Well, my friends, it’s happened!

Residents of of the State of Florida now have a health option similar to the one I took a poll on two months ago…

Remember when I asked if you could get health care for $15 a week, would you buy it?

Well, if you live in Florida, you can get it now!

It’s NOT hospitalization but you can get good health care at a price most of us can finally afford!

The plan is from Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Florida and it’s called GoBLUE. Just walk right into your local CVS and go to the pharmacy counter.  Ask them for the GoBlue card.  Seriously!

I just spent the last 6 hours researching this against the plan I intended to launch in 2010.

Here is the breakdown:

GoBLUE PLAN: click the link, enter your age and zip code and find out how much per month your plan will cost.  What does it cover?  Read on:

When you use In-Network Physicians and vendors:

$59 per member initial card purchase, then $24 to $59 per month. (age based only!)  No questionnaire, no approval or denials

Physicians:  Family doctor, specialsts and urgent care.  You pay a co-pay to the doctor of about $26 per visit.

$15 toward generic and brand name prescriptions

100% coverage on all lab work as long as you use Quest ($0.00 out of your pocket)

Basic Dental too!  Up to $50 toward dental work (Fillings, cleaning, X-rays and crowns).

I checked out the participating physician lists (make SURE you choose the GoBlue plan in Step 2, before doing your search!)  in my area as well as near the college I go to just to see if they had a sufficient number of doctors.  In my area there were 179 participating doctors.  Near my college – using a 5 mile radius – there were 176 participating doctors  - some close enough to walk to!

This is good news for all of us!  Even better, the cards at CVS can be used as Holiday Gift Cards!!

No, this is not a typical medical plan – Emergency Room,  Maternity Care,  Surgery and Hospital care is not included.

But for the average person who has been avoiding the doctor because the visit and any blood work or other tests they prescribe usually run several hundred dollars, this is a way to get to the doctor when you need them!

I used their website and found that at my age (51) my monthly cost for this plan would be $44 a month.  BEWARE they have two plans!  Read carefully!!  Plan 90 and Plan 91 showed up for me:

Plan 91 one had $15 per prescription allowed, while Plan 90 had only $5 per prescription. The difference was $34/mo vs. $44/mo for the monthly plan cost.  For my daughter, $24 a month (she is 25 years old).  Just goes to show, you have to pay extra for all that wisdom I have earned.

Desipte the fact that I have discussions with my doctor to ensure they are prescribing generics as often as medically possible, I still would want the $15 allowance because I know from experience that the $4-$8-$10/mo generic offers have restrictions so that if my doctor prescribes more than they include, I have to pay the regular price.  With $15 coverage per medication I have a safety net.

In addition, that $15 credit toward the medicine is for generic AND name brand – just be sure to call and get prices.  If you can’t afford it, call the doctor back and ask him if there is a cheaper medicine or generic you can get.  Never go without – something can always be done!

My Take On It:

It’s pretty clear from my investigation that they would much rather sell their other full insurance to you – it’s very easy to get lost once you pass the landing pages linked above.  Why do you think I spent 6 hours doing this!  It was a nightmare just getting to the right information and figuring out how to find the participating doctor’s lists.  THAT is why I provided the links above.

If they REALLY wanted to make this as easy as walking into CVS, buying the card and calling them to get on the plan, they would have simply build a website specifically for this product.

Sort of like they did for their other product, FamilyBlue – a discount card in the event you can’t afford the above basic care premium…..

Option 2:  FamilyBlue.com They offered another plan called FamilyBlue, a Discount Card for $19, then you choose a plan for $14.95 or $19.95 a month.  This was a list of preferred providers offering a discounted rate for a vast array of necessary services, including prescription, dental, vision, chiropractic care, not to mention a nurseline AND a Medical Advocate assistant to help you when you face large medical bills.  They help to negotiate your medical bills and find charities and other ways of paying them.

If you can’t afford GoBlue for each of your family members, then FamilyBlue is the next best thing.  At least you are getting discounts – and that is a big deal, because BCBS has the power to negotiate good deals with many of the best doctors in Florida.  I used to do this for myself, but if you aren’t a negotiator and don’t have the time, then this is the next best thing – and way better than going with out and going it alone!

Follow up with me in 30 days!

I am signing up to see how this works – I will be posting again in early January  to let you know my experience step by step!  Check back and get caught up!