- A new class of health plan leaders is setting itself apart by excelling in clear communication, digital convenience, and meaningful member support, according to the J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Commercial Member Health Plan Study,℠ released.
- While overall member satisfaction with commercial health plans saw a slight decline year over year, the study reveals widening performance gaps between brands, underscoring member experience as a critical competitive differentiator in a landscape facing rising expectations around cost transparency, digital access, and personalized service.
Widening Performance Gaps Highlight Member Experience as Key Differentiator
The 19th annual study indicates that the differences in how health plans perform are becoming more pronounced, directly impacting member satisfaction, retention, and overall competitive strength.
"Brand performance gaps in the commercial health insurance market are no longer subtle -- they're widening in ways that directly affect satisfaction, retention and competitive strength," said Caitlin Moling, senior director of global healthcare intelligence at J.D. Power. "Leading plans are setting themselves apart by delivering clarity, digital convenience and member-first communication. Others are falling behind as trust erodes, digital tools go underutilized, and members struggle to understand their coverage".
The 2025 study, based on responses from 39,797 commercial health plan members, highlights several critical trends:
Top-Ranking Health Plans by Region
The study measures member satisfaction across 22 geographic regions. Kaiser Foundation Health Plan continues its long-standing leadership, ranking highest in California (648) for the 18th consecutive year, Colorado (576), Maryland (614) for the fourth consecutive year, the South Atlantic region (634) for the 16th consecutive year, and Virginia (660) for the second consecutive year.
Other notable highest-ranking plans include:
(A full list of regional winners is available in the J.D. Power report.)
Study Background/Methodology
The U.S. Commercial Member Health Plan Study, now in its 19th year, measures satisfaction among members of 147 health plans based on performance in eight core dimensions: able to get health services how/when I want; digital channels; ease of doing business; helps save time and money; people; product/coverage offerings; resolving problems or complaints; and trust. This year's study is based on responses fielded from September 2024 through March 2025.