Affordable Care Act customers in Florida will receive free Lyft rides to health care services

Florida Blue announced that Affordable Care Act customers will have access to Lyft rides as part of the benefits package in individual health-insurance policies, beginning Feb. 1.

The goal is to ensure policyholders can access needed health-care services, such as doctor’s visits, or trips to the pharmacy.

The policyholders will have $100 in transportation benefits from Lyft, a ride-sharing service. Jacksonville-based Florida Blue, which offers Affordable Care Act policies in 67 counties, has sold individual policies to more than 1 million people in 2019 under the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare. That is out of more than 1.6 million people in Florida who have purchased individual policies on the Obamacare exchange this year.

In a news release announcing the ride-sharing benefit, Florida Blue noted that people without reliable transportation can miss appointments. That can lead to “disruptions in care, and in turn, increased costly hospital and emergency room visits.”

Open enrollment under Obamacare for 2020 health-insurance coverage began Friday and runs through Dec. 15.

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This article appears in King Buddy.