U.S. News & World Report and the National Committee for Quality Assurance Announce America's Best Health Plans for 2006

U.S. News & World Report (U.S. News) and the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) today announced the publication of America's Best Health Plans, the annual rankings of commercial, Medicare and Medicaid health maintenance organizations and point-of-service plans. Millions of Americans who are choosing their health insurance coverage for 2007 can now take advantage of the information and national rankings featured in the November 6th issue of U.S. News, available on newsstands today.

America's Best Health Plans ranks health plans in every state in the nation based upon their clinical performance, patient experience and satisfaction as well as their NCQA Accreditation status. The top 50 commercial and top 25 Medicare and Medicaid plans are listed in the magazine.

In addition to the rankings, the U.S. News Web site offers detailed information about clinical performance, customer satisfaction and accreditation status for more than 500 health plans, as well as information on the more than 150 additional plans that chose not to report data. The Web site also offers visitors the ability to compare up to four plans at a time.

"Millions of people will find this information useful in helping them select the right health plan for themselves and their families," said NCQA President Margaret E. O'Kane. "Working with U.S. News allows us not only to identify those health plans that stand out, but also to motivate other plans to improve their performance and report the results."

"Choosing a health plan, like choosing a hospital or college, is one of the most important decisions a family can make," said Avery Comarow, senior writer, U.S. News, and editor, America's Best Health Plans. "This report is designed to provide readers with the information they need to make informed choices."

The report draws special attention to exceptionally high performers in "honor rolls" of the top commercial, Medicare and Medicaid plans:

Top 10 Commercial Plans

1. Harvard Pilgrim Health Care (Maine, Mass.)

2. Tufts Associated Health Maintenance Organization (Mass., N.H., R.I.)

3. Harvard Pilgrim Health Care of New England (N.H.)

4. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts (Mass.)

5. Capital District Physicians' Health Plan (N.Y.)

6. ConnectiCare (Conn.)

7. UPMC Health Plan (Pa.)

8. Group Health Cooperative of South Central Wisconsin (Wis.)

9. Independent Health Association (N.Y.)

10. Preferred Care (N.Y.)

Top 5 Medicare Plans

1. Preferred Care (N.Y.)

2. Harvard Pilgrim Health Care (Mass.)

3. Tufts Associated Health Maintenance Organization (Mass.)

4. Capital Health Plan (Fla.)

5. Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Southern California (Calif.)

Top 5 Medicaid Plans

1. Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island (R.I.)

2. Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island (R.I.)

3. Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Hawaii (Hawaii)

4. UnitedHealthcare of New England (R.I.)

5. Independent Health Association (N.Y.)

About NCQA

NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations, recognizes physicians and physician groups in key clinical areas and manages the evolution of HEDIS, the tool the nation's health plans use to measure and report on their performance. NCQA is committed to providing health care quality information through the Web, media and data licensing agreements in order to help consumers, employers and others make more informed health care choices.

About U.S. News & World Report

Founded in 1933, the weekly national news magazine U.S. News & World Report is devoted to investigative journalism and reporting and to analyzing national and international affairs, politics, business, health, science, technology and social trends. Through its annual rankings of America's Best Colleges, Best Graduate Schools and America's Best Hospitals, and its News You Can Use(R) brand, U.S. News has earned a reputation as the leading provider of service news and information that improves the quality of life of its readers.