Medications can be really expensive, and if you have a chronic illness, your monthly medication costs can leave you choosing between medicine or food. There are organizations in the U.S. that will help you pay for medications. Some offer copay assistance programs for the underinsured, others help only those without insurance, and a few help with treatment of specific illnesses or medications.
While this isn’t an exhaustive list of resources, it is a start. These are websites that offer lists of general medication assistance programs:
Partnership for Prescription Assistance
NeedyMeds
Together Rx Access
Rx Assist
These organizations help obtain medication assistance for those with specific illnesses. Each group works with multiple diagnoses. If you go to the sites, you can see what the current qualifying illnesses are:
CancerCare
Chronic Disease Fund
The Leukemia and Lymphoma Foundation
National Organization For Rare Diseases
Patient Advocate Foundation’s Co-Pay Relief
Patient Services Inc.
The Max Foundation
Patient Access Network Foundation
Healthwell Foundation
The Access to Benefits Coalition is a national foundation that helps people on Medicare find resources for prescription assistance.
A good place to start looking for assistance with paying for an expensive medication is the maker of that drug. Many pharmaceutical companies have assistance programs for their newer or more expensive medications. These programs are often available to those with or without insurance coverage. Sometimes there isn’t even a specific income requirement.
Always ask your health care provider for samples, or let her know if you cannot afford a medication. Sometimes you can take a cheaper, older (as in one that has been on the market awhile, not an expired one) that is similar to an expensive one. There are also assistance programs that are geared towards health care professionals rather than patients, meaning your provider may have access to information about assistance programs for patients that are not publicized to the general public.
Another place to check for assistance programs is your pharmacy. Sometimes the pharmacy has rebate information or other details on medication assistance. The most important thing is to always let your provider know if you cannot afford your medication. To receive proper care for any illness, your health care provider must know whether your treatment is working, and there is no way to know that if you are not taking your medication and your provider thinks you are. Most providers will work with you to try and get you what you need.
I am not associated in any way with any of the programs mentioned above.