Health First Health Plans expanding to five more counties for individual, family coverage
Health First Health Plans is expanding its insurance availability into five more Florida counties in January, stretching its service territory to the Orlando area and the state's west coast.
Beginning Jan. 1, Health First Health Plans’ coverage will be available to individuals and families in Lake, Orange, Osceola, Pasco and Polk counties.
Health First Health Plans currently has more than 60,000 members in seven counties, and expects to add 9,900 in the first year of its expansion, according to Health First Health Plans President Matt Gerrell.
The company's current service area includes Brevard, Flagler, Hardee, Highlands, Indian River, Seminole and Volusia counties. It offers individual, family and Medicare Advantage plans in all those counties but Seminole, where it does not offer Medicare Advantage coverage.
Gerrell said Health First Health Plans will not offer Medicare Advantage plans in the five counties it is adding.
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As part of the expansion, Health First Health Plans expects to add 30 to 50 people to its 493-person staff to handle the increased customer counts, with most of the new hires based in Brevard County. In all, Health First has about 9,500 employees, and is Brevard County's largest employer.
Enrollment will open on Nov. 1, during the federal Marketplace Open Enrollment period through the Affordable Care Act program. Gerrell said the market Health First is aiming at includes people under age 65 who do not get health insurance through an employer or who are self-employed.
Gerrell said the company plans to market to potential customers in the new markets online, via mail and through a broker network.
“We’re excited to offer a variety of plans and options for cost-conscious individuals and growing families in these new communities, all tailored to meet their needs with a personal, convenient and connected level of care and service," Gerrell said.
Gerrell also noted that, unlike the case with many national health insurers, the customer-service representatives and agents Health First Health Plans customers will deal with are locally based. He said that can increase customer satisfaction when asking questions about benefits, or requiring assistance with upcoming appointments or procedures.
Health First Health Plans members in the five new counties will have access to the AdventHealth network of health care providers and hospitals.
Altamonte Springs-based AdventHealth owns a 27% stake in Health First Inc., the parent company of Health First Health Plans, as part of a $350 million deal that took effect in January 2020. Gerrell said Health First Health Plans has worked with AdventHealth since 2013.
Gerrell said Health First Health Plans is considering expanding into three additional counties with AdventHealth facilities in 2025 ― Hillsborough, Marion and Pinellas.
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Health First Health Plans also is considering reentering the commercial insurance market in 2027, serving small and large employers in Brevard County, Gerrell said. Health First left that sector of the insurance business in 2022, and is required to wait five years to reenter.
Gerrell said Health First Health Plans' local customers at the time it dropped that business included Brevard County and Palm Bay governments, as well as Melbourne Orlando International Airport.
Gerrell said Health First Health Plan has turned around its losses of about $25 million during its first fiscal quarter that ran from Oct. 1 through Dec. 31, 2022. It expects to report a profit of about $19 million for the full 2022-23 fiscal year that ended Sept. 30.
Health First Health Plans' revenue of about $780 million accounts for about 32.5% of Health First Inc.'s overall revenue of about $2.4 billion. Gerrell expects the expansion of its coverage territory to increase Health First Health Plans annual revenue to $850 million to $900 million.
Health First Health Plans was launched in 1996, and now has a network of more than 4,000 medical providers.
In addition to Health First Health Plans, Suntree-based Health First Inc. has four hospitals, a medical group and wellness services.
Dave Berman is business editor at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Berman at dberman@floridatoday.com, on X at @bydaveberman and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dave.berman.54
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Health First adding five counties to its insurance coverage area
