We May Kvetch, But We Give Health Insurers High Marks

Health insurance companies often share the top rungs (with the media) of polls on professions the public loves to hate. But not in Massachusetts, at least according to a national quality reporting group.

The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) ranked Harvard Pilgrim Health Care the best insurance plan in the country for the 10th straight year.

"It's doing the basics really well every day," said Eric Schultz, Harvard Pilgrim's president and CEO. "It's human beings answering the phone and having the information to answer the question so that the customer feels heard as well as responded to."

The rankings are based on customer satisfaction, quality measures (HEDIS) and NCQA's accreditation ratings.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts is the third best plan in the country and Tufts Health Plan is No. 6 in these rankings. In fact, seven of the top 20 spots go to a plan offered by one of these three insurers.

In an odd coincidence, Harvard Pilgrim confirmed today that it has cut 65 jobs.

“Functioning as efficiently as possible is our commitment to our members and the communities we serve, and something that is expected of all of us in the health care industry,” Schultz said. Still, he said Harvard Pilgrim is set to expand into Connecticut and with new Medicare options.