As managed care gains a greater foothold in New Jersey, it's important for health care consumers to learn as much as possible about the performance of their plans. To help consumers make more informed choices, we are pleased to present our third annual report card.

This report card looks at the performance of eight commercial health maintenance organizations and seven point-of-service plans, a type of managed care plan that allows consumers to go outside the network. You'll see how well these plans deliver preventive care, and how plan members view the services they receive.

We've added some new measures to this year's report card, such as the percentage of heart attack patients treated with beta blockers to prevent future heart attacks, and the percentage of heart patients who get their cholesterol checked.

As you use this guide, remember that New Jersey has some of the strongest managed care protections in the country. We urge you to become familiar with these protections, which are listed in this report.

We wish you good health, and hope this report helps you choose the right health plan for you and your family.

Christine Todd Whitman Governor

Christine Grant Commissioner, Department of Health and Senior Services