WILLMAR -- A review of public health care plans provided to Kandiyohi County's Medical Assistance recipients was presented Tuesday to the County Board of Commissioners.
The pre-paid Medical Assistance programs are currently provided by Blue Cross Blue Shield.
Over the last 10 years the company has grown with Kandiyohi County to provide an array of services, said Beth Nelson of Blue Cross Blue Shield.
"It's one of the strongest partnerships in the state," Nelson said. "That trust has been built over the years."
Medical Assistance is a publicly funded health care program for low-income families with children, seniors and people with disabilities.
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The Kandiyohi County commissioners are doing a little shopping to compare products they have been receiving through Blue Cross Blue Shield and what they could be receiving through a county-based purchasing program called PrimeWest Health System.
Two weeks ago, the commissioners heard from a representative from PrimeWest, which is made up of 13 western Minnesota counties.
Nelson said surveys of enrollees indicate that 53 percent of those surveyed gave the BluePlus health plan the highest possible rating -- a rating of either 9 or 10 is considered the top rating. BluePlus is the name of the prepaid Medical Assistance plan offered by Blue Cross Blue Shield.
By comparison, 41 percent of enrollees gave PrimeWest's plan a top rating, according to one 2006 consumer satisfaction survey by the Minnesota Department of Human Services. The state average for all pre-paid medical assistance programs is 51 percent of enrollees giving the health plan a top rating of 9 or 10.
The numbers are different, however, when enrollee are rating the health care provided -- not the plan itself.
Sixty-one percent of PrimeWest enrollees gave their health care top ratings, compared with 50 percent for Blue Cross. The state average is 53 percent.
The commissioners asked about dental care, ways to increase usage of generic pharmaceuticals to reduce costs and flexibility for funding county needs
Nelson said she'll continue to work with the county to develop ways to improve products.
