UnitedHealthcare, a UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) company, and Health
Net, Inc. (NYSE: HNT) today announced that UnitedHealthcare has
completed the previously announced acquisition of Health Net of the
Northeast’s licensed subsidiaries and has obtained rights to renew
Health Net’s membership in Connecticut, New York and New Jersey. The
transaction has received all regulatory approvals required for
completion.
"UnitedHealthcare has a long, successful history of providing people in
the Northeast with affordable, quality health care options, and we look
forward to serving the health and well-being needs of Health Net’s
Northeast members as they renew with UnitedHealthcare,” said Jeff Alter,
UnitedHealthcare chief executive officer, Northeast Region. "With
UnitedHealthcare, Health Net’s members in the Northeast will gain access
to one of the largest local and national care provider networks, robust
clinical programs, proactive care management and wellness tools, and
technology that simplifies and enhances the health care experience.”
"We believe UnitedHealthcare is the best option for our customers in the
Northeast,” said Paul Lambdin, president of Health Net of the Northeast.
"We look forward to working with UnitedHealthcare on a seamless renewal
process that we believe our customers will appreciate. We will continue
to maintain the high quality of service our customers have come to
expect from us.”
As Health Net’s commercial customers in the Northeast reach renewal
dates, UnitedHealthcare will work to enroll them in a comparable Oxford
or UnitedHealthcare plan. Until members are enrolled in a replacement
plan, their current Health Net benefits remain in effect under their
existing Health Net contracts. There will be no interruption to coverage
or payments during this transition period.
Health Net will continue to administer all of the Health Net
plans—commercial, Medicare and Medicaid— in the Northeast under
administrative services agreements with UnitedHealthcare until members
transition to UnitedHealthcare plans.
For Health Net’s Medicare Advantage members in Connecticut and its
Prescription Drug Plan members in New York, there will be no changes to
the 2010 plans. UnitedHealthcare expects to file 2011 Medicare plan
benefits with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
during 2010 that will be made public after receiving CMS approval,
beginning October 1, 2010. Subject to approval by CMS, UnitedHealthcare
will begin operating these Medicare plans on January 1, 2011.
Approval has also been requested from the New Jersey Department of Human
Services to transition Health Net’s New Jersey Medicaid business. Upon
receiving approval, Medicaid members currently enrolled in Health Net of
New Jersey’s Healthy Options plan will be transitioned to
UnitedHealthcare’s AmeriChoice plan, unless they choose another
participating health care plan. For Health Net’s Medicaid members in New
Jersey, there are no expected changes until the middle of 2010.
Member and Provider Contact
Information:
Health Net members or providers who have questions on this announcement
can contact one of the following Health Net or UnitedHealthcare customer
service phone numbers for additional information:
Health Net: 800-441-5741
UnitedHealthcare: 800-357-1371
Health Net: 800-547-8734 (TTY/TDD 888-747-2424)
UnitedHealthcare: 800-643-4845 (TTY/TDD 800-421-1220)
Health Net: 800-806-8811 (TTY/TDD 800-929-9955)
UnitedHealthcare: 888-867-5575 (TTY/TDD 711)
-
Medicaid Members (New Jersey Family
Care/Medicaid Members)
Health Net: 800-555-2604 (TTY/TDD 888-747-2424)
AmeriChoice of New Jersey: 800-941-4647 (TTY/TDD 800-852-7897)
Health Net: 800-438-7886
UnitedHealthcare: 877-842-3210
About UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealthcare (www.unitedhealthcare.com)
provides a full spectrum of consumer-oriented health benefit plans and
services to individuals, public sector employers and businesses of all
sizes, including more than half of the Fortune 100 companies. The
company organizes access to quality, affordable health care services on
behalf of 25 million individual consumers, contracting directly with
approximately 600,000 physicians and care professionals and more than
5,000 hospitals and 60,000 pharmacies to offer them broad, convenient
access to services nationwide. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses
of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and
well-being company.
About Health Net, Inc.
Health Net, Inc. is among the nation’s largest publicly traded managed
health care companies. Its mission is to help people be healthy, secure
and comfortable. The company’s health plans and government contracts
subsidiaries provide health benefits to approximately 6.6 million
individuals across the country through group, individual, Medicare,
Medicaid and TRICARE and Veterans Affairs programs. Health Net’s
behavioral health subsidiary, MHN, provides mental health benefits to
approximately 6.5 million individuals in all 50 states. The company’s
subsidiaries also offer managed health care products related to
prescription drugs, and offer managed health care product coordination
for multi-region employers and administrative services for medical
groups and self-funded benefits programs. For more information regarding
Health Net, please visit the company’s Web site at www.healthnet.com.
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