Kaiser Permanente Announces 2011 Medicare Plans

OAKLAND, Calif. — Kaiser Permanente has announced its 2011 plans for individual Medicare-eligible beneficiaries, reflecting its commitment to continuing participation in Medicare in all its existing service areas in nine states and the District of Columbia. The announcement follows the recent release of the top-ranked Medicare plans by the National Committee for Quality Assurance. The NCQA ranked Kaiser Permanente’s Medicare health plans among the nation’s best for 2010, listing four of its regions in the Top 10 of nearly 300 plans.

Kaiser Permanente’s individual Medicare plans offer a wide range of benefits and a selection of plans that help seniors stay healthy. Kaiser Permanente’s website, www.kp.org/medicare, provides comprehensive information that allows visitors to learn about Medicare, explore Kaiser Permanente’s Medicare health plans, and then enroll online. Eligible Medicare beneficiaries can enroll in a plan during the annual election period, which runs from Nov. 15 through Dec. 31, 2010.

"Kaiser Permanente has long provided its Medicare members with convenient access to high-quality and affordable care, and we believe our Medicare offerings for 2011 will continue to provide outstanding value to seniors who enroll in a Kaiser Permanente Medicare plan,” said Herman Weil, senior vice president, Government Programs. “To supplement these plan offerings, Kaiser Permanente also offers a broad array of built-in wellness programs and a variety of online resources that empower members to manage their health.”

While Kaiser Permanente Medicare premiums and benefits vary by market, Kaiser Permanente provides all members a comprehensive set of preventive services without any co-payment and financial protection through an out-of-pocket maximum of $3,400. Many Kaiser Permanente plans are offered with a $0 premium.

With its unique integrated care delivery system, Kaiser Permanente makes it easy to connect to health care providers and services needed around the clock to stay healthy. In March 2010, Kaiser Permanente completed the full implementation of its groundbreaking electronic health record, Kaiser Permanente HealthConnect®. The system provides care teams with access to patient information and the latest best practices in one place, to further enhance patient safety and quality care while increasing overall care coordination.

The electronic health record system also supports My Health Manager, Kaiser Permanente’s personal health record, a patient-focused tool that provides members with easy and convenient access to their personal health information and all the necessary tools to manage their health, including e-mail access to care providers, online prescription refills, and the ability to make or change appointments.

Kaiser Permanente currently provides care to approximately 990,000 Medicare members in nine states and the District of Columbia, and is consistently named as one of the best Medicare health plans in its service areas. The NCQA continually gives high rankings to Kaiser Permanente for its individual Medicare health plans. Kaiser Permanente Colorado Region ranked No. 2 in the nation, the Northwest Region ranked No. 4, Southern California ranked No. 5, and Northern California ranked No. 8 according to the NCQA Health Insurance Plan Rankings 2010-11 — Medicare list. These rankings are based on clinical quality data, member satisfaction and NCQA accreditation.

About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, our mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 8.6 million members in nine states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to: www.kp.org/newscenter.