Published: Tuesday, Dec. 01, 2009

Updated: Tuesday, Dec. 01, 2009

Retailers take shot at health insurance

BRADENTON — Retail health clinics have become a growing trend in supermarkets and drug stores.

Now some retailers have taken health care offerings a bit further by selling health insurance. However, there are mixed views on whether the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida health cards sold at Winn-Dixie and CVS Pharmacy will be as popular as in-store health clinics. Some say retailers getting involved in the health care business is a sign of the times.

“It’s a gimmick to get the people that will be able to use those in the store,” said Bob Fowinkle, president of Moore, Fowinkle, & Schroer Agency in Bradenton. “It’s another marketing tool for each of those drug stores. But for people with serious conditions, that’s not the answer.”

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida was the first in the industry to introduce the health cards in October when it partnered with Winn-Dixie. The insurance agency partnered with CVS in November.

Consumers who purchase them get insurance and health care service discounts, but there are exclusions and limitations with the most accessible plan offered under the health card.

That’s why Kim Cummins, life and health specialist for Des Champs & Gregory Inc. in Bradenton, doesn’t expect it to take off the way health clinics have.

“It’s another shopping avenue and it’s another way to direct people to Blue Cross and Blue Shield for them to say look at our plans,” said Cummins. “Is it going to be a great big boom? I don’t think so. It’s not a full blown medical plan.”

Blue Cross and Blue Shield sells two cards at Winn-Dixie and CVS: a $59 gift of health care card that allows consumers to pick an insurance plan and a $19 FamilyBlue Discount Card that provides up to three months of discounts on dental, vision and pharmacy care.

The GoBlue plan is the most accessible for consumers as it guarantees acceptance but it excludes coverage on emergency room visits, hospital stays, surgeries and maternity care. Officials with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida were not available for comment Monday.

What consumers do get under the GoBlue plan, which has a monthly premium between $24 and $59, is in-network discounted rates, up to $50 paid toward a doctor’s bill, up to $50 paid on dental work, up to $15 paid on prescriptions and 100 percent payments on in-network lab tests at approved locations.

Neil Trautwein, vice president of employee benefits policy counsel at the National Retail Federation, attributes the retailers’ grasp at the health care products to current economic conditions.

“This is really symptomatic of high cost medical care costs today and certainly where there’s a need there’s a commercial reaction,” Trautwein said.

“Certainly for folks with marginal or no connection to the workforce this could be a way of setting aside money for future medical expenses. Ultimately the market will determine the success or failure of these cards.”

Josh Whitton, spokesman for Winn-Dixie, would not disclose sales results but said stores have seen “positive sales.” Whitton added the health cards have the potential to boost business at Winn-Dixie pharmacies.

“This could definitely drive some traffic into our pharmacy, and at the same time it gives us an opportunity to serve our customers in a new way,” Whitton said. “I think it is a growing trend in the health care industry. It gives our customers and shoppers insurance and health care coverage in a way we haven’t seen before.”

Grace Gagliano, staff writer, can be reached at 745-7081.