Debit Cards Reward Medicaid Patients For Care

TOM MURPHY

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Some Indiana Medicaid patients can now earn money to spend on health care simply by visiting the doctor or seeking routine preventive care.

Managed Health Services on Monday announced a new debit card program that rewards patients for making regular trips to the doctor, taking their babies in for checkups and getting screened for several conditions.

Participants can earn between $10 and $20 on their cards for each visit or screening. They can then use the funds to buy health-related items like cough syrup or thermometers.

"What we're trying to do is promote the healthy behavior and make sure the people are getting the right things that they need," said Pat Rooney, president and CEO of Managed Health Services, a subsidiary of St. Louis-based health insurer Centene Corp.

Patients can earn $15 simply by visiting a primary care doctor within 90 days of joining the program. An annual checkup leads to another $20 deposit on the card.

Parents who take their newborn children for required checkups can receive $10 per visit. The program also serves children covered by the State Children's Health Insurance Program up to age 20.