Health Net of California provides health plans that help employers adapt to challenging economy

Jul 8 2010

Health Net of California, Inc. is expanding its efforts to provide health plans that help employers adapt to the still-challenging economy:

“Our partnerships with health care providers allow us to continue championing the kinds of solutions that can help employers survive today's persistently murky economy.”

• Health Net is expanding its Silver HMO Network plan in Northern California, giving employers premium savings up to 15 percent less for the same plan designs as its full statewide network of primary care physicians and specialists.
• And Health Net is launching another value-oriented plan - the Bronze HMO network - in Southern California that provides the opportunity for even greater savings.

"Our cost-efficient networks and plans provide employers with a greater range of choice and greater value," said Steven Sell, president of Health Net, Inc.'s Western Region Health Plan. "Our partnerships with health care providers allow us to continue championing the kinds of solutions that can help employers survive today's persistently murky economy."

Value-oriented networks like the Silver and Bronze networks consist of health care providers who provide quality care at costs that can be significantly less than the full statewide network average. Since less cost means less pressure on premiums, the amount that employers pay for value-oriented network products can be substantially less than for the full statewide network.

Health Net's Silver HMO Network

Health Net's Silver HMO network now is available to members with employer-sponsored coverage and who live or work in Santa Clara or Stanislaus counties. The Silver HMO network already is established in Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, San Diego, Riverside, Ventura and San Francisco counties. With the addition of Santa Clara and Stanislaus counties, the network consists of nearly 21,000 primary care physicians and specialists in all 10 counties.

In addition, Health Net's Silver Elect Open Access plan in Santa Clara and Stanislaus counties gives members the flexibility to choose contracting doctors from the Silver HMO network or Health Net's full statewide PPO network for certain services.

Health Net's Bronze HMO Network

Health Net is launching its new HMO Bronze network in Los Angeles, San Bernardino and San Diego counties. The Bronze network consists of nearly 5,000 of the most cost-effective primary care physicians and specialists who contract with Health Net.

"With the Bronze network, employers have the opportunity for savings that are even greater than what's available through the Silver network," said Sell. "The greater degree of affordability will help many employers stay within their budgets while providing an essential benefit for their employees."

Whether Silver or Bronze: Lower Premiums Without Sacrificing Quality

"Whether employers choose the Silver or Bronze network, they'll see significantly reduced premiums compared with Health Net's full network, while maintaining comprehensive benefits and without sacrificing the quality of our full statewide network," said Sell. "That's because all of our contracting health care providers, regardless of the network they participate in, must meet Health Net's strict quality standards."

Both the Silver and Bronze networks are available for small, mid-sized and large employers. Employers interested in details about Health Net's affordable solutions for their health care needs may contact their brokers, or they may contact Health Net at 1-800-447-8812, option 1.

Salud con Health Net: Cost-Effective, Cross-Border Access to Care

Another cost-effective network plan offered by Health Net is Salud HMO y Más, which provides Southern Californians the choice between medical care near their homes or in Mexico.

For care in California, members have access to a select network of culturally competent physicians and hospitals. For care in Mexico, Health Net partners with SIMNSA, the first Mexican health plan licensed by the State of California, to offer quality services.

The combination of California's Latino-focused provider network and Mexico's lower cost of care allow for premiums significantly lower than Health Net plans providing access to California-only care.

SOURCE Health Net of California, Inc.