congratulations to our local health

Congratulations to our local health plans!

The votes are in and once again Massachusetts health plans are the

best in the nation, capturing three of the top four slots in the

national "America's Best Health Plans" rankings (see Harvard Pilgrim

ranked top health plan in nation). Harvard Pilgrim, Tufts Health Plan,

and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts were rated top performers

in clinical performance and customer satisfaction by the National

Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).

We often hear about how blessed we are to live in a state with such

world-class medical institutions -- and it's true, we are. What gets

less attention, however, is that we in the Commonwealth have such

terrific health plans -- non-profit, well-managed, focused on our

state, and community-minded.

Health insurers get a lot of criticism -- and not all of it undeserved

(my parents are physicians -- believe me, I've heard it all). Yet, in

our overly complicated "non-system" that we call a health care system,

health insurers are for many patients -- and especially the sickest

ones -- the glue that holds the whole thing together. So, let's give

some credit where credit's due and praise our local health plans who

have shown themselves to be world-class in their own right.

Okay, I'm finished with today's blog and now it's time to get back to

running the business.....Next year's premiums are going up by how