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PacifiCare's Plan Bienestar Combines Affordable, Quality HMO Coverage With Bilingual Support Services and Access to Full-Service, Multi-Specialty Clinics and Medical Groups

Posted on: Wednesday, 3 January 2007, 12:00 CST

CYPRESS, Calif., Jan. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- PacifiCare, a UnitedHealthcare Company, launched an innovative health benefits program that combines affordable health plans with unique services designed to enhance the health and well-being of Spanish-speaking Latinos and their families.

According to Russell Bennett, UnitedHealthcare's vice president of Latino Health Solutions, Plan Bienestar transcends traditional health plans with a host of health-information and customer-service programs tailored to meet the unique health care needs of Latinos, including a bilingual provider directory, Spanish-speaking customer service representatives, specialized educational materials in Spanish and much more. Plan Bienestar is part of PacifiCare's SignatureValue(R) Advantage, a health plan with access to quality, affordable health care providers.

Plan Bienestar is available now to businesses, labor organizations and public-sector entities in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties in California.

"According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Latinos comprise America's fastest-growing work force, which is projected to grow 34 percent nationwide by 2014," said Bennett. "Also, data published by the Yankelovich 2000 Hispanic Monitor indicate that the majority of Latinos prefer to receive health care information in Spanish."

Bennett added: "With Plan Bienestar, we enhanced PacifiCare's award-winning SignatureValue Advantage with innovative support services that we believe address two growing areas of concern: the need to reduce the rate of the uninsured among the Latino population; and the effort to help Latinos -- many of whom communicate more comfortably in Spanish -- better understand their health plan and become more engaged in their health care. We believe Plan Bienestar can make a positive impact on both fronts."

Plan Bienestar shares its extensive network of doctors and hospitals with PacifiCare's SignatureValue Advantage plan. Launched in 2002, SignatureValue Advantage was among the nation's first HMO network of doctors, medical groups and hospitals chosen for their affordability as well as for their scores on quality-of-care measures. It was developed to create savings for employers and consumers while providing access to a quality network of physicians and hospitals.

SignatureValue Advantage offers the affordable benefits of a traditional HMO plan: no annual deductible; low primary-care physician co-payments (no co- payments for prenatal and well-baby care for children under two); access to preventive health care services, including most immunizations and physical examinations; little or no paperwork; and emergency care coverage worldwide.

"Employers and organizations are increasingly aware that their employees and members reflect a very diverse society and, as such, demand more than a 'one-size-fits-all' health plan," said Bennett. "With Plan Bienestar, PacifiCare has taken the lead by enhancing its health plans with products and services that specifically address the health care needs of Latinos. We have also created a unique partnership with a large labor organization in California to serve its member companies and reach their bilingual, bicultural workers and their families."

The Southern California Associated Produce Dealers and Brokers of Los Angeles recently chose Plan Bienestar for its member companies. The Produce Association offers health plans and insurance benefits and other services to its nearly 100 employers in California.

"Since a large majority of the employees in the produce industry are Hispanic, I think they will welcome Plan Bienestar," said Richard Mount, executive vice president of the Produce Association. "Ensuring they have access to affordable, high-quality health care is very important to the member companies that make up our Association and is therefore one of our highest priorities. I've talked to our members, and they've told me that they want their employees to have a health plan that delivers a full range of services -- preventive health, bilingual customer-support services and easier access to doctors and staff who speak their language. PacifiCare's Plan Bienestar offers that and more."

Plan Bienestar offers Spanish-speaking consumers and their families tailored services such as a unique provider directory that indicates the level of Spanish spoken by doctors, nurses and office staff as well as detailed address information. The bilingual Guide to Plan Bienestar offers a glossary of terms -- in Spanish -- and answers to "frequently asked questions," helps members select a local multi-specialty medical group and highlights clinics that offer early and late appointments. Most of the clinics are located in neighborhoods where many Latinos live and work.

In addition, Plan Bienestar members have access to a host of innovative, unique programs including:

* dedicated bilingual customer service to answer questions and help enrollees locate Spanish-speaking providers; * disease-management and health-information programs in Spanish that help improve quality of life, including Taking Charge of Your Heart Health(SM), Taking Charge of Diabetes(SM), StopSmoking(SM), and HealthCredits(R); * Evalue Su Salud(R) (Evaluate Your Health(R)) -- a bilingual, interactive health risk assessment on CD-ROM; * Que le dijo el doctor? (What did the doctor tell you?) -- bilingual photo stories depicting how a family discusses common health concerns; and much more.

More information on Plan Bienestar, including online provider directories and other health information programs, are available at http://www.pacificare.com/ and http://www.pacificarelatino.com/ -- PacifiCare's Spanish-language Web site.

About PacifiCare, a UnitedHealthcare Company

PacifiCare, a UnitedHealthcare Company, offers individuals and employers a variety of consumer-driven health care plans and products. Specialty operations include behavioral health, dental and vision, and complete pharmacy and medical management through its wholly owned subsidiary, Prescription Solutions. More information about PacifiCare is available at http://www.pacificare.com/.

About UnitedHealthcare

UnitedHealthcare (http://www.unitedhealthcare.com/) provides a full spectrum of consumer-oriented health benefit plans and services, helping more than 25 million individual consumers nationwide achieve improved health and well-being through various health service systems. UnitedHealthcare arranges access to quality, affordable care with more than 500,000 physicians and care professionals and 4,600 hospitals across America. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group , a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company.

PacifiCare

CONTACT: Dan Miller, Media Relations of UnitedHealthcare,+1-714-226-3726, dan.miller@phs.com, for PacifiCare

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

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

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

Source: PRNewswire

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