Oscar's monopoly suit against Florida Blue dismissed

A judge dismissed with prejudice a lawsuit filed by Oscar Health against Florida Blue, which accused Florida Blue of using anticompetitive tactics to reel in members.

Oscar Health sued Florida Blue in November 2018 over its exclusive broker policy, which Oscar argues excludes insurance brokers who work with Florida Blue from selling policies of other insurers. Oscar claimed that Florida Blue's policy — coupled with its market dominance — allows the insurer to effectively operate as a monopoly.

In a Sept. 20 order, United States District Judge Paul Byron sided with Florida Blue. Florida Blue argued it didn't violate antitrust laws or create a monopoly through the use of exclusive agreements with insurance brokers.

In a statement shared with Becker's, Florida Blue said: "We are pleased that, after reviewing our motion, the Court ruled in favor of Florida Blue, dismissing all of Oscar's claims with prejudice and holding that Florida Blue's contracts with its contracted general agents are lawful. The lawsuit never distracted our teams from supporting our contracted general agents across the state to deliver on our mission of helping people and communities achieve better health."

In an emailed statement to Becker's, Oscar said it is "disappointed in the court's decision but remains committed to offering Florida consumers a health insurance option that makes their care easier to navigate, more transparent, and more affordable."

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