Medicaid beneficiaries get free cell-phone minutes to call docs

In an attempt to encourage patients to stay in touch with their physicians, OmniCare Health Plan and Assurance Wireless--as part of a federal Lifeline Assistance program to 47,000 enrollees in Michigan--are providing free cell-phone minutes that those beneficiaries can use to call healthcare providers. Low-income beneficiaries normally receive 250 free minutes of wireless voice service each month, but now will receive unlimited minutes to call (or text) their primary care physician's office, according to a company statement. Article