No matter one’s stance on the current controversy over health care, few will deny that prescription medications often deal a massive blow to the pocketbooks of patients. For individuals and families already struggling with finances, a devastating diagnosis such as cancer can threaten to clean out a bank account and result in massive debt. Fortunately, many nonprofits, government programs, and even pharmaceutical companies themselves offer options for those needing discounts on essential medications. These organizations help quell the pain by alleviating the fiscal burden of paying for prescriptions – sometimes eliminating costs altogether. Without them, many who suffer from debilitating or terminal illnesses may not be able to receive the treatment they need to overcome the pain. The following programs offer varying degrees of assistance for those who meet their requirements.
General Prescription Assistance Programs and Resources
1.RxAssist: Rx Assist offers users an extensive database allowing for searches by drug name, company name, and prescription outreach. Healthcare professionals and patients alike can log in and access hundreds of resources on Medicare Part D, patient assistance programs, co-pay assistance, and other methods of acquiring free or heavily discounted prescriptions. They also help visitors learn more about the various drug discount cards available as well.
Source: Wikipedia
2.Needy Meds :This nonprofit dedicates itself to helping those who cannot afford healthcare receive the medications they need for free or a generous discount. They offer an online newsletter and brochures on new developments and options as well as extensive lists of patient assistance, government, and children’s programs, disease-based assistance, free or discounted clinics, and prescription discount cards. Healthcare professionals may find the PAPRxTracker software, which provides a way of organizing the data on patients requiring aid.
3.Partnership for Prescription Assistance: Partnership for Prescription Assistance is a free service compiling information on over 475 private and public patient assistance programs, with 200 of those affiliated with pharmaceutical companies. These allow access to over 2,500 brand-name drugs as well as their generic counterparts, and over 40 of the featured programs focus almost exclusively on the needs of children. Since April of 2005, this website has provided service to over 5 million patients in need of free or discounted medications.
4.Together Rx Access: The Together Rx Access card saves users between 25% to 40% on over 300 prescription drugs, including both name-brands and their generic equivalents. Within two hours of signing up for the card, users can take it to participating pharmacies in the United States and Puerto Rico. Eligibility hinges on three factors – not qualifying for Medicare, lack of prescription coverage, and socioeconomic bracket. Pharmaceutical companies themselves actually sponsor the card as a service to those who may not be able to afford their products.
5.Rx Hope :Rx Hope divides itself into two sections – one catering to the needs of patients and caregivers while the other zeroes in on healthcare providers. As a part of D2 Health, they receive and process over 5,000 requests every month and stand as the largest independent online resource on patient assistance programs. They work as a mediator between patients, patient advocates, and drug companies as a means of helping in the acquisition of free or discounted medications.
6.Rx Outreach: To qualify for Rx Outreach, patients must fall beneath a certain income bracket. More than 150 different medications are available in 180-day supplies for only $20, and they offer over 380 in total when factoring in other plans. Strength and dosages do not affect prices, either. The site also provides patient advocates with information on organizing payment plans and options and how to get the most out of their paperwork for the benefit of their clients.
7.access2wellness.com: Run by Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems, access2wellness offers resources for patients, caregivers, health care professionals, hospital administrators, and patient advocacy organizations. Hoping to provide the widest spectrum of options possible, the access2wellness allows access to over 1,000 medications for free or a generous discount. Eligibility requirements differ from program to program, though all of them require falling beneath a specified income cap in order to qualify.
8.Free Medicine Revolution: Over 270 patient assistance programs unite to provide free medication for qualified individuals. It may take up to three weeks to begin receiving the benefits, and the website provides forums for users to discuss their experiences and meet others suffering from the same conditions as a means of forming an online support group. They pride themselves on offering a community pulling from social networking phenomena as well as more options and services for advocates as well.
9.HealthWell Foundation : A nonprofit dedicated to helping patients acquire free or discounted medications, the HealthWell Foundation even provides coverage for qualified individuals with Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance. They keep a running, frequently updated list on diseases they can cover as well as a staggering array of both name-brand and generic prescriptions. In addition, they also schedule regular audio conferences where patients can ask questions and understand all of their options, with around 14,500 callers every month. Forbes has named HealthWell one of the 25 more efficient charities in America.
10.Patient Advocate Co-Pay Relief Patient Center : In order to qualify for this program, patients must fall under specific medical and financial criteria and suffer from one of the 27 listed conditions, the majority of them chronic, life-threatening, terminal, or otherwise debilitating. They provide call counselors to assist in the process, and even insured or Medicare D patients may benefit from some of the Patient Advocate Co-Pay Relief Patient Center’s services. Co-payments are made directly to doctors, pharmacies, and the patients themselves upon approval.
11.Patient Access Network Foundation: The Patient Access Network Foundation requires an online pre-screening before applicants mail or fax their documents. Only residents of the United States may apply, and approval hinges on medical, financial, and insurance status, though individuals without proper income documentation may attain temporary approval for up to 30 days. They have provided assistance for over 60,000 patients with 21 different disease-specific programs since 2004.
Source: Wikipedia
12.Patient Services Incorporated: This organization provides discounted and free prescriptions for a list of certain illnesses, mostly chronic, terminal, or debilitating. Assistance comes in the form of a premium program and an incidental medical expenses program, and their information packet for patients helps them keep track of doctor visits and prescriptions. They also offer a very impressive number of external resources to clarify any questions or concerns about the medical industry, different conditions and diseases, and patient assistance and advocacy protocol.
13.Managed Rx Plans : Managed Rx Plans does not accept Medicare or Medicaid, and interested patients must call their 1-800 number in order to see if they qualify for services. All medication is FDA approved, including those administered by injection, and they ship it directly to homes rather than granting discounts through brick and mortar pharmacies. Patients need to receive a prescription and fill out an online form in order to receive benefits.
14.Benefits Check Up: The National Council on Aging offers Benefits Check Up as a service for those in need of payment assistance for prescriptions, health care, and even rent and utilities in some cases. It incorporates over 1,800 different public and private programs across the United States, and the website allows users to fill out questionnaires in order to find one that best suits their needs. Most of the available options pertain more to the needs of seniors than anyone else.
Patient and Disease Specific Prescription Assistance Programs and Resources
15.AstraZeneca: Patient and Prescription Assistance Programs: Individuals making under $30,000 and families with a household income over under $60,000 qualify for pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca’s patient and prescription assistance program. Their savings programs, however, are tailored for healthcare facilities, those without insurance, and those with Medicare Part D. These only cover drugs produced by the company, though they do provide links to other programs offering other medications.
16.Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Patient Assistance Program: Now a part of drug conglomerate Pfizer, Wyeth still offers a patient assistance program for individuals and families who meet the following guidelines: they cannot pay for prescriptions, they carry neither private nor a government health insurance plan, they earn less than 200% of Health and Human Services poverty guidelines, do not possess the resources necessary to pay for medication, and are residents of the United States or Puerto Rico. Coverage only extends to drugs manufactured by Wyeth.
17.Merck Helps: In addition to programs for patient and prescription assistance, Merck also offers help to qualified individuals needing vaccines as well. Their services offer free or discounted medications depending on the qualifications of applicants, which requires American citizenship or legal residence and prescriptions written by a doctor practicing in the United States, a lack of insurance or related assistance, a certain socioeconomic status, and – in the case of the vaccine program – a minimum age.
Source: Wikipedia
18.Medicare: The American government provides Medicare for individuals who qualify after filling out a questionnaire, though Social Security ultimately approves their application. Medicare covers 40 million Americans and is restricted to persons age 65 or older, those under 65 with certain disabilities, and those with end-stage renal disease requiring dialysis or a kidney transplant. Age restrictions to not apply to those suffering from this condition.
19.Chronic Disease Fund: This independent nonprofit devotes itself to more than a dozen chronic, terminal, and debilitating conditions such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, macular degeneration, and asthma. They receive no government assistance, and proceeds benefit over 10,000 patients every year. Patients only qualify if they suffer from one of the chronic illnesses listed on the site and meet certain financial restrictions.
20.American Cancer Society: Prescription Drug Assistance Programs: Drugs to treat cancer stand as some of the most expensive, and the American Cancer Society helps patients learn about ways to pay for these necessities. They very thoughtfully break down users’ needs into different categories as a means of finding ones which suit them best. These resources assist in as many aspects of paying for cancer medications as possible, including rent and utility reimbursement in some instances.
21.Eldercare.gov: Eldercare offers a database for seniors and their caregivers to browse patient and prescription assistance programs specifically catering to their needs. In addition, they also offer a locator service and general resources on aging and caring for the elderly. It is partnered with the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging and National Association of State Units on Aging.
All of these organizations work tirelessly to compile and make available the resources necessary for prescription and patient assistance. Without their help, thousands of individuals suffering cancer, renal failure, multiple sclerosis, and other devastating conditions would never be able to afford the medications necessary for a happier, healthier life. They play an active and integral role in insuring that individuals and families who wrestle with both finances and serious medical conditions do not have to fret over how to pay for essential prescriptions.
With the onslaught of cold and flu season, the looming of the H1N1 virus, and shortage of vaccines, it makes more and more sense to do what you can at home for your immune system. An easy way to do this is to avoid the surprising and not so surprising foods that lower your immune system. They are listed below, along with a few myths regarding it.
