(January 28, 2008) — Medicare-eligible individuals living in Newport Beach and Corona del Mar now have a new choice of health plans. Not-for-profit SCAN Health Plan, one of California's fastest-growing Medicare Advantage plans, has expanded its Orange County presence by launching in these two beach cities.

Partnering with SCAN in servicing members in this area are Greater Newport Physicians, Edinger Medical Group, and two world-class hospitals – Hoag Hospital and Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center.

SCAN members receive all of the basic benefits covered under Medicare including doctor visits, hospital care, emergency/urgent care, skilled nursing facility care and more. Beyond these core benefits, SCAN offers routine eye and hearing exams; transportation to the doctor’s office; SCAN On-Call™, a 24-hour nurse advice line; access to emergency care worldwide; and in-home recovery benefits, including home-delivered meals and personal care services.

For members of SCAN in Orange County, primary care physician office visit co-payments are just $5. There is no co-payment for annual routine physical exams or preventive screenings. In addition, SCAN offers a generous prescription drug benefit (Medicare Part D) that includes unlimited coverage for generic medications on the SCAN formulary and coverage of up to $3,000 for brand name drugs. The co-payment for a 31-day supply of a generic drug from a SCAN-approved pharmacy is just $5.

“In addition to the health benefits we offer, members often tell us that one of the biggest benefits is the personal attention and individual focus they receive through SCAN,” said SCAN CEO David Schmidt. One example of this cited by Schmidt is the fact that all telephone calls are answered directly by one of SCAN’s specially trained member service representatives, not by an automated recording. “It’s those extra-added touches that mean a lot to seniors and really help to make us unique,” he said.

For more than 30 years SCAN Health Plan has been focusing on the unique needs of people with Medicare. SCAN currently serves more than 100,000 members in Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Ventura and Kern counties. Further information may be obtained at www.scanhealthplan.com. Medicare-eligible individuals interested in joining should call toll-free 800-915-7226.