Aetna Better Health, the insurer’s Medicaid business, has received a contract with the State of Pennsylvania to administer benefits throughout the state.

Aetna Better Health of Pennsylvania will begin providing services April 1, offering coverage to Medicaid Medical Assistance members in the five-county Southeast Zone, including Philadelphia, Delaware, Chester, Montgomery and Bucks counties. The program also is offered in the ten-county Lehigh-Capital Zone, including Northampton, Lehigh, Berks, Lancaster, Lebanon, Dauphin, Perry, Cumberland, York and Adams counties.

“We are excited to partner with the state of Pennsylvania in providing health care solutions for the state’s most vulnerable populations,” said Deborah Nichols, chief executive officer of Aetna Better Health of Pennsylvania, in a statement.

Tom Kelly, the head of Aetna’s Medicaid business unit, said the insurer is “confident” it can deliver on the promise of managed care.

“We are known nationally for our ability to establish a durable partnership with health care providers and community leaders that is focused on quality service for our members,” he said.