The state has awarded a contract to Health Net to provide Medi-Cal benefits in Stanislaus County, a move that's expected to give patients more health care options.

The Department of Health Services announced Thursday that Health Net, one of the state's largest health plans, was chosen to be the "commercial" Medi-Cal plan in Stanislaus County.

The five-year contract begins early next year.

By state mandate, most Medi-Cal patients in Stanislaus County are supposed to have a choice of two plans. One is organized and administered locally. The other is administered by a commercial health plan.

A commercial Medi-Cal plan has not been available in the county since OMNI Health pulled out about four years ago.

Health Net President Chris Wing said he was delighted with the agreement.

"Our Medi-Cal team has a proven track record when it comes to providing beneficiaries with effective access to quality care and services, and we look forward to expanding on our success," he said.

Health Net currently provides Medi-Cal benefits to approximately 45,000 members in Fresno and Tulare counties, and it expects to add thousands of members in Stanislaus County.

Next year, about 75 percent of Stanislaus' nearly 100,000 Medi-Cal recipients will be instructed to choose between Health Net and Blue Cross of California, which administers the local plan.

The health plans are mainly open to parents and individuals who receive government cash assistance. The other 25 percent of Medi-Cal patients in the county are eligible for Medi-Cal's fee-for-service plan and don't have a choice.

Blue Cross and Health Net are to provide the standard level of Medi-Cal services set by the state, such as examinations, hospitalization, outpatient surgery, and prenatal and newborn care.

The plans will differ in the choice of physicians and some educational services, said Kathy Harwell, a county social services manager.

After notices are sent to Medi-Cal recipients, the state usually gives people 60 to 90 days to make a choice, Harwell said.

In cases where people neglect to choose, she said, the state will assign them a plan "but they will have an opportunity to choose later."

Spokesman Brad Kieffer said that Health Net will soon start setting up a network of doctors in the county to care for patients under its plan.

"Potentially, people may have a choice of different doctors than are currently available in their communities," he said.

Dave Jones, a spokesman for the county Health Services Agency, said Thursday's announcement is good news.

"We think that having a robust, two-plan model will help improve health access for Medi-Cal patients," he said.

Bee Staff Writer Ken Carlson can be reached at 578-2321 or kcarlson@modbee.com.

Reprinted by permission of The Modesto Bee.