New Medicaid rewards offered

Medicaid patients in Indiana can now collect money when they visit their doctor for preventative care.

Managed Health Services, an Indianapolis-based health insurance company, has unveiled a new debit card program that compensates patients for routinely visiting the doctor and bringing in their children for regular check-ups.

Each time a participant visits the doctor for a checkup or a screening, they can earn between $10 and $20 on their card, which in turn can be used to purchase health- and child-related goods, like over-the-counter medicine, thermometers and diapers.

The program is only available to Medicaid patients under the Managed Health Services plan, which covers about 200,000 of the total 600,000 Medicaid patients in Indiana.

The program is designed to encourage simple preventative care procedures, which, if ignored, can turn into expensive or urgent care down the road.

“Members will now make the appointments that they need, and we want to reward our members for making healthy decisions,” said Patrick Rooney, president and CEO of Managed Health Services.