Chain pharmacies make covering kids a health insurance priority

Drug Store News, August 6, 2001 by Diane West

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- Drug stores nationwide will take part in a national campaign this weekend and next in an effort to get children who lack basic health and prescription drug coverage enrolled in state-based children's health insurance programs, or SCHIPs.

As part of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores' recently announced "Pharmacies of Promise" effort, NACDS is teaming up for the first time this year with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's annual Covering Kids campaign. Covering Kids "Back to School" outreach dovetails with retail pharmacy at this time of year, when many start thinking about back-to-school shopping.

About 300 retail drug stores representing 14 chains located throughout Tueson, Ariz.; Hartford, Conn.; Harlingen, Texas; Washington; and Miami will host special in-store events to enroll children in state-specific SCHIPs. Participating. retail chains: include Albertsons and its Osco Drug stores, Medicap, Fedco, Navarro Discount Pharmacies, Giant of Landover, M.D., Andorra, CVS, Kmart, May's, Safeway, Rite Aid, Pelton's and Familymeds.

Chain pharmacies involved in the launch have been posting materials telling customers about SCHIP. Many promotional materials can be viewed on the NACDS Web site, www.nacds.org, under the "Pharmacy Cares" icon. Stores also will host in-store enrollment events staffed by Covering Kids volunteers. Pharmacies located in areas with a larger potential base of eligible children may make a small work area near the pharmacy counter available on Aug. 11 and Aug. 18, where trained Covering Kids volunteers can enroll children on the spot.

About 10 million uninsured children are eligible for health and prescription drug coverage through SCHIPs. But an estimated 6-out-of-10 parents with children who qualify for SCHIP or Medicaid coverage are unaware their children qualify for coverage; almost 85 percent of eligible and un-enrolled children have at least one working guardian.

"Conducting the enrollment sessions is an excellent way to demonstrate that community pharmacies are a health resource for the public," said Phil Schneider, vice president of external affairs and program development for NACDS, said. "We hope to take what we learn from this pilot to all the chain pharmacies during the next 12 months."

Many uninsured children in the United States are children of the "working poor," with at least one parent who works full-time throughout the year. Twenty-three percent of children from low-income families lack basic healthcare coverage.