Florida insurer partners with hospital to expand coverage

Florida's Health First Plans is partnering with Central Florida's largest nonprofit provider to launch a new health plan.

By joining forces with Florida Hospital Healthcare System, Health First could add tens of thousands of new members. It currently has 60,000 members enrolled in its Medicare Advantage plans, reported Florida Today.

"We think we could really do something special here in Central Florida," Steve Johnson, Health First president and CEO, told the Orlando Business Journal. "We think we can provide a fantastic product, at first at competitive prices and eventually at better than competitive pricing. That's our hope."

It's Florida Health's reputation that helped it score the new partnership. "Health First has shown itself to be one of the top health plans in the state," Mike Schultz, CEO of the Florida division of Adventist Health System, the parent company of Florida Hospital, told Florida Today. "Albeit in only two counties, but they are a high-rated Medicare Advantage Plan, (and) they are rated among the top in the state in terms of being able to administer a health plan."

The new plan, called Florida Hospital Care Advantage, will begin enrollment Oct. 15, but will have a three- to five-year roll-out plan. It's also expected to be available on Florida's health insurance exchange by next year, the Tampa Bay Business Journal reported.

To learn more:
- read the Florida Today article
- see the Orlando Business Journal article
- check out the Tampa Bay Business Journal article