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PacifiCare's New Small Business Choice Series Offers Nevada Small Businesses a Host of Health Plan Options

Posted on: Monday, 6 February 2006, 12:00 CST

CYPRESS, Calif., Feb. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Committed to offering affordable and flexible health care options in the face of rising health care costs, PacifiCare, a UnitedHealthcare Company, launched the Small Business Choice Series for small businesses in Nevada.

The new Choice Series offers a range of health plan options designed to provide greater flexibility and choice for small businesses and their employees. More than 10 health plans -- including PacifiCare SignatureOptions(SM) and Health Savings Account-compatible plans as well as PacifiCare SignaturePOS(R) and PacifiCare SignatureFreedom(SM) -- are available. Employers can even mix and match to offer a portfolio that best suits their employees' health care and financial needs. Multiple options of similar plans, such as high- and low-deductible PPO plans, can be offered by one employer to best meet the varying needs of individual employees.

The PacifiCare Small Business Choice Series is available now to small businesses in Nevada with 10 to 50 actively enrolled employees.

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Advocacy, small businesses are vital to the financial well-being of Nevada's economy and essential to economic growth since they comprise nearly all of the state's employer firms in the state. Of the more than 51,000 Nevada-based firms with employees, approximately 95 percent, or more than 49,000, are small businesses. In addition, small-business income increased nearly 7 percent, from $4.7 billion in 2002 to $5 billion in 2003, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.

"When it comes to quality, affordable health care coverage, small businesses want more than just a 'one-size-fits-all' solution; they want their employees to have the same kind of customized, flexible options that employees with large companies have," said James Frey, chief executive officer, Pacific Region, UnitedHealthcare. "With the new Choice Series, small businesses and their employees can select from a host of different PacifiCare plans -- from a high-deductible plan that offers tax savings to a more affordable plan with lower out-of-pocket costs."

Small Business Choice Series plans offer many other PacifiCare programs, including behavioral health care, dental and vision coverage and a tiered pharmacy benefit. In addition, members can enroll in any of PacifiCare's award-winning disease management programs, including those for diabetes and congestive heart failure, as well as enroll in HealthCredits(R), an innovative suite of services that provides consumers with tools to make better health care decisions and a rewards system for those who take active steps to improve their health.

To learn more about the new Small Business Choice Series, call (800) 826-4347 or visit http://www.pacificare.com/.

PacifiCare Health Systems offers individuals and employers a variety of consumer-driven health care and life insurance products. Specialty operations include behavioral health, dental and vision, and complete pharmacy and medical management through its wholly owned subsidiary, Prescription Solutions. PacifiCare, a UnitedHealthcare Company, serves nearly 55,000 commercial health plan members in Nevada. More information on PacifiCare is available at http://www.pacificare.com/.

First Call Analyst: FCMN Contact:

PacifiCare

CONTACT: Cheryl Randolph, Media Relations, PacifiCare, +1-714-226-3441,cheryl.randolph@phs.com

Web site: http://www.pacificare.com/

Source: PRNewswire

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