Walgreen Giving Free Care to Unemployed and Uninsured
Walgreen announced at the end of March, 2009 that they would be offering certain health services free of charge for the jobless and uninsured at their Take Cara Clinics around the country for the remainder of the year. I thought it would be good to repost this as a reminder to people who may not be aware of it.
NEW YORK (AP) — Drugstore operator Walgreen will offer free clinic visits to the unemployed and uninsured for the rest of the year, providing tests and routine treatment for minor ailments through its walk-in clinics — though patients will still pay for prescriptions.
Walgreen said patients who lose their job and health insurance after March 31 will be able to get free treatment at its in-store Take Care clinics for respiratory problems, allergies, infections and skin conditions, among other ailments. Typically those treatments cost $59 or more for patients with no insurance.
Hal Rosenbluth, chairman of the Take Care Health Systems division, described the plan as something close to an experiment: He said Walgreen isn’t sure of patient demand or how much providing the services might cost the company.
It’s likely to generate more attention for the clinics, however. Rosenbluth said a typical Take Care patient tells eight other people about his or her experience. So far, about 30 percent of Take Care patients were new customers to Walgreen.
The program is expected to last through the end of 2009. Walgreen runs 341 Take Care clinics in 35 markets around the country, including Chicago, Atlanta, Miami and Cleveland. Free services will be offered only from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. Walgreen said it will not offer free checkups, vaccinations or other injections because it is focusing on providing services patients might otherwise get at an urgent-care center or even an emergency room.
Patients must present proof they are unemployed, including a federal or state unemployment determination letter and an unemployment check stub. They will have to sign a form at the clinic saying they have lost their jobs and health benefits. If they find a new job or get new health insurance, they will no longer be eligible for free care.
Spouses and children are also eligible for free services if they don’t have insurance of their own. Medical lab operator Quest Diagnostics is participating in the program by offering free tests for step throat and urinary tract infections.
Walgreen bought the Take Care clinics in May 2007. Take Care says it has seen about 1.2 million patients since its launch in November 2005 and estimates that up to 30 percent of them were uninsured.
Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
For additional information, please visit the Walgreen site to view:
Those interested in participating in the Take Care Recovery Plan offer can visit www.takecarerecoveryplan.com or call 1-866-Take-Care (1-866-825-3227) to understand the process for determining whether they and their dependents qualify for the offer. All forms associated with the offer are available online.
The Take Care Recovery Plan’s terms and conditions include additional important information regarding details of the offer, including qualifications and services covered, and are available at www.takecarerecoveryplan.com.
Take Care Clinics are walk-in, professional health care centers located at select Walgreens drugstores across the country. Board certified family nurse practitioners and physician assistants treat patients 18 months and older for common illnesses and are licensed to write prescriptions when necessary that can be filled at the patient’s pharmacy of choice.
Take Care Health Systems currently manages 341 Take Care Clinics at Walgreens drugstores in 35 markets across 19 states, including locations in: Atlanta, Boulder-Longmont, Colo., Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Ohio, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Green Bay, Wis., Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Knoxville, Las Vegas, Louisville, Madison, Wis., Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee, Nashville, Tenn., New Orleans, Orlando, Fla., Oshkosh, Wis., Peoria, Ill., Philadelphia-area, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Rockford
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