PacifiCare Expands Market: PacifiCare Health Systems Inc....

PacifiCare Expands Market: PacifiCare Health Systems Inc. said Monday that it has received federal health authorities’ approval to market health-care benefits to Medicare patients in the Palm Springs area.

The health-maintenance organization, based in Cypress, has been aggressively expanding its Secure Horizons plan to Medicare patients in the past two months. The company also recently won the approval by the federal Health Care Financing Administration to market the health plan in Northern California.

PacifiCare must have federal licensing for its Secure Horizons plan because it funds its operations through Medicare disbursements. The company actually becomes the administrator of the members’ Medicare benefits.