MARCH 18, 2010 ISSUE
Nearly One-Third of Watauga Residents Could Qualify for Free Prescription Meds
New Program Provides Meds, Med Management to Local Uninsured
Out of 100 North Carolina counties, Watauga ranks No. 1 for percentage of residents without health insurance. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2009 Small Area Health Insurance Estimates, roughly 29 percent of Watauga County residents, or 9,954 people, are uninsured. Down the road in Avery County, 3,258 residents are uninsured, or roughly 25 percent of the population.
Thankfully, a new program began last week that will put free prescription medications in the hands of that struggling population. Administered locally through The Hunger and Health Coalition, North Carolina MedAssist is for residents of any age who fall at or below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level and have no prescription coverage. For a single person, they have to make at or below a $20,660 annual income to qualify; a two-person household must make at or below a $29,140 annual income to qualify.
“This program is going to make it possible for us to serve so many more people,” said Compton Fortuna, executive director of The Hunger and Health Coalition.
After the program was tested in Mecklenburg, Onslow, Cleveland, Buncombe, Stanley, Wake and Iredell counties throughout 2009, N.C. MedAssist expanded statewide on March 10, meaning eligible uninsured residents of Watauga and Avery counties now have access to the central fill program.
“We’re currently working to get people enrolled; there are many different points of entry,” said Fortuna.
To enroll, applications are available at The Hunger and Health Coalition, located at 141 Health Center Drive in Boone, or by clicking to www.medassist.org. For help or more information, call 828-262-1628. As of press time, no residents have enrolled in the new program.
When entering the program, each client turns in an application and is screened during an initial interview. Clients should bring proof of income, proof of residency and any and all written prescriptions from a physician to the initial meeting. Clients are also asked to sign a document stating that they do not have any prescription insurance.
N.C. MedAssist dovetails nicely with The Hunger and Health Coalition’s other prescription medication programs—141 Pharmacy and the Prescription Assistance Program. Both programs are administered using a licensed pharmacist working out of a licensed pharmacy at the facility, which was a driving factor behind why the organization was chosen to administer N.C. MedAssist.
“Our [prescription medication] programs and N.C. MedAssist are not only about medications but also medication management, because we have a licensed pharmacy and pharmacist,” explained Fortuna. “Clients will not only get medications, but they will also be able to talk to someone about what they’re taking.”
Before N.C. MedAssist was introduced, The Hunger and Health Coalition filled roughly 1,000 prescriptions per month through the 141 Pharmacy and the Prescription Assistance Program, according to Fortuna. N.C. MedAssist covers medications that The Hunger and Health Coalition previously had to purchase. The new program works with a handful of pharmaceutical companies that provide medications to a central fill pharmacy, which then dispenses the medications to the counties that have eligible clients.
“N.C. MedAssist is more geared toward long-term illnesses, as opposed to ‘I have strep throat and I need Amoxicillin,’” explained Fortuna. “Our in-house programs [141 Pharmacy and the Prescription Assistance Program] usually provide more short-term illness medications, so it’s a nice fit.”
Fortuna said N.C. MedAssist is working with other pharmaceutical companies to enlarge the medication selection.
“This new program maximizes our stock of medicine—it kind of enlarges the pharmacy in a virtual way, which is exciting,” said Fortuna.
For more information, click to www.medassist.org or call 1-866-331-1348 or 828-262-1628.
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