WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.— UnitedHealthcare Vision ranked highest in customer satisfaction among managed vision plan providers, performing particularly well in plan coverage and communication about plan benefits, according to the J.D. Power 2013 Vision Plan Satisfaction Report released this week on Wed., Sept. 25. On a 1,000-point scale, UnitedHealthcare Vision scored highest with 704, EyeMed came in second with 700, followed by VSP with 687 and Davis Vision with 630. Overall satisfaction among all vision plan members was 673.

The study also found that among members who rate overall satisfaction 10 on a 10-point scale, 42 percent have single coverage and 83 percent say they “definitely will” select their current vision plan provider in the future. The average monthly premium price paid for a vision plan is $36.33, according to the study.

The 2013 Vision Plan Satisfaction Report is based on responses from a national sample of 3,015 verified vision plan members fielded online from Aug. 20, 2013, through Aug. 26, 2013. The report measures vision plan member satisfaction based on four key factors (in order of importance): coverage, cost, communication and customer care.

“To highly satisfy vision plan members and build loyalty, providers need to clearly communicate up front their plan’s benefits, details of the coverage and the cost for monthly premiums and co-payments,” said Scott Hawkins, director of the health care practice at J.D. Power. “When the plan matches customer needs and expectations, the perceived value of the policy improves and satisfaction rises.”

The last time J.D. Power conducted a vision plan study such as this one was in 2006, when VSP had topped the survey for the third year in a row, as reported by VMail Nov. 13, 2006. “We have not conducted the Vision Plan Study since 2006 and have instead focused on the health insurance market as a whole,” Hawkins told VMail, and then explained why J.D. Power decided to conduct the survey this year: “We received some indications from the industry that there was interest in understanding satisfaction levels among vision plan members.”