• The Medicare program permits beneficiaries to choose original Medicare fee-for-service or one of the health plans offered by private insurers under the Medicare Advantage program. The federal Medicare agency rates the private plans (one to five stars) using beneficiary satisfaction surveys as well as objective measures such as patient outcomes data so that beneficiaries can make an informed choice on plans available in their area.
  
  

Top Plan Types

• The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) uses the plan ratings to compile annual reports on the top private Medicare plans and plan types. According to the 2009 report, not-for-profit Medicare plans have significantly higher ratings than their for-profit counterparts. Similarly, the plans that have been in business serving Medicare beneficiaries for longer periods of time receive higher-quality scores. Private fee-for-service (PFFS) and regional preferred provider organizations (PPOs) are generally rated as below average; while local PPOs and HMO-style Medicare Advantage plans receive above average ratings.
  
  Another important indicator of the quality of a particular Medicare plan is whether it has been the subject of a federal enforcement action. Enforcement actions can come as a result of beneficiary complaints, fraudulent billing, or other problems. To find out whether a specific Medicare plan has been involved in an enforcement action requiring correction, follow the Corrective action plans link in the Resources section.
  
  

Best HMOs

• According to the 2009 and 2010 KFF reports, HMO Medicare plans administered by Kaiser Permanente receive the highest scores (approximately four out of five stars), with plans run by Highmark coming in a close second.
  
  Kaiser's six rated plans enrolled over 800,000 Medicare beneficiaries. The Highmark score was based upon one rated plan with an enrollment of approximately 175,000 beneficiaries. Consult the Medicare plan directory or Medicare plan compare tool in the Resources section to determine if these Medicare plans are available in your area or to find ratings for all available plans.
  
  

Best PPOs

• Aetna's PPO achieved the highest rating for local PPOs, according to the KFF reports (3.5 stars). Highmark, again, ranked high with 3.45 stars for its two rated local PPO Medicare plans. The smaller local PPOs garnered high ratings (3.46 stars) as well. The KFF report ranks these plans together under the heading "All Other Organizations."
  
  The Medicare plan directory and Medicare plan compare tool in the Resources section can guide beneficiaries in locating an Aetna or Highmark plan or other PPO available locally.