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Hatfield goes from coaching to health care Thursday, May 22, 2008 By Doug Thompson Arkansas News Bureau FAYETTEVILLE - Ken Hatfield, the former football coach at the University of Arkansas, is tackling a different program these days. Hatfield is now spokesman for Arkansas Drug Card. Any state resident can go to the program's Web site, register, print out a card and take it to a participating pharmacy and buy prescription drugs at a discount, he said. The plan works by steering customers to participating pharmacies, he said. "If you go to arkansasdrugcard.com, it will have a pharmacy locator on the web page," Hatfield said. "You type in where you are and it will locate a pharmacy that participates in the program and is within 5 miles, 10 miles or whatever distance you choose." Participating pharmacists get more customers while customers get a discount, Hatfield said. Customers who don't have Internet access can get a card by going to any Fred's Pharmacy location, Hatfield said. That access is being expanded to any USA Drug, May's or Super D location, said a spokesman for United Networks of America of Baton Rouge, La. United Networks administers Arkansas Drug Card. "I did what you're doing when I first heard about it - tried to poke holes in it," Hatfield said. He met with United Network representatives and found that the same type of discount was offered in other states, he said. "This is a way for me to give back to the people of Arkansas, who've been great to me," Hatfield said. The plan was unveiled April 1, and had at least 4,294 enrollees in the first two weeks, Hatfield said. United Networks has more than 30 million members enrolled in various, similar plans in the United States. The company started as the Louisiana Dental Plan and grew from there. The Arkansas card "will be most helpful to people who are uninsured or underinsured," Hatfield said. "The last census I saw said there are 461,481 uninsured people in Arkansas" who are not covered by state or federal health programs. "Anybody can join, though," and receive the same discounts," he said. After registration, enrollees can check the prices available for prescription drugs on the Arkansas Health Card Web site, Hatfield said. Registration does not require that you provide the company with an e-mail address, Hatfield said. "Just type 'none' in the line for your e-mail address if you don't want to give it," he said. "Why am I excited about this?" Hatfield said. "I've seen the look on the face when somebody told me that this plan saves her $100 a month for asthma medication for her daughter." Hatfield, 64, was a defensive back and punt returner for the 1964 national championship Razorback football team. Hatfield also was selected as an Academic All-American in 1964. He began his college head coaching career at the United States Air Force Academy from 1979 to 1983 before coaching the Razorbacks from 1984 to 1989. ------- On the Net: arkansasdrugcard.com |
