HEALTH NET: To Pull Out Of Monterey County
Health Net, one of California's largest health plans, will withdraw its Health Net HMO from Monterey County. Health Net currently has 11,000 members in Monterey. Existing members will be transfered to other health benefit programs beginning Jan. 1 and the firm will immediately stop marketing its HMO product to new employee groups within the county. Arthur Southam, Health Net's president and CEO, said, "Based on Health Net's past experience and recent discussions with physician and hospital organizations in Monterey County, it is clear that the cost of providing comprehensive HMO benefits in Monterey County substantially exceeds the level of HMO premiums in the market. We're committed to making every effort to assure a smooth transition. We hope that the physician community will work with us to assure continuity of care for their patients." Details of the transition are subject to review by the state Department of Corporations (Health Net release, 9/9).
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