Walgreen’s Take Care Clinics are part of Take Care Health Systems, a subsidiary of Walgreens. Take Care Systems is  part of Walgreens Health and Wellness division that combines best practices in healthcare and the expertise and personal care of their trusted community of providers to deliver access to high-quality, affordable and convenient healthcare to all individuals.

The Take Care Consumer Solutions group manages over 330 Take Care clinics throughout the country. The Take Care clinics provide treatment to patients 18 months or older for respiratory illnesses, skin conditions, diagnostic testing, minor injuries, wellness, vaccinations, physicals and additional treatments.

Take Care Clinics offer various ways to pay for your visit. They welcome most health insurance plans including carriers such as Aetna, BCBS, Anthem, Humana, and many more. They also provide low cash payment between $59-$80 for the uninsured.

A press release that was released today announces that Walgreens will offer free health care services for families that suffer job loss and have no health insurance. The Take Care Recovery Plan offers free services throughout the remainder of 2009 to current and future Take Care Clinic patients and their families that suffer a job loss after March 31, 2009 and have no health insurance benefits. The plan is offered to individuals 19 or older who have lose their job, spouse’s of the terminated employee, and to children 18 months through 18 years of the terminated individual.

The offer includes most of the services for the treatment of illnesses and injuries currently provided at Take Care clinics without the copay. The offer does not include services such as physicals, vaccinations, and health evaluations.

Currently there are 341 Take Care Clinics at Walgreens Stores across 19 states including Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Nevada, and Texas.

According to a press release last week, Governor David Patterson (NY) submitted a bill to ensure that New Yorkers laid off by small business can qualify for federal benefits that pay up to 65% of COBRA health insurance premiums. COBRA, or the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 gives workers and their families who lose their health benefits the right to choose to continue coverage provided by their group health plan for a limited period of time.

“The need to pass this bill is urgent because we must ensure as many people as possible retain their health coverage. One of the greatest challenges facing the State as a result of the current economic crisis is how we help unemployed New Yorkers retain access to their health insurance. Given the record levels of unemployment announced just last week, we need to move quickly to amend State law to make this subsidy available to as many New Yorkers as possible,” states Governor Paterson.

Unfortunately, COBRA is very expensive. Workers may be charged up to 102% of the full insurance premium. The American Recovery and reinvestment Act (ARRA), signed into law in February, makes a subsidy of 65% available to help cover the cost of COBRA health insurance premiums. Income limitations apply and no subsidies are available to individuals making annual incomes greater than $125,000 and couples making more than $250,000 annually.

Senate and House bills were introduced yesterday that would ban insurance companies from keeping those with preexisting conditions from getting insurance. The bills will not allow insurance carriers to exclude patients based on preexisting conditions. It would also not allow disease-specific premiums or surcharges. The legislation is known as The Pre-existing Condition Patient Protection Act.

The bills are sponsored by Senator Jay Rockefeller of W. Virginia and Representative Joe Courtney of Connecticut. Congressional Democrats and President Barack Obama want to guarantee access to insurance for United States citizens including patients with preexisting conditions. Insurance companies exclude patients with chronic health conditions or other serious illness as well as even pregnancy in order to avoid paying for expensive medical care.

“This is a situation where the market is not going to solve the problem by itself,” Rockefeller said. “The insurance companies have always gotten away with what they can get away with.”

There are 25 million people who are underinsured and being denied health care by health insurance companies for having preexisting conditions. Over 133 million Americans have a bare minimum health plan along with a chronic condition.

The Pre-existing Condition Patient Protection Act can help insure those with preexisting conditions and chronic illnesses. This legislation is part of the plan to insure all Americans.

As of April 1, smokers will begin paying 62 cents more a pack for cigarettes when the new federal tax takes effect.  In some places, cigarettes may cost more than $7 a pack and cartons selling for more than $50. After April 1, a pack-a-day smoker may be paying more than $2,500 a year on cigarettes.

And cigarettes aren’t the only tobacco products to increase in price. The April 1 tax will also affect chewing tobacco, cigars, and rolling papers. The tax for cigars is not as significant as cigarette tax, but 40 cents adds up.

Some increases that have already occurred include:

-R.J. Reynolds Tobacco: raised prices of Kool, Camel, Winston and Salem cigarettes by 44 cents

-Philip Morris U.S.A.: prices of Marlboro, Virginia Slims, and Parliament cigarettes rose by 71 cents a pack

The new tax is a product of President Barack Obama’s bill that was signed into law called the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act. This act covers uninsured children whose families make too much to be covered under Medicaid but not enough to afford health insurance.

Increases per pack of cigarettes of some states:

-Arkansas: $.56 a pack

-California: $1.50 a pack

-Georgia: $1 a pack

-New Mexico: $1 a pack

-South Carolina: $.50 a pack