You have just been diagnosed with a chronic, life threatening disease. Instantly, a realization ensues that your fight to continue your independence, health and well-being is in jeopardy. However, your doctor compassionately explains that there are medications available to help you manage this bump in the road we call “life”. Unfortunately, after enduring the doctor’s appointments, tests, relaying your diagnosis to your family members/friends and/or support group, you are faced with another hurdle… an exceedingly high medication co-pay. After speaking with hundreds of patients, family member and care givers during my time at Pharmacy Advantage, I’ve found that although each individual may have a different story, most share a common concern “I can’t afford my medication co-pay(s)”. This is where our Financial Assistance department team members are here to help.
Millions of dollars are in existence and accessible for patients with a Medicare or commercial (self-paid or employee sponsored) insurance plans. Every day these resources help fund countless patient medication co-pay(s). The available assistance is provided through various avenues such as: non-profit foundations, manufacturer sponsored patient assistance programs and diagnosis awareness organizations. I always describe finding prescription financial assistance as being similar to applying for college scholarships. There are numerous endowments obtainable based on specific criteria. However, many students/patients do not know how to take advantage of these opportunities or how to acquire the necessary support. Luckily, our pharmacy team acts to bridges the gap between our patients and funding options offered. For example, some non-profit organizations such as the Patient Access Network (PAN), CancerCare Foundation and the Chronic Disease Fund (CDF) were established primarily to help patients afford their expensive specialty medication(s) co-pays. Each foundation assists with pharmaceutical costs associated with treating distinct chronic medical conditions such as: cancer, multiple sclerosis, hepatitis C, autoimmune disorders and transplant to name a few.
Securing financial assistance is easier than you may think. Our dedicated staff is relentless in aiding patients’ access their medication therapies without experiencing financial barriers. Keeping in mind that most foundations do have eligibility requirements for approval, our team members will go above and beyond to explain in detail the application processes. They are truly committed to encouraging coverage of necessary pharmaceutical treatments.
If you have any questions regarding available funding programs, application processes or anything else related to our Financial Assistance department, please feel free to reach out to us at 800-456-2112 Ext. 5.