PacifiCare Gets OK to Join State Health Insurance Alliance

PacifiCare of California, a subsidiary of PacifiCare Health Systems Inc., said Tuesday that it has received approval to participate in the Health Insurance Plan of California, the state’s alliance through which small businesses can purchase health-care coverage.

Introduced in July, 1993, the state insurance plan covers 2,500 businesses and 44,000 Californians. The program offers coverage to small employee groups of five to 50 employees through a pool of health-care and insurance companies. PacifiCare will be one of 23 such members in the state plan.

Based in Cypress, PacifiCare is one of the largest managed-care organizations in the state, serving more than 830,000 customers.