2017 Utah Health Plan Patient Experiences Report

The Utah Health Data Committee is pleased to present the 2017 Utah Health Plan Patient Experiences Report. This report describes how satisfied health plan members are with their experiences with the care provided to their members. These data come from an annual survey entitled the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) surveys. The purpose of the report is to give consumers and purchasers information they can use to make an informed decision when selecting a health plan.

CAHPS asks questions about the health care a member receives, including:

Health Plan Ratings	Health Care Ratings	Doctor Ratings	Specialist Ratings
Getting Care Quickly	Getting Needed Care	Doctor Communication	Customer Service	Shared Decision Making

How satisfied are Utahns with their experiences with their health plans?

Each of the following sections contains information about how satisfied Utahns are with their experiences with their health plan. State and National averages (where available) are also provided for comparisons.

Commercial	Commercial health insurance is defined as any type of health benefit not obtained from Medicare or Medicaid plans. The insurance may be employer-sponsored or privately purchased. Commercial health insurance may be provided on a fee-for-service basis or through a managed care plan.
Children´s Health Insurance Program	The Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is a state health insurance plan for children. Depending on income and family size, working Utah families who do not have other health insurance may qualify for CHIP. Children who may qualify for CHIP must meet income guidelines and be under age 19; not currently covered by health insurance; and US citizens or legal residents.
Medicaid	Medicaid is a source of health insurance coverage for Utah’s vulnerable populations. Medicaid is a state and federal program that pays for medical services for low-income pregnant women, children, individuals who are elderly or have a disability, parents and women with breast or cervical cancer. To qualify, these individuals must meet income and other eligibility requirements. The financial requirements are stricter than for CHIP.
Dental	Dental plans offer Dental insurance which is designed to pay a portion of the costs associated with dental care. There are several different types of individual, family, or group dental insurance plans grouped into three primary categories: (1) Indemnity (generally called: dental insurance) that allows members to see any dentist they want who accepts this type of coverage; (2) Preferred Provide Network dental plans (PPO); and (3) Dental Health Managed Organizations (DHMO) in which members are assigned or select an in-network dentist and/or in-network dental office and use the dental benefits in that network.

Updated December 2017