Cigna HealthCare scored highest among the state's largest health insurance plans in a survey that pitted the companies against each other and against national performance standards, the Florida Health Care Coalition has reported.

The coalition, which includes major employers such as Florida Power & Light Co., Publix Super Markets and the Broward and Palm Beach County governments, issued its evaluation this week, hoping to persuade insurers to improve their programs and service to consumers. It is the first time the report has been made public in Florida.

"If we can rate our schools, surely we can rate our health plans," said Becky Cherney, who heads the coalition. Before the reports were compiled, businesses only could judge the plans by "what they chose to tell us," she said, adding that unfortunately, the results for Florida plans were not equivalent to A but rather C through F.

With open enrollment for 2007 just around corner at many businesses, it's probably too late to negotiate contracts for the coming year. But the new information will provide a starting point for discussions about coverage in 2008, industry experts said.

The report is to be sent to all 128 public and private employers that make up the Orlando-based coalition. In turn, the employers can share the information with their 2 million workers and their dependents. The report also is available on the coalition Web site, www.flhcc.com.

The health-care coalition paid particular attention to its "plan profile," which resembles an overall score for the insurers. It uses a tool called eValue8, developed by the National Business Coalition on Health and improved upon by General Motors and Marriott International.

The tool examines how effective health plans are in helping members in terms of paperwork, timeliness of responding to phone inquiries and consumer hang-ups before those calls are concluded. Researchers also looked at health plans' awareness of cultural differences in access to care and the religious and cultural attitudes toward certain treatments and medications.

With 95 the highest score achieved by another insurer in the country, Cigna performed best in Florida with a 79. Aetna was next with 76, followed by Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Florida, 69; UnitedHealthcare, 61; Humana, 59; and Vista Health Plans, 22.

Cigna finished highest in three categories -- prevention and health promotion; behavioral health screenings and management; and consumer engagement and support. United Healthcare scored highest in pharmacy management, an area of prime interest to South Florida's seniors.

Vista, owned by physician-entrepreneur Dr. Steven Scott, did not place first in any category, though it did not trail badly in some. Company spokeswoman Pam Gadinsky said, "We are in the process of developing programs and processes that will further improve our scores."

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