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St. Pete Company's Any, Any Any Plan Back In Business

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By RUSSELL RAY | The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 8, 2008

A controversial but popular health care plan that came under state scrutiny last year has received clearance to begin marketing for new members again.

Nearly a year after being placed under state supervision, Universal Health Care Insurance Co. of St. Petersburg said Friday that it has received the green light from state and federal regulators to resume marketing its Any, Any, Any insurance plan, a Medicare program.

The plan is so named because it tells members they can see any doctor, anywhere, any time. It now has about 40,000 members, down from almost 80,000 at the end of March, 2007.

Under pressure from the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, the company stopped selling the plan in February 2007.

Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty said at the time the plan was under-funded and didn't meet state requirements. A month later, McCarty declared Universal insolvent and moved to place the company into receivership. Universal blocked that action by filing suit.

Last month, McCarty reached a settlement with the company. Universal paid $450,000 in fines and court costs and agreed to keep on hand a surplus of $116 million.

Akshay Desai, the CEO of the St. Petersburg-based company, said the approval from the federal government is good news "for thousands of seniors waiting to enroll" in the plan.

Reporter Russell Ray can be reached at (813) 259-7870 or rray@tampatrib.com.

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