Health Status Explanations

The COSTSHARE REPORT comparisons estimate annual out-of-pocket costs for Medicare plan members based on overall health status - GOOD, FAIR, POOR - and the corresponding use - Low, Moderate, High - of the most common plan benefits during one year (physician office visits, emergency or urgent care, inpatient hospital care, prescriptions). The comparisons rank the Medicare plans from the lowest to highest out-of-pocket costs based on the approved member copayments and premiums that appear in the Medicare Options Compare database (www.medicare.gov).

Health Status: GOOD Requiring occasional routine care	Health Status: FAIR Requiring episodic care for non-chronic conditions	Health Status: POOR Requiring chronic disease care and management
Low annual utilization - 4 Doctor office visits (in-network) - 1 Urgent care visit (out-of-area) - 0 Inpatient admissions - 6 Prescriptions (30 day supply) - 1 Physical, vision, hearing exam - 1 Dental prevention visit	Moderate annual utilization - 12 Doctor office visits (in-network) - 1 Emergency room visit - 1 Inpatient admission (4 days) - 24 Prescriptions (2 per month) - 1 Physical, vision, hearing exam - 1 Dental prevention visit	High annual utilization - 24 Doctor office visits (in-network) - 2 Emergency room visits - 3 Inpatient admissions (12 days) - 72 Prescriptions (6 per month) - 1 Physical, vision, hearing exam - 1 Dental prevention visit

Vision exam average cost of $50 is included if not a covered benefit.
Hearing exam average cost of $50 is included if not a covered benefit.
Dental prevention visit average cost of $75 is included if not a covered benefit.
Prescriptions based on $36 average charge for up to a 30-day generic prescription ($118 for 90-day mail order); $120 average charge for up to a 30-day brand prescription ($360 for 90-day mail order)

2009 COSTSHARE REPORT DETAILS