Hundreds of people who live in Mackinac, Luce, or Chippewa counties and who do not have health insurance may benefit from a program to bring medical care and free or low-cost prescription medicine to qualifying adults. Called the Upper Peninsula Health Access Coalition, the program in Mackinac County is operating out of temporary office space in St. Ignace, and is seeking to find affordable long-term office space and to add volunteers to the effort so it can reach more local people who need help paying for health care.

People can get discounted doctor appointments, hospital services, and medicine for $5, or even free of charge, if they qualify. The program is for low income adults ages 19 to 64 who do not already have access to low cost health care. Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians members are not eligible, because they already have that service through the tribe.

About 150 Mackinac County residents are already using the program, but poverty statistics show 373 more are the right age, uninsured, and would qualify, said Andrea Osborn, program manager in the coalition's Sault Ste. Marie office. The program seeks to improve access to health care for these people.

"Without insurance, sometimes people end up waiting until the problem is larger than it could have been," Ms. Osborn said. "Our goal is preventive care. Sometimes people can pay for a doctor visit, but then can't afford a prescription, so where do we go from there? It's a wasted doctor appointment."

Mackinac Straits Hospital in St. Ignace, War Memorial Hospital in Sault Ste. Marie, and Helen Newberry Joy Hospital in Newberry will provide half-price hospital services, such as laboratory tests, to those enrolled in this program, and will accept patients from any of the three counties. A program patient who lives in Mackinac County, for example, can go to War Memorial Hospital for treatment and still be covered.

Through partnerships with drug companies, the coalition can also provide patients with prescription medicines that are free, or cost only $4 or $5.

"The two big things that we bring to the table for patients is that we coordinate care, and we can arrange for medicine to be paid," Ms. Osborn said. "We provided for $540,000 worth of donated medication to 861 patients in these three counties last year."

In Mackinac County, 219 residents took part in the program at least once over the last year, which is about 42% of the people who could be using it, but the numbers vary because people come in and out of the program as their income guidelines change. With so much seasonal work in the area, more people qualify in the winter, when they're laid off, than in summer.

People who want to participate may start by contacting coordinator Rashel Morningstar, who asks a few questions to see if they qualify, then sets up an enrollment meeting. The patient is asked to bring a Social Security card, tax return, proof of residency in the county, and a list of all prescription medicines being taking. The enrollment meeting takes about an hour. Meetings take place at the program's temporary office space at the Catholic Center on Spring Street, or at a borrowed meeting room at Mackinac Straits Hospital.

The patient will be matched with a participating physician's office. Local physicians volunteer to see these patients during regular office hours. The program helps arrange doctor appointments, laboratory tests, X-rays, and other medical services. If medications are needed, Ms. Morningstar will help patients fill out the forms to request free prescriptions from pharmaceutical companies, or to join a co-pay program in which the patient pays $5 for a prescription, if that medicine is not available as a donation. In those cases, the coalition pays the rest of the drug's cost. Patients are also encouraged to use Wal-Mart's $4 prescription program whenever possible, Ms. Osborn said.

The costs of the program are federally funded through indigent care agreements with local hospitals, as well as a series of small grants and the United Way. All workers except Ms. Osborn are part time, and volunteer efforts and donations from health care providers are critical to the program's success, Ms. Osborn said.

The coalition began enrolling Mackinac County residents in 2005, a year after it began serving people in Chippewa County, and the same year it opened in Luce County.

Ms. Osborn wants to find volunteers who can help patients through the initial enrollment meeting, freeing up time for Ms. Morningstar to assist more people with getting prescriptions. Longterm office space must also be found in St. Ignace or elsewhere in the county, she said.

"Our top needs right now are donated or lost cost office space, and volunteer help," Ms. Osborn said. Those who would like to learn more about volunteering, or who want to apply for the program, may call Rashel Morningstar at 643-7253.

Income Guidelines To Participate in Upper Peninsula Health Access Coalition

To qualify, applicants must be at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level, as shown below:

1 Person....$20,800 per year, or $1,733.33 per month

2 People....$28,000 per year or $2,333.33 per month

3 People....$35,200 per year or $2,933.33 per month

4 People....$42,400 per year or $3,533.33 per month

5 People....$49,600 per year or $4,133.33 per month

6 People....$56,800 per year or $4,733.33 per month