Florida’s HMOs Continue To Make Money, According To HealthLeaders-InterStudy

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Aug. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- HealthLeaders-InterStudy, a leading provider of managed care industry intelligence, finds that better forecasting and disease-management systems paid off for Florida HMOs in 2004. According to the latest issue of the Florida Health Plan Analysis from HealthLeaders-InterStudy, net income was up by more than 50 percent over 2003. It was the third straight year of increased profits.

“The top guns in net income were Florida’s big four of Humana, Aetna, UnitedHealthcare and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida,” said Jan Shuxteau, HealthLeaders-InterStudy analyst. “This is because their large networks and ability to negotiate higher discounts allows them to attract more large and mid-size employers.”

Other health plan news in Florida: * JaxCare, a nonprofit health plan for uninsured workers in Jacksonville, is expanding eligibility. * Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida is the first plan in the nation to offer a cross-cultural competence program. * Relative newcomer Tampa-based Citrus Health Care has begun to show profits. About HealthLeaders-InterStudy

HealthLeaders-InterStudy, a newly formed company of Decision Resources, Inc. (http://www.DecisionResources.com), is the authoritative source for managed care data, analysis, and news. For more information, please visit both Web sites at http://www.HealthLeaders.com and http://www.InterStudyPublications.com.

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For more information, contact: Alex Jablokow Decision Resources 781-296-2562 ajablokow@dresources.com

Decision Resources, Inc.

CONTACT: Alex Jablokow of Decision Resources, +1-781-296-2562,ajablokow@dresources.com