ACAP-Member Safety Net Health Plan Earn High Grades From NCQA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 21, 2016

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Jeff Van Ness, (202) 204-7515

ACAP-MEMBER SAFETY NET HEALTH PLANS EARN HIGH GRADES FROM NATIONAL COMMITTEE FOR QUALITY ASSURANCE

WASHINGTON – In a report issued today by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), several Safety Net Health Plan members of the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP) earned high marks for the quality of service and care they deliver. The plans were listed in NCQA’s Medicaid Health Insurance Plan Ratings 2016-2017 based on publicly-reported metrics of clinical quality and member experience.

Top-performing (rating of 4.5 of 5) ACAP-member Safety Net Health Plans health plans include:

  • Boston Medical Center HealthNet Plan (Mass.)
  • Neighborhood Health Plan (Mass.)
  • Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island
  • UPMC for You (Pa.)

Other Safety Net Health Plans were the top-rated plan in their state; they include:

  • Well Sense Health Plan (N.H., rated 4/5)
  • CalOptima (Calif., rated 4/5)
  • CareSource (Ohio, rated 3.5/5)

“NCQA’s plan ratings serve as an independent validation of the hard work ACAP-member Safety Net Health Plans engage in day in and day out to improve the health of the populations they serve,” said ACAP CEO Margaret A. Murray. “Like most plans which serve the Medicaid market, our Safety Net Health Plans are faced with the dual challenges of operating under tight budgets on one side, and addressing high levels of health care need on the other.

“Our plans have gone the extra mile to meet this need through innovative programs to address the underlying social determinants of health such as housing, food security and employment; use of technology such as telemedicine to extend provider networks to assure access to care; and partnerships with community organizations to assure that the services and supports our members need are in place and at hand.”

NCQA’s Health Insurance Plan Ratings are based upon measures of clinical quality publicly reported through the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS® ) and the Consumer Assessment of Health Plans and Systems (CAHPS®) measures of member experience. The ratings also credit plans that hold accreditation through NCQA.

“NCQA’s ratings are a significant public service. And as stewards of public funds, our plans share their commitment to measurement, transparency and accountability,” added Murray. “In fact, we seek to extend such transparency through the Medicaid and CHIP Quality Improvement Act of 2016, which would bring quality measurement to the entirety of the Medicaid program, not just managed care, so the kinds of benefits we enjoy through NCQA’s ratings are extended to fee-for-service and other sectors of the Medicaid and CHIP programs.”

To see the full set of ratings, visit www.ncqa.org.

About ACAP
ACAP represents 57 nonprofit Safety Net Health Plans in 26 states, which serve more than 17 million people enrolled in Medicaid, Medicare, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and other public health programs. For more information, visit www.communityplans.net or www.coverageyoucancounton.org.

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