OREANDA-NEWS. October 13, 2016. Aetna’s Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug (MAPD) plans have received high ratings by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in the annual Star Ratings, released on Oct. 12.  For 2017, Aetna’s MAPD plans earned an overall weighted average rating of 4.0 out of 5.0 stars.

CMS’ Medicare Star Rating System ranks the performance and quality of Medicare Advantage and Medicare prescription drug plans to help beneficiaries and their families to compare plans. Aetna is proud that 91 percent of our Medicare members are enrolled in plans rated 4.0 stars or higher — a 4 percent increase from last year.

The Star ratings measure Medicare Advantage plans against five individual performance measures: staying healthy, managing chronic (long-term) conditions, member experience with the health plan, member complaints and health plan customer service.

Medicare Advantage and MAPD plans are also rated on how well they perform on four additional individual performance measures: drug plan customer service, member complaints, member experience with drug plan and drug safety.

The company’s 2017 star ratings for its MAPD plans reflect Aetna’s commitment to improving member health and experience.

“Aetna is extremely proud of our strong Medicare star ratings, which, in an increasingly competitive industry, reflect our commitment to increasing the number of healthy days for our members,” said Nancy Cocozza, president of Aetna’s Medicare business. “We are focused on encouraging our members to work more closely with their doctors to enhance care coordination and patient satisfaction, and on improving our members’ overall health care experience.”

Aetna will expand into 134 new counties for 2017, offering Individual Medicare Plans in a total of 863 counties in the United States. Of these counties, 837 — or 97 percent — will have a plan offering rated 4.0 stars or greater.

Aetna is also expanding into six new states for 2017: Michigan, South Carolina, Tennessee, Mississippi, Washington and Wisconsin.

Aetna Medicare Advantage and prescription drug plans are available for selection during the annual open enrollment period, which starts on Oct. 15, 2016, and runs through Dec. 7, 2016, for Medicare beneficiaries.

NOTE: Data in this release is based on 2017 star ratings data published by CMS on Oct. 12, 2016, and Medicare Advantage and Medicare prescription drug plan enrollment as of October 2016. CMS evaluates Medicare Advantage and Medicare prescription drug plans based on a five-star rating system. Star ratings are calculated each year and may change from one year to the next.

Aetna Medicare is a PDP, HMO, PPO plan with a Medicare contract. Our SNPs also have contracts with State Medicaid programs.  Enrollment in our plans depends on contract renewal.  See Evidence of Coverage for a complete description of plan benefits, exclusions, limitations and conditions of coverage. Plan features and availability may vary by service area.   ©2016 Aetna Inc.  NR_0009_8522HS