Medicare

Kaiser Permanente shone in the recently announced 2012 Medicare star quality ratings published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The California, Northwest, Hawaii and Colorado Medicare plans received the highest overall rating of five stars; and the Ohio, Georgia and Mid-Atlantic States Medicare plans each received 4.5 stars.

In 1965, President Johnson said Medicare proved that “the vitality of our democracy can shape the oldest of our values to the needs and obligations of today.” 

There are important days to mark in our lives. I think the 45^th anniversary of the enactment of Medicare is one of them, July 30^th, 2010.

If you haven’t heard already, you will be hearing a great deal about “Quality Ratings of Medicare Advantage Plans.”

The most significant feature of these quality ratings is the potential for bonuses to be paid to health plans that meet high quality standards. Medicare Advantage accounts for 10% of all Kaiser Permanente business. So what is this all about? Why should frontline Kaiser Permanente union members, physicians, and managers care about this?