Meet the 'Breathmobile'

Breathmobile program caters to patients with allergies, asthma living in underserved areas.
The Los Angeles Times (3/22, Kritz) reported, "The California chapter of the Allergy and Asthma Foundation launched" a "project at USC in 1995 in an attempt to better control asthma in underserved areas," and now the Breathmobile program "has expanded within California as well as into Alabama, Arizona, and Maryland." The rolling clinics offer free "diagnosis and treatment of" allergies and asthma; "bills for treatment are sent to insurers if patients have insurance, but no bill is sent to the family if the insurer does not cover the charges." And, "for families with prescription drug insurance, physicians try hard to prescribe drugs covered by the insurer; families may have to pay a co-pay of $10 to $20 or more."