The Walt Disney Company will contract directly with two of the largest health systems in Central Florida—Orlando Health and Florida Hospital—to offer narrow network plans to its more than 70,000 employees in the region.

The Orlando Sentinel reports the direct contracting plans would be the first of their kind in the region. Two health maintenance organization (HMO) plans would be offered: one limited to Orlando Health physicians, practices and hospitals and the other limited to Florida Hospital’s network. The company would continue to offer a Cigna HMO plan to employees who don’t have easy access to either health system’s network where they live, along with two other Cigna plans with larger networks and higher deductibles.

The goal is to control costs for the company’s employees at the Walt Disney World Resort. By the region’s largest employer contracting with the health systems with the largest market shares in the area, independent practices argue they’ve lost patients and may lose even more if other large employers follow Disney’s lead.

“We've had so many patients who have expressed frustration that they didn't understand what they signed up for,” said Edwin DeJesus, MD an infectious disease physician at the Orlando Immunity Center. “It wasn't very well-explained. … It's not until they come to the office and we can't take their insurance.”

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