MANAGED CARE PLAN EXPANDS TO INCLUDE MEDICARE BENEFICIARIES IN VENTURA COUNTY, CALIF.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has approved a request by Universal Care Inc. to expand managed care coverage to Medicare beneficiaries in part of Ventura County in Southern California.
Universal Care, based in Signal Hill, Calif., will begin on Jan. 1 serving beneficiaries in eastern Ventura County, including the cities of Newbury Park, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks and Westlake Village. Medicare beneficiaries can sign up for the plan during the current open enrollment for Medicare Advantage, formerly known as Medicare+Choice. About 28,000 beneficiaries live in the plan's newly approved service area. The company began serving beneficiaries in 2002 in Southern California in Los Angeles, Orange and Kern counties.
"We are pleased Universal Care decided to serve more beneficiaries in Southern California," HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson said. "Under the Medicare reform law signed by President Bush, Medicare will provide all seniors - no matter where they live - with better health insurance options, including prescription drug coverage and preventive care. The law is achieving the President's goals of strengthening and modernizing Medicare."
Universal Care, which has the product Universal Health, gives another health care choice to beneficiaries in Ventura County. The other two Medicare Advantage plans currently operating in the county are Kaiser Permanente and Secure Horizons.
"We want to make sure all Medicare beneficiaries, whether in a Medicare Advantage plan or fee-for-service, are receiving the highest quality health care," said CMS Administrator Mark McClellan, M.D., Ph.D. "We are doing more to guarantee that beneficiaries understand the Medicare coverage options available to them. We also are reminding beneficiaries of the need to work closely with the doctors and other health care providers that give them medical care."
Since Dec. 8, 2003, when President Bush signed the Medicare Modernization Act into law, CMS has approved 37 new contracts with Medicare health plans and 52 service area expansions. There are currently 23 applications pending for new contracts and 19 service area expansions pending.
Medicare Advantage HMOs and fee-for-service plans are available where private companies choose to offer them. Currently, about 4.6 million Medicare beneficiaries -- out of a total of about 40 million aged and disabled Americans - have enrolled in Medicare HMOs. Original fee-for-service Medicare, currently chosen by more than 35 million beneficiaries, is available to all beneficiaries.
Medicare has a far-reaching consumer information program that includes a national toll-free phone number -- 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or TTY/TDD, at 877-486-2048 -- an Internet site -- www.medicare.gov -- and a coalition of more than 200 national and local organizations to provide seniors more information.