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Florida Blue Gets Special Law

Florida Blue, one of the most generous donors to state political campaigns, usually gets what it wants. In the case of a bill that Gov. Rick Scott signed on Friday, its chief lobbyist, Paul Sanford, actually wrote it, according to the Florida Times-Union.

The bill allows Florida Blue to acquire other not-for-profit insurers, which Sanford said in an earlier article  wasn’t in the company’s immediate plans but might be necessary down the road, as the Affordable Care Act revs into full implementation Jan. 1.

Other insurers had opposed passage of the bill. Florida Blue --formerly known as Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Florida,  is the largest insurer based in the state.

Originally founded in December 2006 as an independent grassroots publication dedicated to coverage of health issues in Florida, Health News Florida was acquired by WUSF Public Media in September 2012.