Health Insurance

Published October 2021

UCSF Health has contracts with many health insurance companies – ranging from preferred provider organizations (PPOs) to health maintenance organizations (HMOs) – to provide specialized inpatient and outpatient care.

The following list includes the insurance companies that have contracts with UCSF as well as Medicare Advantage and Medi-Cal programs that are accepted here. If you have one of the plans listed below, you and your referring physician must follow the authorization procedure required by your plan when seeking care at UCSF Health.

If you're choosing or changing insurance: Even if your insurance plan appears on the list below, it doesn't guarantee full access to UCSF's services. To find out whether your plan allows unrestricted, restricted, or no access to care at UCSF Health, please ask your health insurance company or your employer's benefit manager. (Only they can answer this question for you; UCSF doesn't have this information.)

Please know that we do not contract with or participate in health insurance discount card programs. We do, however, accept payments made through health savings account (HSA) programs.

HEALTH PLAN	TYPE OF PLAN
Aetna (Except Aexcel Network and Better Choice Medicaid)	All plans
Aetna Choice	POS
Aetna Elect Choice	EPO
Aetna Elect Choice (EC)	EPO
Aetna HMO	HMO
Aetna Managed Choice (MC)	POS
Aetna/Meritain	PPO, EPO
Aetna Open Choice	PPO
Aetna QPOS	POS
Aetna Select Standard
Aetna Value Network HMO	HMO
Alameda Alliance for Health (referrals only)	Medi-Cal HMO. Note: To get care from UCSF covered by insurance, your health plan must first authorize a referral.
Anthem Blue Cross CaliforniaCare	HMO
Anthem/BC - Covered California Exchange, IFP & SHOP (Small Business)	EPO (Tier 1) & PPO. Note: For this plan, Anthem's contract with UCSF only covers tertiary care (i.e., highly specialized care) when a patient is referred to a qualifying UCSF health care provider. It does not cover primary care.
Anthem Blue Cross Medi-Cal Managed Care	Medi-Cal HMO. Note: For this plan, Anthem's contract with UCSF only covers tertiary care (i.e., highly specialized care) when a patient is referred to a qualifying UCSF health care provider. It does not cover primary care.
Anthem Blue Cross Plus	POS
Anthem Blue Cross Prudent Buyer	PPO
Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield Rare & Complex Cancer Network
Anthem/UC Care	POS
Anthem Blue Connection	HMO & EPO
ASMED Health Partnership	PPO

Beech Street (via Multiplan)	PPO
Blue Cross (See Anthem Blue Cross)
Blue Shield 65 +	Medicare HMO
Blue Shield Access +	HMO
Blue Shield Covered California, IFP and SHOP (Small Business) - PPO	PPO
Blue Shield HMO Plus	POS
Blue Shield Preferred	PPO
Blue Shield Preferred Plus	PPO
Blue Shield SELECT	PPO
Blue Shield TRIO - HMO ACO	HMO
Blue Shield TRIO - Covered CA	HMO

Canopy Health/Health Net Blue & Gold	HMO
Canopy Health/Health Net Smart Care	HMO
Canopy Health/Health Net Canopy Care San Francisco Health Service System	HMO
Canopy Health/United Signature Value	HMO
Canopy Health/United Signature Value Harmony	HMO
Central California Alliance for Health (referrals only)	Medi-Cal HMO. Note: To get care from UCSF covered by insurance, your health plan must first authorize a referral.
Chinese Community Health Plan (referrals only)	HMO, Medicare, Medi-Cal. Note: To get care from UCSF covered by insurance, your health plan must first authorize a referral.
Choice Care/Humana	PPO
CIGNA HMO	HMO
CIGNA POS	POS
CIGNA PPO	PPO
CorVel Corp.	PPO
Coventry (First Health)	EPO, PPO

Definity Health	PPO

First Health (Coventry)	EPO, PPO
Foundation for Medical Care (multiple counties)	PPO

Great West Healthcare (Cigna)	All plans
Great West Healthcare (Cigna)	HMO

Health Net Blue & Gold	HMO
Health Net Covered CA Small Business (SHOP)	PPO only
Health Net ELECT	POS
Health Net HMO	HMO
Health Net PPO	PPO
Health Net Seniority Plus	Medicare HMO
Health Net Smart Care/Canopy Health	HMO
Health Net Smart Care/Canopy Health CanopyCare SFHSS	HMO
Health Plan of San Joaquin (referrals only)	Medi-Cal HMO and San Joaquin County employees. Note: To get care from UCSF covered by insurance, your health plan must first authorize a referral.
Health Plan of San Mateo Medi-Cal Managed Care	HMO – pediatrics only
Health Plan of San Mateo Medicare Advantage	Medicare - federal program
Health Smart/Interplan Corp.	PPO
Humana/Choice Care	PPO

Imperial Health Plan - Medicare Advantage HMO (referrals only)	HMO. Note: To get care from UCSF covered by insurance, your health plan must first authorize a referral.
Interlink Transplant Network
Interplan Corp./Health Smart	PPO

Kaiser Permanente Added Choice/PHCS Network	POS
Kaiser Permanente ASO	PPO
Kaiser Permanente Dual Choice/PHCS Network	PPO
Kaiser Permanente HMO (referrals only)	HMO. Note: To get care from UCSF covered by insurance, your health plan must first authorize a referral.
Kaiser Permanente Medi-Cal HMO (referrals only)	Medi-Cal HMO. Note: To get care from UCSF covered by insurance, your health plan must first authorize a referral.
Kaiser Permanente Medicare HMO (referrals only)	Medicare HMO. Note: To get care from UCSF covered by insurance, your health plan must first authorize a referral.

Lifesource Transplant Network

Medi-Cal	California program
Medicare	Federal program
Merced Foundation for Medical Care	PPO
Meritain/Aetna	PPO, EPO
Multiplan (includes Beech Street and PHCS)	PPO

Networks by Design PPO	PPO

On Lok Senior Health Services/PACE (referrals only)	HMO. Note: To get care from UCSF covered by insurance, your health plan must first authorize a referral.
Optum Transplant Network
Oscar EPO	EPO
Oscar Health Covered CA EPO IFP and Small Business	EPO

Pacific Health Alliance	PPO
Partnership Health Plan, Medi-Cal (referrals only)	Medi-Cal HMO. Note: To get care from UCSF covered by insurance, your health plan must first authorize a referral.
PPO NEXT	PPO
Progeney (Reproductive/Fertility)	PPO
Private Health Care Systems (PHCS) (via Multiplan)	PPO

San Francisco Foundation for Medical Care	PPO / EPO
San Francisco Health Plan Healthy Kids (referrals only)	HMO. Note: To get care from UCSF covered by insurance, your health plan must first authorize a referral.
San Francisco Health Plan (pre-authorization required for specialty or hospital care)	Medi-Cal HMO. Note: To get care from UCSF covered by insurance, your health plan must first authorize a referral.
San Francisco Health Plan UCSF Primary Care	Medi-Cal HMO
San Francisco Health Plan/SF Cares for Kids	Medi-Cal HMO
San Francisco Health Plan IHSS
San Joaquin Foundation for Health Care	PPO / EPO
Stanislaus Foundation for Medical Care	PPO / EPO

TriCare Prime	HMO
TriCare Select	PPO
TriWest/VA	Federal program

UC Care (administered by Anthem Blue Cross)	POS
UC Care (administered by Anthem Blue Cross)	PPO
UC Medicare Choice (administered by United HealthCare)*	Medicare Advantage PPO
UCSF Residents & Fellow (administered by Anthem Blue Cross)
UCSF Student Health Services (administered by Anthem Blue Cross)
United HealthCare Medicare Advantage/Secure Horizons	Medicare Advantage HMO (hospital only)
United HealthCare/OPTUM	EPO
United HealthCare/OPTUM CHOICE Plus	POS
United HealthCare/OPTUM CHOICE	PPO
United HealthCare/OPTUM Options	PPO
United HealthCare/OPTUM Select Plus	POS
United HealthCare/OPTUM/PacifiCare Secure Horizons (Senior Plan)	Medicare Advantage HMO (hospital only)
United HealthCare	HMO
United HealthCare Doctor's Plan	EPO
United HealthCare/Signature Value (Canopy Health only)	HMO
United HealthCare/Signature Value Harmony (Canopy Health only)	HMO
United Resource Network/Optum — Transplant and Oncology Networks
USAccess/Aetna	POS

Veterans Association/TriWest	Federal program

Western Health Advantage (referrals only)	HMO. Note: To get care from UCSF covered by insurance, your health plan must first authorize a referral.
Western Health Advantage Covered California (referrals only)	HMO. Note: To get care from UCSF covered by insurance, your health plan must first authorize a referral.

*The UC Medicare Choice plan is available only to University of California retirees. Under this plan, all UCSF providers and services are included with maximum benefit coverage.

Not on the list?

If your health insurance company doesn't appear on the list above, UCSF may nonetheless be able to make financial arrangements for your care to be covered, if the insurance company agrees to it. Ask your insurance company or your UCSF provider to contact the Health Plan Services office at (415) 353-4536 to discuss this possibility.

Health Plan Services is also available to discuss arrangements for new contracts.

Health Insurance

Not on the list?

Recommended Reading

Financial Counseling

Patient Estimate Program

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