Here it is straight from the horse's mouth: Kaiser wants the public to have more information about the quality of medical care provided by Kaiser.
I'm happy to help with this blog. Of course, I agree that Covered California should post ratings of insurers. I'd also like to suggest that the California exchange public Kaiser's treatment guidelines and those of other insurers.
The desire for openness is a big change in attitude for Kaiser, a company that usually wants to keep secrets.
Kaiser faults California’s exchange for lack of quality ratings
Chad Terhune
Los Angeles Times
Oct. 22, 2013
Healthcare giant Kaiser Permanente and two other insurers say California’s insurance exchange is withholding crucial information from consumers by not posting quality ratings alongside health plan rates.
The insurance companies said “there has never been a compelling reason to deny this information to consumers…. On this issue, Covered California has surrendered its ‘pace car’ status.”
Sharp Health Plan in San Diego and Western Health Advantage in Sacramento joined Kaiser in criticizing the state’s position in a letter sent Monday to Covered California, the state health exchange. Some consumer advocates have also urged the state to reconsider, saying any delay rewards lower-performing insurers.
Thousands of people have been shopping for coverage at the state’s website at www.coveredca.com since enrollment opened Oct. 1 under the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.
Covered California ignited this debate in August when it backed off earlier plans to include insurance company ratings in its online enrollment system.
This came as a surprise because state officials had touted the idea of consumers choosing coverage based on the overall value, combining price and quality measures.
At the time, the exchange said it reversed course because the latest state rankings examine performance from 2011, and they don’t reflect many of the new health plans and provider networks being offered for the first time under the federal healthcare law.
Major insurers such as Blue Shield of California and Health Net Inc. have offered narrower networks for some exchange policies to help lower premiums. In contrast, Kaiser and its full provider network are often more expensive.
State officials have discussed including ratings for some health plans, such as Kaiser, that are using their current network and labeling newer products as “not yet rated.” Covered California’s five-member board is expected to consider the matter at a regularly scheduled meeting Thursday.
In their letter, the three insurers also point out that other state-run exchanges, such as those in Colorado, Maryland and Oregon, are displaying quality data prominently on their websites. Colorado’s website even sorts a consumer’s options by quality, rather than just price.
“The leadership of these three state exchanges faced a choice, as California’s does now – and they chose to put consumers first,” the insurers said.
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