Press Releases: 2006

Three AmeriHealth MercyAffiliates Ranked in
Top 25 Medicaid Plans Nation Wide

U.S. News & World Report/NCQA America's Best Health Plans 2006 rates
Keystone Mercy #18, Passport Health Plan, #21, AmeriHealth Mercy, #24

October 27, 2006 - Philadelphia (PA) - Three AmeriHealth Mercy affiliates, Keystone Mercy Health Plan, Passport Health Plan, and the AmeriHealth Mercy Health Plan are among the highest rated Medicaid health plans in the country two years in a row, according to U.S. News & World Report/NCQA America's Best Health Plans 2006. Keystone Mercy, Philadelphia, PA, ranked #18; Passport Health Plan, Louisville, KY, ranked #21; and the AmeriHealth Mercy Health Plan, Harrisburg, PA, ranked #24.

With more than 20 years of experience exclusively serving the Medicaid population, the AmeriHealth Mercy Family of Companies and its affiliates comprise the largest family of Medicaid managed care plans in the United States, touching the lives of more than 2 million members nationwide. The AmeriHealth Mercy Family of Companies is the nation's expert and industry leader in Medicaid and State Children's Health Insurance Programs.

"It is a great honor to be recognized as three of the top Medicaid managed care plans in the country by U.S. News & World Report/NCQA America's Best Health Plans 2006," said Daniel J. Hilferty, President and Chief Executive Officer, AmeriHealth Mercy. "Our associates work hard every day to carry out our Company mission to help our members get care, stay well and build healthy communities. This special recognition validates our Company’s strength as a leader in Medicaid managed care."

NCQA and U.S. News ranked 253 commercial, 73 Medicaid and 143 Medicare health plans based on a combination of clinical performance, member satisfaction and NCQA Accreditation status. 

"Millions of people will use this information to help 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."

Released in the November 6th edition of U.S. News & World Report, this collaborative study ranked the nation's commercial Medicare and Medicaid health plans based on access to care (member's ability to get needed care, quickly, health plan customer service), overall member satisfaction, prevention services (health screenings, prenatal care, childhood and adolescent immunizations, avoiding antibiotic overuse and well-child visits), treatment (how well the plan takes care of ongoing health problems), and overall quality score (a combination of the scores from the four main categories above and NCQA accreditation). "America's Best Health Plans" is a trademark of U.S News & World Report.

"Choosing a health plan, like choosing a hospital or college, is one of the most important decisions that a family can make," said Avery Comarow, senior writer for U.S. News & World Report. "U.S. News 'America's Best' series is designed to provide readers with the information that they need to make informed choices."

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® 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. Available online at www.usnews.com, the U.S. News Web site extends that brand promise and delivers the best, most accurate information on the Web, organized in a way that is accessible and easy to use.