HMOs:

Dear HMO Consumer:

Choosing an HMO is an important and often difficult decision. Although HMOs have enjoyed explosive growth in our state, most consumers know little about the overall performance of their plans. New Jersey is helping consumers become more informed by providing reliable information on the quality of health care services.

New Jersey today has the most progressive, consumer-oriented HMO rules in the country. These rules protect the public and require HMOs to disclose information on how well they perform in delivering health care to their members.

This report card shows how successful various HMOs have been in providing preventive care, such as immunizing children and screening women for certain cancers. It also includes the ratings HMO members give their plans in areas such as overall quality of care, access to specialists and ability of personal care physicians to communicate with their patients.

This HMO consumer guide is a first step. Our hope is that over time, our data collection and analysis will become more sophisticated so consumers will have an even more detailed picture of how HMOs perform in this state.

We are very proud to present New Jersey’s first HMO report card. Use it as a tool to help choose a health plan that best serves your needs.

Christine T. Whitman
Governor