Partners for Prescription Assistance

It can take time for those who suffer Migraine disease and other head pain disorders to find the right treatment regimen. In addition to preventive medications, we need abortive medications and pain medications. This is all difficult enough for those who have prescription insurance coverage, but for those who don't have such coverage, it can make the situation downright impossible.

Statistics on uninsured Americans:

• More than one in five adults ages 18 to 64 was uninsured in 2003. 11.4 percent of children under 18 were without insurance.
• More than eight out of 10 uninsured people come from working families.
• 45 million Americans were uninsured in 2003.

A new program, Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA), is one of the most impressive  I've seen. PPA is a national coalition, the largest-ever private-sector program to help patients who lack prescription coverage get access to the medicines they need. The partnership includes pharmaceutical companies, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, other health care providers, patient advocates and community leaders.

PPA offers a single point of access to more than 275 patient assistance programs, including more than 150 programs offered by pharmaceutical companies. Information is also made available on government programs for which patients may qualify. The PPA Web site is very user-friendly with three paths that can be followed to obtain information; a different path for patients, caregivers, and prescribers.

Those who don't wish to use the Web site, may call toll-free, 1-888-4PPA-NOW to speak with a trained specialist who can provide application assistance in English, Spanish and more than 150 other languages.

To test the web site, I followed the patient path as if I were looking for assistance with my medications. There were five steps:

1. Choose "Patients Click here to Start." Patients can determine which programs they may be eligible for by answering questions and using the online application wizard.
2. Medication Selection: The first step in determining what patient assistance programs you may be eligible for is to select your medicines. You are able to select multiple medicines so be sure to add as many as necessary. Your selections are completely confidential.
3. Application Questions: Please answer these short questions so we can best determine the Patient Assistance Programs for which you are qualified.
4. Programs: The Programs that are not a match are also listed (and indicated as non-matching). Many of our companies have pledged that no patient in need should go without coverage and evaluated needs on a case-by-case basis
5. Program Selection: Here are the assistance programs that you have selected. Some of the applications require that you contact the company, others need to be filled out and signed by your doctor. You can print the applications and details sheets for those programs that don't have applications available now or you can use our online application wizard to fill out all of the 'online available' applications at once. You can then print them and deliver them to your doctor.

I stopped without printing the forms; all had gone very well to that point. All but one of my medications were listed, and there were assistance programs for them. Although I didn't complete the step to complete and print the forms, it's bound to be a great time-saving feature and should ensure that the forms are completed accurately.

Summary
If you're uninsured and can't afford your medications, there is help! Some readers have asked me about organizations and Web sites they've come across who providing similar services but charging a fee per prescription. My advice? Stay away from them. Search out the assistance programs yourself. Better yet, check out the Partnership for Prescription Assistance.

>>For a more in-depth version of this article, click HERE."

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References:

Partnership for Prescription Assistance Press Release: "Unprecedented National Program to Help Millions of Uninsured Americans Get the Prescription Medicines They Need." Washington. April 5, 2005.

Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured (2003). "The Uninsured: A Primer—Key Facts About Americans Without Health Insurance." December, p. 4.

Partnership for Prescription Assistance. "Lack of Healthcare and Prescription Drug Insurance in the U.S.: A Serious Public Health Problem" April, 2005.

Partnership for Prescription Assistance Fact Sheet: "How the Pharmaceutical Industry Helps America’s Uninsured." April, 2005.

Partnership for Prescription Assistance Fact Sheet: "How the Pharmaceutical Industry Helps America’s Uninsured." April, 2005.