Thanks to a tough economy, high unemployment and the high costs of health care, many people in the U.S. find it difficult to pay for their medications and other costs related to chronic illness. Fortunately, depending on the illness, there may be organizations to help you.
The Chronic Disease Fund is just what it sounds like; an organization that helps pay for costs associated with chronic illnesses. The diseases they deal with vary, but when you check the website you can find out what they are currently working with. Just click on Patients, and then on the left side, click on Diseases and Medications We Support.
I’ve mentioned them in a previous article, but the Patient Advocate Foundation is a fantastic source of free assistance. For information and help with specific illnesses, click on the heading for Resources, and then Disease Specific Information & Support. This will bring up a list of further links.
If you are unable to pay for your medication, always let your health care provider know. Specialists in particular are usually aware of programs to help you pay for medications related to their specialty. Other places to check with are your pharmacy, and the maker of your specific drug. For instance, if you need Enbrel and can’t afford it, you can Google Enbrel, click on the site link for Amgen/Pfizer’s http://www.enbrel.com/, and there is a tab for Support and Financial Help. If you have insurance, your insurance company may be aware of assistance programs as well, especially if they have a mail order pharmacy.
If you are short on money and your health care provider writes a prescription, ask if they have any samples to give you. Many doctors get samples, even of newer over the counter drugs. I was given a few samples of the new petite sized Citracal at my last rheumatologist visit. This is nice, too, if you aren’t sure whether you will be able to tolerate a new drug. A few samples will let you sort of test-drive the medicine rather than filling the entire prescription.
Target and Walmart are two companies with in-house pharmacies that offer many generic drugs for $4 for a 30-day supply. You can go to either of their websites and look up which drugs they cover. Using your insurance company’s mail order pharmacy can often save you one month of copay for every three months of medications ordered. If you would pay $60 at the local store for three months of drugs, you may pay $40 through the mail order program. This doesn’t help your local store, but if you are in danger of not filling your prescription, it will help you.
(I am not affiliated with any of the organizations, stores, or medication brands mentioned in this article.)
Sources/Resources:
Chronic Disease Fund
http://www.cdfund.org/
Patient Advocate Foundation
http://www.patientadvocate.org/
Target $4 Generics
http://sites.target.com/site/en/health/page.jsp?contentId=PRD03-004319
Walmart $4 Prescription Program
http://www.walmart.com/cp/4-Prescriptions-Program/546834