TWO West Virginia health maintenance organizations have received aD score based on financial stability.
Weiss Ratings Inc. evaluated 96 percent of the nation's HMOs. Itis the only major agency that receives no compensation from thecompanies it rates.
Coventry Health Plan and Anthem Health Plan, or PrimeOne, fellinto Weiss' next-to-lowest category.
Meanwhile, the Health Plan of the Upper Ohio Valley received thestate's best rating, or a B. Optimum Choice, also called MAMSI, got aC.
CareLink, QualMed and SuperBlue have not been in business longenough to be included in Weiss ratings.
Criteria for ratings included profitability, liquidity andstability.
Across the country, 57 percent of all health maintenanceorganizations lost money last year, Weiss reported.
That includes five of seven HMOs in West Virginia.
On the average, U.S. HMOs paid out about 90 cents in medicalexpenses and nearly 13 cents in administrative expenses for everypremium dollar received in 1997.
Only five HMOs were rated A. They are Blue Shield of California,Fallon Community Health Plan of Massachusetts, Partners NationalHealth Plans of North Carolina, Total Health Care Inc. of Michiganand Total Health Care Plan Inc. of Ohio.
Weiss ratings are available in many local libraries or throughinsurance agents.
For a specific company, consumers may purchase an analysisdirectly from Weiss. Costs start at $15.
For information, call (800) 289-9222 or contact the Web site atwww.weissratings.com.
Walk it together
Do you like to walk, but get lonely?
Join the members of 55-Plus for their last one-mile hike of theseason.
They will join up at 57th Street and Kanawha Avenue in KanawhaCity at 8 a.m. Sept. 15.
There is no charge to join 55-Plus, an organization sponsored byCamcare that serves people over the age of 55.
The group suggests participants bring some cut-up fruits orvegetables for snacking after the hike.
Drug for genital herpes
The Journal of the American Medical Association is to reportWednesday that taking the oral antiviral drug famiciclovir all yearlong is an effective treatment to suppress genital herpes in peoplewho have frequent recurrences.
However, suppressing lesions does not mean that herpestransmission will not occur, said Dr. Jeffrey Engel in anaccompanying editorial.
Free prostate screening
The Charleston Area Medical Center Cancer Center will sponsor afree prostate screening from 7:30 a.m. to noon Saturday at MemorialDivision's outpatient clinic.
To register, call 345-9051.
