Walgreens Offering Free Healthcare For Jobless, Uninsured

NEW YORK — 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 precriptions.

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.

Comments

[mollybeejay]

08:09 AM on 04/03/2009

Just how many people will this help? Certainly not the over 3 million people who have lost jobs just since October. I agree with a lot of the post here. This is just pure PR bullshit.

[sangsue]

01:56 AM on 04/03/2009

I don't know if anyone is aware of this but CVS has Minute Clinics where seeing their doctor for basic things is $59. But I think that a drug store that has a doc who prescribes drugs from that drug store is a bit disingenuous. Yes, it's good for the uninsured but if you notice, you don't get free drugs and lately the drugs can cost more than the doc visit. It's almost like going to a $2 movie where the popcorn is $5 for a small and drinks are $6.

[IllinIllinois]

01:25 AM on 04/03/2009

April Fools! Walgreens fools a lot of media into hyping their clinics, but really provides care to almost no one: http://illinillinois.blogspot.com/2009/03/little-help-for-few.html

[formerprosecutor]

07:52 AM on 04/03/2009

Mathematically, that would be obvious. But I suppose the few that meet the criteria and can stand the wait, and have the applicable ailments will benefit.

[LCLA]

12:50 AM on 04/03/2009

It already takes an hour or so to get my prescriptions filled at Walgreens, even when it was called in ahead of time. I can imagine how this will affect their already poor service. This is a PR gesture which won't help hardly anyone, but may be one of the excuses to continue the broken system we have now.

[formerprosecutor]

07:55 AM on 04/03/2009

It wouldn't take so long if they weren't so busy discussing if their conscience will allow them to fill each and every prescription.

[jada86]

04:34 PM on 04/02/2009

In the interest of being "fair and balanced", the Huffington Post should inform its readers that two days ago, Walgreens pulled out of the Medicaid prescription program in Washington state.

According to Reuters: " Cash-strapped Washington state plans to insist on cheaper, generic drugs for low-income Medicaid clients whenever available and equivalent to brand-name drugs. That would severely impact the "economic viability of doing business in Washington," Walgreen said in a statement."

In the Seattle Times: " Doug Porter, Washington Medicaid director, maintains the average wholesale price for brand-name drugs is "greatly exaggerated" and even the lower reimbursement rate would leave room for profits. On top of that, Porter said, pharmacies receive a $4.50 dispensing fee for each Medicaid prescription they fill."

[formerprosecutor]

07:43 AM on 04/03/2009

I guess they are trying to send a message to the government: you can't boss us around.

It also appears that they don't think the medicaid people buy any shampoo, aspirin, etc. either (too poor they figure)

[Carrie-On]

04:20 PM on 04/02/2009

This caring move fits with the philosophy of the Rickerts' who held major stock in Walgreens, until they passed on not long ago. They were a giving, caring couple, and I can only hope that their children who inherited the parents stock holdings can possibly live up to their parents generosity - most cannot and won't.

More power to Walgreen's . . . we can complain, discredit, scoff, and ridicule but some one needs to act in America to help those without insurance, or who are under-insured. When someone needs "checking out" the last thing they're concerned about is HIPAA, but thus far, Walgreen's hasn't had a problem breeching privacy with their prescription and health products retail division.

Maybe we each need to think along these lines - out of the box so to speak: what can we do to help one another?

Right now, Obama doesn't seem to be willing to do what he said he was going to do - get rid of the Medicare Plus and Advantage Plans, which are merely for-profit insurance companies being paid by CMS as "sub-contractors" (our government with our tax dollars to the tune of about $.20 MORE on the health care $1.00 than CMS is now paying for its direct beneficiaries) -- THAT is why the "system" is not a "system" but a market product.

[CanadianBeef]

04:52 PM on 04/02/2009

If you REALLY want to think out of the box, toss this whole messy system and adopt single-payer, universal health insurance, like every other industrialized country.
In Canada, I pay no health insurance and I have no medical bills to pay, ever. Our life expectancy is a little higher than in the U.S. Our hospitals don't have fountains and marble floors, sure, but they do have competent staff who don't seem to mind only making $200,000 a year.
Stop trying to fix your system. It can't be fixed. Throw it out, along with any bought-for politician who stands between it and the garbage can.

[formerprosecutor]

07:49 AM on 04/03/2009

Though we worry about long waits, the government interfering with doctors decisions, not getting to choose our doctors, "bad" doctors kept on in spite of complaints, etc.
Little do we realize that already happens now.

I heard somebody on NPR last night say we will never be able to fix our economy until we solve health care.

That is such an absolute truth; right now the working class "fortune" rises and falls with their health and ability to pay.

[formerprosecutor]

08:01 AM on 04/03/2009

Sorry, but people, regardless of their ability to pay deserve the same privacy as "rich folk"; they do absolutely care about "HIPPA".

How do you know if WAlgreens has had problemsw ith privacy or not??

So what would you have in place of Medicare plus etc. ?

A giant risk pool so everyone has access to equal healthcare? You ealize that would end private for profit pharmacies, don't you?
Why would we pay for a profit margin on drugs??

[harleanc]

03:59 PM on 04/02/2009

So, where is the break for those who are freelance--those who pay double FICA, faithfully keep up their insanely expensive private insurance policies, and don't have the luxury of steady paychecks, cash flow, government bailouts, sick days or paid vacations, and yet keep the economy rolling and somehow make it through the month even when a client is late or stiffs them? We don't get a break at Costco or Walgreens. It's not that I feel like a victim, or am embracing a sense of entitlement. It's just that I've been begging my government representatives for quality affordable healthcare for 15 years now and we still are no closer to than than we were when I first realize the entire system is screwed up. I am so damn sick of the people standing in the way of fixing healthcare, tired of $10,000 deductibles and care providers insisting they can't possibly tell me how much it'll cost to get a procedure. Kudos to Walgreens, but it just feels like those of us who have been covering our butts with no safety net for decades can never, ever get a break, not even a $59 one.

[Carrie-On]

04:25 PM on 04/02/2009

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/countries/

This will get ya~7 nations with excellent healthcare for their countries at less than 6% GNP scoff at the US complaining our "market-based health care commodity program..." costs over 15% when it isn't healthcare that the US is covering at all by a major for-profit industry - and the danged republicans are all for it - they're up for office again soon, thank goodness. Only a few left, so it's time they were voted OUT.

[DFL]

02:20 PM on 04/02/2009

Conservatives will call this socialism.

[URDRWHO]

03:30 PM on 04/02/2009

About 6 motnhs ago I read that Walgreen was going to have a clinic in their stores. It is a GREAT idea.
Why must I go to my personal physician to look down my throat.

Unless Walgreens has become a government entity how could anyone call it Socialism?

I wonder if they will have it staffed with an RN, a PA or what? It would be good if they could prescribe some meds.

I can envision that State laws may have a problem with such an experiment. Kind of like the New York doctor that wanted to give unlimited access to his services for $79 a month. The State said he was creating an insurance policy.

Doctors should be able to act as a small pharmacy and make a stipend off the sale of such drugs. Japan does it. Th problem Japan has found is a lot..lot..lot of drugs get prescribed. Japan places it under moral hazard. They say the doctors over prescribe so they can make more money.

Kudos to Walgreens for a good idea.

[goddess1871]

12:26 PM on 04/02/2009

I wish we had a Walgreens in our town (although I am extremely happy with our small, LOCALLY OWNED pharmacy). I was a cashier at a Walgreens in college - a very nice place to work. I'm glad they are doing this.

[harleanc]

04:03 PM on 04/02/2009

I worked for them in college too. They were horrid employers whose idea of a raise was five cents per year. They would schedule people for 39.5 hrs each week to avoid paying healthcare benefits. When my boss rallied our crew to make the largest leap in profits of any Walgreens in the tri-state area simply by being zealously devoted to customer service, they didn't give him or us any money, any benefits, anything but a "oh, yeah, whatever, thanks." They bullied the boss into removing a vending machine that was making us a fortune in impulse buys over there in the snack aisle because they said it was "too tall" and "ruined the look of the store." I hate having to patronize them. It's nice that they're doing this for pr and that some people will benefit but let's put it in perspective...they are definitely a part of the problem and have been for ages.

[formerprosecutor]

07:32 AM on 04/03/2009

co-sign

[Tom Schwab]

12:41 PM on 04/11/2009

Unfortunately, you had a manager that wasn't upfront with you on many things and if he was, your recollection of your college days are a bit off. Benefits are at 30 hours, not 39.5. The 39.5 he was scheduling (not a company policy by the way) was HIS way of curbing overtime. If I had to guess, he was scheduling 7.75 hr shifts, 37.5/wk to give himself a 15 minutes each day to avoid anyone exceeding 40 hrs/wk. He did get financial reward for his leap in profits. This one you wouldn't know about. The bonus structure for a manager was he would receive a nice % of the profit improvement, very small percentage of total sales improvement plus a base bonus established by that stores history. Lets just say for the sake of arguments the store profit improvement for that year was $100,000 and his % was 7%--That's $7000,00 that was added to his bonus. Smart guy he was, focusing on profit improvement. And trust me, a vending machines profit does not make you a fortune--clean, organized, clutter free stores do. By now you should realize I am speaking from experience--I was an 18 year employee and store manager. I am sorry your experience with the company was poor. Whether you think they are part of the problem or not, at least they are stepping up and trying to do something for those that are in need.

[ZellaBee]

12:45 AM on 04/02/2009

Wisdom from my father. "Nothing is Free"

[formerprosecutor]

08:18 AM on 04/03/2009

Not even "free will"?

[ZellaBee]

12:21 AM on 04/07/2009

I've wondered about that many times!

[the964kid]

03:13 PM on 04/01/2009

I know this is a PR smoke screen....

I'll believe this when I see some real people saying they were able to use this 'program.'

[layman]

05:56 PM on 04/01/2009

Another scheme to help sell their Big pharm drugs with all kinds of "intended" side effects as to hook people on to their other evil intended drugs, an evil marketing scheme, in this gloomy economic time.

[GregJL]

02:01 PM on 04/02/2009

No, more like part of the big conservative plot line of "See? We don't need universal health care, charity can take care of that for us! You don't want the government to make your medical decisions, do you?" And then once they kill universal health care, they pull the plug on the "free" program, saying it is just too expensive to continue.

[EgyptianMysterySchool]

03:30 AM on 04/01/2009

Walgreens didn't say that they were providing universal health care for all Americans or giving full exams.

I don't qualify for anything that they are doing, but I can be grateful to them and happy for anyone that it does help.

In this time of exposure of so much corporate greed and excess, let's give credit to Walgreens where it's due.

[GregJL]

02:05 PM on 04/02/2009

Yah, I'll bend over for them as soon as the bank execs are finished with their turn.

[watchTVgetSTUPID]

08:50 PM on 03/31/2009

After Obama gets his way, there will be a million unemployed auto workers including family who will no longer have health insurance. All you smug Obama supporters who support his attack on auto workers and you arrogant Republicans will see your health insurance jump higher to compensate for the lost income.

Obama has betrayed the auto workers who supported him. You might be next unless you are a Wall Street executive.

[PeanutFreeMom]

11:46 PM on 03/31/2009

I agree - why is ok to say that 'contracts are sacred' with everyone BUT blue-collar workers? Hey Summers - oooooh we're a country of laws???!!! Bull. Why is everyone having such a hissyfit that autoworkers earned a decent wage? Why does everyone cry at the bogus $72/hr auto workers SUPPOSEDLY earned, while no one is talling up the $8,173 an HOUR the ceo of IBM who is laying off thousands of north american workers and replacing them with cheap overseas labour just after they posted a 4 BILLION dollar quarter in Decemeber earned.
Just to recap the CEO of IBM earns more in a day than the average American FAMILY does ALL YEAR. Its bullshit.

[AZBunny]

10:30 AM on 04/01/2009

I'm with you. Obama was never my choice for the Democratic nominee but I was hoping maybe there really was something to him.
Watching his treatment of the auto workers makes me very afraid. As much afraid of life in America under Dubya.

[the964kid]

03:18 PM on 04/01/2009

Yeh and McCain would have done much better...

The American car companies (specifically GM) have been run terribly and normally when businesses are run badly they go under. GM won't go under but it will have to change drastically and join the rest of the profitable auto-makers who are making cars for the future.

The US auto industry is not working, strange you blame Obama, when he didn't design these cars or put companies like GM on a track where they rely on huge SUVs for profit. He also didn't cause the economic collapse that sped up the demise of auto sales, especially for detroit-made gas-guzzlers.

[knucklelady]

08:41 PM on 03/31/2009

Just for that, I'm moving all of mine and my husbands prescriptions to Walgreens. They have my full support for this move.

[ZellaBee]

12:48 AM on 04/02/2009

You might be sorry later. They will collect all of your health info and you may not want that.

[formerprosecutor]

07:37 AM on 04/03/2009

Boy, do they ever(know everything about you); and pontificate. I have used Walgreens because they are a chain and I used to travle a lot.
I have serious health issues (as we all do towrds the end of our lives)
They are so arrogant; cold, nasty acorss the board. They act like they are doing you a favor by filling your meds.
I dread going there. I have used at least 18 different Walgreens throughout the MidWest; I guess they send the pharmacists and techs to "snotty" school somewhere.

[CanadianBeef]

08:40 PM on 03/31/2009

Jeez, I don't want to be the cranky Canadian in the room, but . . . do ya think that while you're in a line waiting for charity medical care at a drugstore, it MIGHT finally be time to consider universal health insurance for America? It would be funny if it weren't so pathetic. Wake up, sheeple! I might pay a little more in taxes than people in Delaware, but here in Ontario no one pays for medical care other than maybe vasectomies and tummy tucks. And no politician who so much as questions this state of affairs can get elected. That's why American right-wingers are so terrified of a single-payer system. People will NEVER go back to private insurance once they've tasted free health care.

[ToolArmy81]

09:44 PM on 03/31/2009

Ok, let me as myself again, why am I still not moving to Canada? They seem to have at least a shred of respect for its citizens. Guess it's because I love Patriots too much... Brady goes down another season, I'm gone.

[PeanutFreeMom]

11:37 PM on 03/31/2009

As a Canuck from Saskatchewan I'd like to add - Vasectomies here are FREE, lol! Er, and so are tummy tucks if you can show the sagging skin is a psychologically distressing.

If Saskatchewan can offord public health care - Seriously people - Saskatchewan - most of you probably can't even pronounce it - AMERICA can afford healthcare.

On a more serious note - this is so horribly sad to watch. Millions of Americans without health care in the richest country in the world. There aren't words really....

[MJinCanada]

03:44 PM on 04/02/2009

Don't forget, we had Tommy Douglas!

[URDRWHO]

04:10 PM on 04/02/2009

Seems that you all up north are having a discussion about health care.

http://www.cbc.ca/checkup/Letters2009/letters090215.html

There is no perfect system but I like choices but hey that's just me.

"Our family has provided full-time home care for sixteen months for a family member diagnosed as terminal with a short life expectancy. Collectively it is the hardest thing we have ever done and, paradoxically, the most rewarding. We have had a lot of face time with Canada's medical system. It is our opinion that the Canadian system works, but one has to work very hard at making it perform satisfactorily. Forming alliances has proven to be key."

"Our health care system does need an overhaul but before that is done the powers to be need to take a good look at the whole system and and look at what is good and where it is failing.

I think it is failing in many respects. One large issue deals with seniors. It is very difficult to find a new Dr. when you need one and in many instances you are reused." Ottawa, Ontario

Even the Canadians have those that like the system and those that don't so we here in the USA are not alone in the discussion about health care.

This is a fun interactive map

http://www.cbc.ca/news/interactives/map-healthspending/