Ventura County Star
By Staff Reports

Limoneira Co. will pay for its 200-plus employees and their families to receive treatment at the county's public clinics and hospitals under a deal approved Tuesday by the Ventura County Board of Supervisors.

The agricultural company will pay a percentage of billed charges, so if the county's costs are higher, Limoneira will pay more.

The arrangement is similar to the contracts the Health Care Agency has with insurance companies, Powers said. In this case, it is a direct contract with Limoneira because the company is self-insured.

The company is based in Santa Paula, and most of its fields and orchards are in the Santa Clara River Valley, so most of its employees will go to Santa Paula Hospital or clinics in Santa Paula and Fillmore.

"This is great," Supervisor Peter Foy said. "It's good for them, and it's good for us."