HealthCare.com buys health insurance ad network

HealthCare.com, an online directory of health care providers that competes in the so-called health 2.0 space with companies such as OrganizedWisdom, announced on Thursday that it has acquired BrokersWeb, a targeted, performance-based online-advertising firm that caters to health insurance brokers, for an undisclosed sum. With the acquisition, it gains control of BrokersWeb's consumer health insurance search engine, Health Insurance Finders.

"The acquisition of BrokersWeb strengthens our presence and fits within HealthCare.com's mission to help consumers make better health care decisions," said Matias de Tezanos, founder and chief executive of HealthCare.com. "From a business standpoint, the acquisition brings together a leading media property and a proprietary monetization platform that HealthCare.com will be able to expand."

BrokersWeb provides more than 250 health industry advertisers with pay-per-click advertising generated from health insurance queries. The company allows advertisers to bid for placement in its paid listings and provides them with return-on-investment analytics to help them make informed ad campaign decisions.

According to company spokesman Jose Vargas, Health Insurance Finders will continue to operate as a standalone site, though some of its features will help enrich HealthCare.com.