology, however, 48% say they are very likely to use it again, an increase of five percentage points from last year.
• Health plan portals still show promise, but breaking inertia is hard: A strong majority (82%) of Medicare Advantage members are registered for their health plan’s member portal—up four percentage points from a year ago. However, 14% have registered for the portal but never logged in. Overall customer satisfaction scores are 72 points higher (823) when customers register and log-in to the portal than when they do neither (751).

Study Rankings

Kaiser Foundation Health Plan ranks highest in Medicare Advantage plan overall satisfaction, with a score of 844. Humana (824) ranks second and Highmark (811) ranks third.

The study, now in its eighth year, measures member satisfaction with Medicare Advantage plans—also known as Medicare Part C or Part D—based on six factors (in order of importance): coverage and benefits; provider choice; cost; customer service; information and communication; and billing and payment. 

The 2022 Medicare Advantage Study is based on the responses of 3,094 members of Medicare Advantage plans across the United States. It was fielded from May through July 2022.

For more information about the 2022 Medicare Advantage Study, visit https://www.jdpower.com/business/resource/us-medicare-advantage-study.

About JD Power
JD Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services and data and analytics. A pioneer in the use of big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic modeling capabilities to understand consumer behavior, JD Power has been delivering incisive industry intelligence on customer interactions with brands and products for more than 50 years. The world’s leading businesses across major industries rely on JD Power to guide their customer-facing strategies.

JD Power has offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. To learn more about the company’s business offerings, visit JDPower.com/business. The JD Power auto shopping tool can be found at JDPower.com.

Media Relations Contacts
Geno Effler, JD Power; West Coast; 714-621-6224; [email protected]
John Roderick; East Coast; 631-584-2200; [email protected]

About JD Power and Advertising/Promotional Rules: www.jdpower.com/business/about-us/press-release-info

¹“Substance Use Disorders Among Medicare Beneficiaries: Prevalence, Mental and Physical Comorbidities, and Treatment Barriers,” American Journal of Preventive Medicine, August 2022 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35331570/

²“Medicare’s Mental Health Coverage: How COVID-19 Highlights Gaps and Opportunities for Improvement,” The Commonwealth Fund, July 9, 2020 https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2020/jul/medicare-mental-health-coverage-covid-19-gaps-opportunities