Kaiser Permanente Medicare Advantage 2023 Review
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Kaiser Permanente Medicare Advantage scores above all other major companies for member satisfaction.
Kaiser Permanente Medicare Advantage plans' star ratings are well above average.
Kaiser Permanente Medicare Advantage plans are available in just eight states and Washington, D.C.
Kaiser Permanente Medicare Advantage offers HMO plans only.
Kaiser Permanente is the fifth-largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans, and the insurer scores higher than all other major Medicare Advantage providers in terms of Medicare star ratings and member satisfaction.
It’s also the largest not-for-profit health maintenance organization in the U.S. Kaiser uses an integrated care model, which means that members can get all their care in one place and all the providers are connected.
Although Kaiser gets top marks, its plans are only available in eight states and Washington, D.C., and the company only offers HMO plans. Here’s what you should know about Kaiser Permanente Medicare Advantage.
Kaiser Permanente Medicare Advantage pros and cons
Kaiser Permanente’s offerings have advantages and disadvantages.
Pros
Members are happy: Kaiser Permanente earned 844 points out of 1,000 in J.D. Power’s latest U.S. Medicare Advantage study, netting it the top spot for customer satisfaction out of nine providers measured.
Top scores overall: Only four Medicare health plans received a 5 out of 5 rating from the National Committee for Quality Assurance in 2022, and two of them are Kaiser Permanente plans. Kaiser’s 2023 plans also received high Medicare star ratings.
Prescription benefits: Most of Kaiser’s Medicare Advantage plans include drug coverage.
Cons
Limited availability: Kaiser Permanente plans are available in just eight states and Washington, D.C., so the majority of U.S. adults can’t access them. (Kaiser sells plans in California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, Oregon, Virginia and Washington state.)
Limited plan types: Kaiser offers HMO plans only, so members must work within Kaiser’s network of medical providers.
Available Medicare Advantage plans
Kaiser Permanente offers HMO Medicare Advantage plans. Many plans offer dental, vision and hearing benefits, and worldwide emergency care. Kaiser doesn't offer any stand-alone Medicare prescription drug plans.
Plan availability may vary by county. Plan offerings may include the following types:
Additional benefits
Kaiser Permanente Medicare Advantage offers many members access to routine vision, dental and hearing coverage. Some plans offer other benefits as well. Here are a few standouts, although their availability varies by plan:
Over-the-counter allowance: Some plans include an OTC benefit that allows you to purchase certain items, like vitamins and cold medications, at no extra cost by placing an order over the phone or from Kaiser’s online catalog. The allowance amount varies by plan and resets each quarter.
Silver&Fit Healthy Aging and Exercise Program: Some plans include access to local participating fitness centers along with home fitness tools.
Advantage Plus: For an additional monthly premium, members can access additional benefits such as an eyewear allowance, hearing aid allowance and comprehensive dental benefits if the plan doesn’t already cover them.
Out-of-network benefit: In some plans, members out of their plan’s service area who need medical care are covered for a variety of tests and services from out-of-network Medicare providers, up to a maximum amount per year.
Healthy Food Card: On some plans, members with specific chronic conditions can get a pre-loaded debit card they can use to buy approved healthy foods.
MinuteClinic access: If members are traveling and need urgent care, they can visit an approved MinuteClinic.
Customer service
Kaiser Permanente Medicare Advantage members can contact their plan’s customer service in a few ways:
Call a customer service representative, available daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The phone number varies by location. Find yours by clicking on “Support Center” under “Member Support” at the bottom of your plan’s website.
Chat with a member services representative, Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in their time zone, except on major holidays.
Send an email with nonurgent questions or comments.
Kaiser Permanente Medicare Advantage service area
Kaiser Permanente offers Medicare Advantage plans in eight states and Washington, D.C., including 116 counties.
Overall, Kaiser Permanente is the second-largest health insurer in the country, and it's the largest in terms of nonprofit health plans. More than 1.8 million Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in Kaiser Permanente Medicare Advantage plans as of October 2022, and the company added 64,000 new members for the 2022 plan year.
Cost
Costs for Medicare Advantage plans will depend on your plan, your location and your health needs. One of the costs to consider is the plan’s premium, and nearly half (48%) of Kaiser Permanente’s Medicare Advantage plans are $0-premium plans in 2023.
For Medicare Advantage plans with a premium, the monthly consolidated premium (including Part C and Part D) ranges from $17 to $296. For Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans, or D-SNPs, monthly premiums range from $29 to $36.
Even as a Medicare Advantage user, you’ll still be responsible for paying your Medicare Part B premium, which is $164.90 per month in 2023. However, some plans cover part or all of this cost.
Other out-of-pocket costs to consider include:
Whether the plan covers any part of your monthly Medicare Part B premium.
The plan’s yearly deductibles and any other deductibles, such as a drug deductible.
Copayments and/or coinsurance for each visit or service. For instance, there may be a $10 copay for seeing your primary doctor and a $45 copay for seeing a specialist.
The plan’s in-network and out-of-network out-of-pocket maximums.
Whether your medical providers are in-network or out-of-network, or how often you may go out of network for care.
Whether you require extra benefits, and if the plan charges for them.
To get a sense of costs, use Medicare’s website to compare information among available plans in your area. You can select by insurance carrier to see only Kaiser Permanente plans or compare across carriers. You can also shop directly from Kaiser Permanente’s website by entering your ZIP code.
Medicare star ratings
Average star rating, weighted by enrollment: 4.81
If you want Medicare’s take on Kaiser Permanente’s plans, look no further than the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' own star ratings, which rank each plan from best (5 stars) to worst (1 star). The agency bases these ratings on plans’ quality of care and measurements of customer satisfaction, and ratings may change from year to year.
Based on the most recent year of data and weighted by enrollment, Kaiser Permanente’s 2023 Medicare Advantage plans scored 4.81 stars. This performance is unmatched by any other major provider.
The average star rating for plans from all providers was 4.15.
You can find a plan’s rating with the Medicare plan finding tool.
Third-party ratings
There are a few companies that weigh in on health plans or on the strength of the company in question, and we’ve included three here:
Fitch Ratings Insurer Financial Strength: AA- (very strong)
Fitch Ratings is a credit rating agency that assigns ratings based on its opinion of a company’s ability to meet financial commitments. In May 2022, Fitch Ratings affirmed an Insurer Financial Strength rating of AA- (very strong) for Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, or KFHP, and its insurance company subsidiaries. Among other factors, Fitch Ratings called out KFHP’s double-digit market share in seven out of eight states and Washington, D.C., favorable financial leverage numbers and its sizable revenue and earnings base.
J.D. Power Ranking: 1st out of 9
In its 2022 Medicare Advantage Study — the eighth it's done so far — J.D. Power measured member satisfaction with Medicare Advantage plans based on six factors: coverage and benefits, provider choice, cost, customer service, information and communication, and billing and payment. On these measures, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan scored 844 points out of 1,000 and came in first out of the top nine Medicare Advantage providers.
NCQA Score Range: 4.5 to 5.0 out of 5
The National Committee for Quality Assurance rates health insurance plans on a 5-point scale (with 5 being best) based on quality of care, patient satisfaction and health plans’ efforts to keep improving.
In its September 2022 ratings of Kaiser Permanente plans, the NCQA awarded ratings of 4.5 and 5.0. The top-rated plans with scores of 5.0 were Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Colorado and Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic States.
Compare Medicare Advantage providers
Get more information below about some of the major Medicare Advantage providers. These insurers offer plans in most states. The plans you can choose from will depend on your ZIP code and county.
About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente, headquartered in Oakland, California, was founded in 1945 and serves 12.6 million people across eight states and Washington, D.C. The company is made up of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and its subsidiaries, and the Permanente Medical Groups.
Kaiser Permanente offers insurance for individuals and families, employer group plans, Medicaid/Medi-Cal and Medicare Advantage. Kaiser posted total operating revenues of $93.1 billion in 2021.
Find the right Medicare Advantage plan
It’s important to do your research before selecting a Medicare Advantage plan for yourself. Here are some questions to consider asking:
What are the plan’s costs? Do you understand what the plan’s premium, deductibles, copays and/or coinsurance will be? Can you afford them?
Is your doctor in-network? If you have a preferred medical provider or providers, make sure they participate in the plan’s network.
Are your prescriptions covered? If you’re on medication, it’s crucial to understand how the plan covers it. What tier are your prescription drugs on, and are there any coverage rules that apply to them?
Is there dental coverage? Does the plan offer routine coverage for vision, dental and hearing needs?
Are there extras? Does the plan offer any extra benefits, such as fitness memberships, transportation benefits or meal delivery?
