Florida Blue, the state’s largest insurer, has an inside track to a potentially lucrative market by entering a partnership with Spanish-language network Univision, Kaiser Health News and the Miami Heraldreport.
The partnership could keep consumers from seeing all their plan options, critics say. After its website helps shoppers determine whether they’re eligible for federal subsidies, it takes them right back to Florida Blue to buy health insurance. That means they won’t see there are competing plans, as Health News Florida has reported.
WellPoint and other Blues insurers in several states have similar partnerships that take consumers back to their product, even though other companies may offer cheaper or better coverage.
A special rule allows for the websites to redirect potential customers this way. The Univision partnerships are targeting about 10 million Latinos who will need to get coverage under the Affordable Care Act.