Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida now offers a brand new Medicare Advantage health care coverage plan called BluePreferred^®.

The plan lets members choose their health care providers, such as doctors or hospitals, with no referrals needed—ever. But members can save by using health care providers in the network that supports BluePreferred.* The plan currently is available only in Broward, Palm Beach, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.

Low copayments
When using health care providers in the BluePreferred network, members enjoy low, predictable copayments for such services as office visits and annual exams, and fixed copayments for services at hospitals, with no additional cost-sharing for physicians’ services during a hospital stay. What’s more, there’s no deductible for services received from health care providers who participate in the network.

There’s more
BluePreferred will automatically replace its prescription drug benefit in 2006 with the equivalent of the new Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage.

Plus BluePreferred offers so much more. Find out. Call us today!

*Networks are composed of independently licensed health care professionals.

(800) 274-8183
Mon. to Thurs., 8 a.m. to 9 p.m,
Fri., 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
TTY users, dial 711
(Florida Relay)

Medicare covers carotid artery stents for high-risk stroke patients
Medicare patients with blocked carotid arteries who are at high risk for stroke now have a less invasive option to surgery—the placement of stents, expandable, mesh-like metal tubes similar to those commonly used to open coronary arteries.

To be eligible for coverage, you must have at least a 70 percent blockage in either carotid artery and have stroke symptoms such as a transient ischemic attack, a temporary lack of blood flow to the brain commonly called a mini-stroke.

www.medicare.gov