But getting Blue plans to enter one another’s territories through non-Blue affiliates is easier said than done. For starters, they can’t use the Blue trademarks, said Thomas Greaney of UC Hastings Law in San Francisco.

Plus, the real challenge for insurers expanding into new territories is negotiating competitive contracts with doctors and hospitals, Greaney said. New carriers have trouble getting the best rates because they don’t enter a market with the leverage of a large subscriber base — a business reality that the settlement won’t change.

“Will it promote a wave of competition?” Greaney said. “It certainly may occur at the margins, but the long-standing obstacle to new entry for insurance plans is forming a network.”