Source: floridahealthnews.com
Two health insurers in Florida control so much business that they’ve stifled competition and fueled health inflation in the state, according to a report released today by consumer advocates under the umbrella name Health Care for America Now. Sean Shaw, the state’s consumer advocate, is lending his support.
HCAN contends that lack of competition in the health insurance market—in Florida and nationally—has caused insurance premiums to increase and contributed to the rising number of uninsured residents. The group is lobbying for a public plan option, which it maintains will bring more competition into the market.
Just two companies– Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida and Aetna Inc.—dominate 45 percent of Florida’s insurance market, the report says. The Blues, based in Jacksonville, account for 30 percent of the insured market statewide. In the Orlando area, these two companies account for a combined 45 percent of the market.
“When you don’t have choice in the market, companies can do what they want to do,” said Shaw, who said that insurance companies are “making a lot of money in this system but it’s not good for the consumer.”
2 insurers control FL, groups say
