Health Net Group Health Insurance for California Employers

Health Net is a California-focused carrier (a Centene company) that competes mainly on price through tailored networks. For groups concentrated in Southern California and parts of the Central Valley, it is frequently the low bid among full-network carriers.

What Health Net sells to California employers

• Small group plans (1-100 employees): HMO, PPO and EPO designs across metal tiers.
• Narrow and tailored network HMO options priced below its full-network plans.
• Participation in Covered California for Small Business (CCSB).

Network and regulation

Health Net HMO products are regulated by the DMHC; its PPO products are issued through Health Net Life Insurance Company under the CDI. The honest trade-off: its PPO network is not as deep as Anthem or Blue Shield, and its price advantage comes largely from the narrower HMO networks – always run a provider match on your actual employee doctor list before moving a group.

What we tell employers

Health Net wins on budget for regionally concentrated groups that will accept an HMO. It is weaker for multi-state workforces and for groups that insist on the broadest possible PPO access. We routinely quote it alongside Kaiser as the budget lane and Anthem or Blue Shield as the access lane.

Reviewed August 2026. Plan availability, networks and rates vary by county and group size. We never publish premiums we cannot verify for California – request a quote for real numbers.