MIRAMAR, Fla., Dec. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Humana Inc. announced today that its Medicare Part D prescription drug plans (PDP) in the Florida region have been ranked highest in overall member satisfaction by J.D. Power and Associates. The PDP award was presented today by J.D. Power and Associates officials to Humana at a senior center in Fort Lauderdale. Florida was one of three Medicare Part D regions in which J.D. Power and Associates conducted its survey of Medicare members.
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"As the state with the largest population of retirees, Florida's senior population traditionally sets national trends through their actions and choices and oftentimes acts as a bellwether for other states. Therefore, we are extremely pleased with our top ranking in the Sunshine State," said Steve Brueckner, Humana's vice president for senior products. "We take very seriously our commitment to serve Florida and the rest of the nation's senior population and know that Medicare beneficiaries throughout the United States recognize the value and service Humana provides.
"As Medicare beneficiaries have become more accustomed to choosing and using their prescription drug benefits, Humana has clearly met the challenge and provided the guidance these enrollees needed to take advantage of their opportunity to access more affordable prescription drugs," stated Brueckner.
The rankings are based on responses from 1,168 Medicare PDP enrollees surveyed by J.D. Power and Associates in Florida.
To receive the highest ranking, health plans were rated by Medicare stand- alone PDP members on five criteria:
* Drug benefit
* Cost and Billing
* Enrollment experience
* Pharmacy experience
* Service interaction after enrollment
"This ranking is confirmation that Humana and our associates have worked hard to deliver a valued benefit for people with Medicare," said Mike Seltzer, CEO of Humana's Medicare operations in Florida. "The more than 194,000 Humana PDP members in Florida clearly have found value in our product and services. We look forward to continuing that relationship well into the future."
Nationally, Humana has enrolled approximately 3.5 million seniors and people eligible for Medicare in one of its three stand-alone prescription drug plans.
About J.D. Power and Associates
Established in 1968, J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information firm that conducts independent and unbiased surveys of customer satisfaction, product quality and buyer behavior. Today, the firm's services include industry-wide syndicated studies; proprietary (commissioned) tracking studies; media studies; forecasting; and training services, as well as business operations analyses, and consultancies on customer satisfaction trends. On April 1, 2005, J.D. Power and Associates became a business unit of the McGraw-Hill Companies.
About Humana
Humana Inc., headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, is one of the nation's largest publicly traded health benefits companies, with more than 11 million medical members. Humana offers a diversified portfolio of health insurance products and related services - through traditional and consumer-choice plans - to employer groups, government-sponsored plans, and individuals.
Over its 45-year history, Humana has consistently seized opportunities to meet changing customer needs. Today, the company is a leader in consumer engagement, providing guidance that leads to lower costs and a better health plan experience throughout its diversified customer portfolio.
More information regarding Humana is available to investors via the Investor Relations page of the company's web site at http://www.humana.com/, including copies of:
* Annual report to stockholders;
* Securities and Exchange Commission filings;
* Most recent investor conference presentation;
* Quarterly earnings news releases;
* Replays of most recent earnings release conference call;
* Calendar of events (includes upcoming earnings conference call dates,
times, and access number, as well as planned interaction with research
analysts and institutional investors);
* Corporate Governance Information.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Mitch Lubitz
Humana Corporate Communications
813-287-6180
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