National recognition for Independent Health

BUFFALO, N.Y. (May 29, 2024) – Independent Health has been ranked as the second highest health plan for member satisfaction in the New York region, according to the J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Commercial Member Health Plan Study^SM.

The U.S. Commercial Member Health Plan Study, now in its 18^th year, was redesigned for 2024. The study measures satisfaction among members of 147 health plans in 22 regions throughout the United States based on performance in eight core dimensions. The dimensions are (in alphabetical order): able to get health services how/when I want; digital channels; ease of doing business; helps save time and money; people; product/coverage offerings; resolving problems or complaints; and trust.

For 2024, Independent Health's overall score of 639 is 63 points above the New York region average score of 576. In addition, dating back to 2010, Independent Health has now been recognized by J.D. Power as being the top-ranked plan for member satisfaction in its region six times (2010-13, 2016 and 2020*) and the second highest ranked plan another six times (2014-15, 2017, 2018, 2021 and 2024).

“As a customer-focused company, Independent Health is pleased to again be recognized as one of the highest ranked health insurance plans in the entire country by an organization that is internationally known as being the voice of the customer,” said Michael W. Cropp, M.D., chief executive officer, Independent Health. “The results of this year’s J.D. Power Study reflect our unwavering commitment to helping our members understand their coverage so that they can take charge of their health. The exceptional service delivered by our dedicated team of RedShirts^SM as well our innovative benefits and strong partnerships with physicians and providers continues to help set Independent Health apart from other health plans both locally and throughout the nation.”

J.D. Power’s 2024 U.S. Commercial Member Health Plan Study is based on the responses of 29,188 members in 136 health plans throughout the United States. Results are based on experiences and perceptions of members surveyed from September 2023 to March 2024. For additional information, visit JDPower.com.

Other recent honors for Independent Health

• Independent Health is one of only two Commercial health plans in the entire nation to achieve the highest possible 5-Star rating for clinical quality and member satisfaction, according to the National Committee for Quality Assurance’s (NCQA) Commercial Health Plan Ratings 2023. NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality.
• Independent Health is the only Western New York insurer to be recognized as a 5-Star Medicare Advantage Plan for 2024 in the eight county service area. This also marks the second year in a row that Independent Health is the only health plan in the nation to earn the highest score a plan can receive from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for its entire Medicare Advantage product portfolio – Medicare HMO, Medicare PPO and Medicare Prescription Drug Plans.
• Independent Health has achieved Tier 1 Status in the New York State Department of Health’s (NYSDOH’s) Medicaid Managed Care Incentive Program each of the past two years. This program focuses on the performance in quality and member experiences of health plans. Independent Health’s overall score was the highest among all participating health plans throughout New York State for 2023.
  
• For two consecutive years, Independent Health has been ranked number one among 79 health plans across the country participating in the Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB) program, which provides health insurance to federal employees, retirees and their covered dependents. This ranking was based on Independent Health’s outstanding QCR score, which highlights a plan’s performance in the areas of clinical quality, customer service and resource use.
• Independent Health was once again selected as one of the top companies to work for in New York State as part of the “Best Companies to Work for in New York 2024” competition. Independent Health ranked 5^th out of the largest, most accomplished companies statewide and is one of only five companies to be named “one of the best companies to work for” in New York State for 17 straight years, which is how long the Best Companies survey has been in existence.

*2010-2013 & 2016 New York/New Jersey region. 2020 New York region.

About J.D. Power

J.D. 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, J.D. 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 J.D. Power to guide their customer-facing strategies.

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