L.A. Care Selected For Participation In California's Health Benefit Exchange

Covered California certifies nation's largest public plan

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May 23, 2013, 01:13 ET

LOS ANGELES, May 23, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- L.A. Care Health Plan, the largest publicly operated health plan in the country, is pleased to announce its selection as a Qualified Health Plan (QHP) by Covered California, the state's health benefit exchange.

Established by the passage of federal health care reform, Covered California is creating a new insurance marketplace that will provide individuals and small business throughout the state with greater access to and choices in health coverage.

"Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, health care will now be within reach for millions of Americans who are currently uninsured or underinsured. As a public plan, our participation in Covered California is in keeping with our strong support of both national health care reform and Medi-Cal expansion. We are excited to be part of this historic transformation in the health care delivery system, and look forward to helping cover the more than two million uninsured residents of Los Angeles County," said Howard A. Kahn, Chief Executive Officer of L.A. Care Health Plan.

"As the leading Medi-Cal health plan in Los Angeles County, we believe participation in Covered California is a perfect complement to the services we already provide to our existing one million members. Our focus will continue to be ensuring that low-income individuals and families have easy access to a high quality of health care," Kahn added.

In being certified as a QHP, it has been determined that L.A. Care meets specific requirements, standards and criteria and will "provide health care coverage choices that offer the optimal combination of choice, value, quality and service."

About L.A. Care
L.A. Care Health Plan (Local Initiative Health Authority of Los Angeles County) is a public entity and community-accountable health plan serving residents of Los Angeles County through a variety of programs including Medi-Cal, Healthy Families, L.A. Care's Healthy Kids, and L.A. Care Health Plan Medicare Advantage HMO. L.A. Care is a leader in developing new programs through innovative partnerships designed to provide health coverage to vulnerable populations and to support the safety net. With more than one million members, L.A. Care is the nation's largest publicly operated health plan.

SOURCE L.A. Care Health Plan