The Wellesley, Massachusetts, health plan won the honors in 2007 for a third straight year, earning the best marks in more than 100 aspects of clinical performance, according to rankings released last week by U.S. News and World Report and the National Committee for Quality Assurance, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services.

The third edition of America’s Best Health Plans uses data on nearly 550 commercial, Medicare and Medicaid health maintenance and point-of-service plans to see which ones rank highest on issues like customer satisfaction and how well a plan helps diabetics meet blood sugar target numbers.

The rankings help to provide information to consumers—individuals and employers alike—as well as to help plans improve performance.

Top 10 Commercial Plans

1. Harvard Pilgrim Health Care (HMO/POS), serving Maine and Massachusetts

2. Tufts Associated Health Maintenance Organization (HMO/POS), serving Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island

3. Harvard Pilgrim Health Care of New England (HMO/POS), serving New Hampshire

4. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts (HMO/POS)

5. ConnectiCare (HMO/POS), serving Connecticut

6. Health Net of Connecticut (HMO/POS)

7. Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, serving the Rochester, New York, area (HMO/POS)

8. Group Health Cooperative of South Central Wisconsin (HMO)

9. Health New England (HMO/POS), serving Connecticut and Massachusetts

10. Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Connecticut (HMO/POS)