Blue Cross Blue Shield awarded Prestigious J.D. Power and Associates Award

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., June 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, Inc., (BCBSF) was ranked "Highest Member Satisfaction Among Commercial Health Plans in Florida," for the second year in a row, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 National Health Insurance Plan Study(SM).

BCBSF received the highest numerical score in the region, 751 of a possible 1,000. The regional average score is 733. The study includes responses from more than 37,000 members across 17 regions in the United States about health plan members' overall experience with their health plans during 2007. The state of Florida was considered its own region. The study explores seven major factors driving member experience:

1. Coverage and benefits;
2. Provider choice;
3. Information and communication;
4. Approval process;
5. Claims processing;
6. Explanation of Benefits (EOB) statements; and
7. Customer service.

"Our successful shift to a retail oriented company is more important than ever given the increasingly competitive and changing market," said John Kaegi, chief marketing executive, BCBSF. "This designation illustrates our commitment as a customer-focused company while also providing us with information on how we can continue working to do a better job on behalf of our customers."

The J.D. Power and Associates study identifies coverage and benefits, provider choice and information and communication as the three most influential drivers of the member experience.

In an effort to better understand and deliver solutions for the needs of Floridians, BCBSF has recently introduced a program called The Power of the Human Voice to give members and non-members alike the opportunity to talk about their experiences with the health industry and offer ideas on how best to improve health care in Florida. For more information please see the Web site at  www.thepowerofthehumanvoice.com  or call 1-877-693-5864.