Medica and Mayo Clinic are partnering together to offer lower-cost health care insurance.

The plan, Medica with Mayo Clinic, is available for a Jan. 1, 2015, effective date and can be purchased both on and off MNsure, Minnesota’s public health insurance exchange.  This health plan expands options for consumers seeking Mayo Clinic care in Rochester and throughout southern Minnesota at a lower cost than other available options and at the lowest price in southeast Minnesota on the MNSure exchange.

Under this relationship, Medica provides the health insurance. The plan includes medical care at Mayo Clinic and throughout Mayo Clinic Health System, as well as Northfield Hospitals & Clinics and Winona Health.

“Medica and Mayo Clinic are committed to making care more affordable and accessible in the region and this is one example of those efforts,” said Dannette Coleman, Medica senior vice president for individual and family business, in a press release. “As a result of those efforts, we are able to deliver that care at a cost that is lower than the rest of the market.”

The focus of the plan is to provide a seamless care experience from the insurer and the provider with an emphasis on whole-person, comprehensive care.  Medica with Mayo Clinic is available to residents of 18 southern MN counties: Blue Earth, Dodge, Faribault, Fillmore, Freeborn, Goodhue, Houston, Le Sueur, Martin, Mower, Nicollet, Olmsted, Rice, Steele, Wabasha, Waseca, Watonwan and Winona.

The product is available with the same cost sharing (metal level and copay vs. Health Savings Accounts) options on and off MNsure. The available plan design options are Gold, Silver, Bronze and Catastrophic, with self-only deductibles starting at $300 and family deductibles starting at $900.

The plans also include 100 percent (no deductible) coverage for preventive care. Copay plans have office visit and specialty copays at $30 or $60, Mayo Express Care is a $10 copay, and generic drugs are a $10 (or less) copay.