Posted on: Friday, May 10, 2002

HMSA fares well in survey

Advertiser Staff

Hawai'i residents generally receive quality medical care at less expensive prices than their Mainland counterparts, but they may not be as happy with HMO services as with the traditional fee-for-service system.

That's the essence of a survey of more than 2,000 Hawai'i patients by a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit group that tracks consumer trends.

The Hawaii Medical Service Association, the state's biggest health insurer, topped the survey locally with 78 percent of respondents finding satisfaction with HMSA — a rating of 8 or higher on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best.

Kaiser Permanente was second, with 72 percent of respondents reporting satisfaction; HMSA's Health Plan Hawaii HMO was third, with 72 percent.

Only 2 percent of patients reported "big" problems getting treatment with HMSA, while 8 percent at Health Plan Hawaii and 10 percent at Kaiser reported similar problems.

Still, Hawai'i's top plans compared well with their Mainland counterparts in the survey ranking among the best plans. In California, for example, only 68 percent of patients in that state's top-rated health plan gave it marks of 8 or better; 10 percent reported problems getting treatment.

"It tells you that the plans in Hawai'i stack up very favorably to plans elsewhere in the country in terms of the qualify of the care and the service they provide," said Robert Krughoff, president and founder of the nonprofit Center for the Study of Services in Washington.

His group publishes Consumers' Checkbook magazine, which rates consumer services such as auto repair and visits to the doctor.

Krughoff's staff surveys 385 health plans nationwide and results will be published this month in the group's Consumers Guide to Health Plans.