United Healthcare Grades Highest in State
by October 2, 2000 12:00 am 89 views
Weiss Ratings Inc. recently released a report that grades the best and worst performing Health Maintenance Organizations in the nation. None of the HMOs based in Arkansas or Missouri made either extreme.
rBut the Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., firm did breakdown the winners and losers for each region including Arkansas and Missouri. Letter grades were awarded based on several factors, including risk-adjusted capital, five-year profitability, liquidity and stability.
rOf the Arkansas-based HMOs, United Healthcare of Arkansas Inc. scored the highest with a “B.” QCA Health Plan Inc. was by far the lowest, scoring an “E.”
rJust across the state line in Missouri, Mercy Health Plans of Missouri Inc. would have made Peppermint Patty of “Charlie Brown” comic strip fame proud with a “D-.” Healthlink HMO Inc. did well in Missouri, scoring a “B.”
rFive HMOs in Arkansas were considered for the state’s 1999 year-end HMO profitability figure. The Natural State rated a negative $4.9 million in total profitability with 40 percent of the firms reporting losses.
rPresidential hopeful Gov. George W. Bush‘s home state of Texas was the worst of Arkansas’ neighbors with its HMOs losing a combined $463 million last year. But only 52 percent of its HMOs reported losses compared with 71 percent in Tennessee.
rWeiss annually issues safety ratings on more than 16,000 financial institutions, HMOs, life and health insurers, Blue Cross & Blue Shield plans, property and casualty insurers, banks and brokers.r—Jeffrey Wood