Almost free health care: Better sign up quick!

[CoolBreeze]

Ten thousand uninsured West Virginia workers will get almost-free, nonhospital health care for the next five years through a huge new state-sponsored demonstration project.

Each person will pay no more than $30 a year for unlimited doctor visits, immunizations and screenings, chronic disease management, and minor surgical procedures. So far, more than 2,500 people have signed up at eight participating community health centers, according to a Gazette-Mail phone survey of the centers.

Eligible people can enroll until the slots are gone, said Rick Simon, CEO of Tri-County Health Center, a participating community health center. To be eligible, a person must have a job, be between 19 and 64, and make less than $43,320 for a single person or $88,200 for a family of four. Two centers have set lower limits.

In return, patients will let the state fold their medical data - blood pressure, blood sugar, etc. - into an anonymous 10,000-person database the state plans to use to make more informed choices as health-care reform unfolds.

West Virginia Connect is funded by a $36 million federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant.

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http://www.wvgazette.com/News/201012110627