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Q.
What is Health Kentucky?
Since 1984, Health
Kentucky, a statewide non-profit organization,
has coordinated access to free health care
for more than 200,000 citizens who do not
qualify for government programs and cannot
afford health insurance. Once a person is
approved, he or she remains eligible for
one year to visit volunteer doctors, dentists,
hospitals, home health agencies and hospices,
and obtain free prescriptions donated by
pharmaceutical companies and filled by retail
and hospital pharmacies. An individual can
reapply for another year of eligibility
at the end of the first year. (Back
to top)
Q.
Who qualifies?
Criteria for eligibility:
- Kentucky resident
- Uninsured (without
private insurance or public assistance
through Medicaid or Medicare)
- Income below 100
percent of the federal poverty guidelines
- Resource limit
of $2,000
Individuals can get
additional information about Kentucky Physician's
Care by calling the toll-free hot line at
1-800-633-8100 or apply by visiting the
Department for Social Insurance office in
the county where they reside. (Back
to top)
Q.
Why is Health Kentucky needed?
For Kentuckians whose
incomes are below 100 percent of the federal
poverty level, there are several programs
that provide health care. Every child through
age 19 whose family has an income below
200 percent of the federal poverty level
is covered by the Kentucky Children's Health
Insurance program (KCHIP). Seniors over
age 65 are eligible for Medicare. People
who are blind, pregnant or disabled are
eligible for Medicaid.
But while some whose
incomes are below 100 percent of the federal
poverty level are privately insured, most
do not have the financial resources to afford
private insurance and are left without any
coverage. This the group of people that
Health Kentucky seeks to help. (Back
to top)
Q.
How do patients sign up for the program?
First, you need to
sign up for the program at the Department
for Community Based Services office in the
county where you reside. Once the Department
for Community Based Services office determines
you're eligible for the program, call our
hot line at 1-800-633-8100 for the name
and phone number of a participating primary
care physician in your county. When you
call the physician's office, tell them you're
eligible for the Kentucky Physicians Care
program and that you would like to make
an appointment. Show up for the appointment
and if you need a prescription, the doctor
will write one. Take that prescription and
your copy of the eligibility form to a participating
pharmacy and get the prescription filled.
It's that easy! (Back to
top)
Q.
How long is someone qualified?
Eligibility is determined
on an annual basis. Once a person is determined
eligible, he or she has the physician, pharmaceutical,
hospital, dental, home health agency and
hospice services available to them for one
year from the date he or she was signed
up. After the year is up, a person can reapply.
(Back to top)
Q.
How do patients get medications?
Participating physicians
write prescriptions from the list of available
medications. You can take the prescription
and your eligibility form to one of the
500 participating pharmacies across the
state and have the prescription filled for
free. To find a participating pharmacy in
your area, call the our hot line at 1-800-633-8100.
As long as you're eligible for the program,
you can access as many medications as a
physician believes is necessary. (Back
to top)
Q.
Where does a patient sign-up?
Each county's Department
for Community Based Services office determines
eligibility for the Kentucky Physicians
Care program. Ask for the Kentucky Physicians
Care PA 47 application and someone there
will help you complete the application.
(Back to top)
Q.
How can a patient see a physician or get
a referral to a specialist?
Once a person has
been determined eligible for the program,
he or she can call the Kentucky Physicians
Care Hotline at 1-800-633-8100 to get a
referral to a physician or a specialist.
Specialist referrals are made after a patient
has seen a primary care physician who provides
a referral to a specialist. (Back
to top)
Q.
What impact does Health Kentucky have on
the Kentucky's health-care system?
Health Kentucky reduces
the overall cost to the state's health-care
system by providing eligible patients with
access to cost-effective health care. Without
Health Kentucky, these patients are often
forced to use the emergency room as their
primary care provider.
Health Kentucky tries
to keep people healthy and on the job, which
helps break the cycle of poverty.
Health Kentucky allows
the medical community to participate in
a program that benefits thousands of Kentuckians
by bringing the cooperation and resources
of other providers together into one fluid
program. (Back to top)
Q.
Is Health Kentucky insurance or does it
pay for health care services?
Health Kentucky is
not an insurance program. We coordinate
a statewide network of volunteer health
care providers who agree to see individuals
who are eligible for the program at no charge
to the patient. (Back to
top)
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