Walgreen Offers No-Cost Clinic Visits For Unemployed, Uninsured U.S. Residents

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 02 Apr 2009 - 8:00 PDT

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People who lose their jobs and health insurance coverage after March 31 will be able to receive no-cost treatment at Walgreen's in-store Take Care clinics through the end of the year, the company said, the AP/Houston Chronicle reports. Take Care Health Systems, a Walgreen pharmacy subsidiary, operates the walk-in retail health clinics at 341 pharmacies in 35 markets nationwide.

The program will provide treatment of conditions such as respiratory problems, allergies, infections and skin conditions. Uninsured patients typically pay $59 or more for treatment at the clinics. Medical laboratory operator Quest Diagnostics is supporting the program by providing no-cost medical screenings for strep throat and urinary tract infections. Patients still would have to pay for prescription drugs. Walgreen said it would not offer no-cost checkups, vaccinations or other injectable treatments because it is focusing on services that patients might seek at urgent care clinics.

To be eligible for the program, patients must provide proof of unemployment, such as a federal or state unemployment determination letter or an unemployment check stub. Patients also must complete a form stating that they no longer have a job or health coverage. Eligibility lasts as long as a patient is unemployed or until a person obtains health coverage. Patients' spouses and children will be eligible for the program if they do not have other insurance.

Take Care Health Systems Chair Hal Rosenbluth said Walgreen does not know the demand for such a program or how much it will cost the company (AP/Houston Chronicle, 3/31).

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