PacifiCare Health Systems, Inc. was a provider of

health insurance Health insurance or medical insurance (also known as medical aid in South Africa) is a type of insurance that covers the whole or a part of the risk of a person incurring medical expenses. As with other types of insurance, risk is shared among ma ...

based in

Cypress, California Cypress is a city in northwestern Orange County within Southern California. Its population was 50,151 at the 2020 census. History The first people living in the area now known as Cypress were the Gabrieleno, a Native American tribe of the Ton ...

. It was acquired by

UnitedHealth Group UnitedHealth Group Incorporated is an American multinational managed healthcare and insurance company based in Minnetonka, Minnesota. It offers health care products and insurance services. UnitedHealth Group is the world's seventh largest c ...

in December 2005.

History

The predecessor of the company was founded in 1978 by Samuel J. Tibbitts as a subsidiary of the Lutheran Hospital Society of Southern California. PacifiCare was incorporated in 1983. In 1985, PacifiCare of Oregon was created. In 1993, Alan Hoops replaced Terry Hartshorn as president and CEO. The company also acquired Freedom Plan, California Dental Health Plan, and Advantage Health Plans. In 1996, it acquired FHP. In December 2005, the company was acquired by

. At that time, the company had 705,000 Medicare enrollees. It continued to market health plans under the PacifiCare and SecureHorizons names until 2011, when it changed to the UnitedHealthcare name.

Sponsorship and philanthropy

The company sponsored

Newman/Haas Racing Newman/Haas Racing was an auto racing team that competed in the CART and the IndyCar Series from 1983 to 2011. The team operations were based in Lincolnshire, Illinois. Newman/Haas Racing was formed as a partnership between actor, automotive enth ...

for the

2003 CART season The 2003 Champ Car World Series, the twenty-fifth and final in the CART-era of American open-wheel car racing, consisted of 18 races, beginning in St. Petersburg, Florida on February 23 and concluding in Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia o ...

, the 2004 Champ Car season, and the

2005 Champ Car season The 2005 Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford season was the 27th overall and the second season of the Champ Car World Series era of American open-wheel racing. It began on April 10, 2005 in Long Beach, California and en ...

and donated to support

The Painted Turtle The Painted Turtle is a Summer camp located near Lake Elizabeth in Lake Hughes, California. The camp is for children who are faced with life-threatening and chronic illnesses. Many of these children would not have the opportunity to have a cam ...

References

{{Reflist, 1 American companies disestablished in 2005 2005 mergers and acquisitions Defunct health care companies of the United States