Not all health plans are the same.

Health plans differ in how well they keep people healthy and care for them when they become sick. The State of New Jersey produced this report so that you can compare how well health plans across the state perform.

• If you are a consumer, the quality of care provided by your health plan may affect you and your family's health.

• If you are an employer, keeping employees healthy means reduced absenteeism and increased productivity.

For example, consider how well your health plan, or those that you offer to your employees, performs when it comes to:

Cholesterol screening after a heart attack

490,000 Americans die from coronary artery disease each year, making it the leading cause of death in this country. The annual national costs from this condition are estimated to be $47 billion. Health plans that appropriately control cholesterol can reduce a person's chances of dying from a heart attack by as much as40 percent.

Making sure kids are immunized

Approximately 35,000 of New Jersey's young children do not receive recommended immunizations to protect them against dangerous diseases. Health plans that regularly immunize children help protect them from the harmful effects of such childhood diseases as polio, German measles, mumps and whooping cough.

Finding breast cancer early

Breast cancer is the second most common type of cancer among American women. Approximately 6,000 new cases are reported each year in New Jersey alone. Health plans that regularly provide women with mammograms, a test to detect breast cancer, can save lives. Early detection through mammograms has been shown to reduce death from breast cancer by 20 to 40 percent in women aged 50 and older.

This report gives you information on the performance of New Jersey plans regarding these and other important areas of health care.

Your choice of health plan can influence how healthy you are.