Applying for free or discounted medications does not have to be a confusing process. If you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to ask your doctor or the medication discount programs.
Each pharmaceutical company sets its own requirements for their medication (drug) assistance program. In general however, you are likely to qualify if you meet the following requirements.
- You are not covered by an insurance plan that pays for your prescriptions
- You do not qualify for any government (state or federal) program that will pay for your prescriptions
- Paying for your prescriptions will cause you financial hardship
- You complete the application process and provide the company with all the information they require
How To Apply
Get copies of the application forms. You can print them off from the internet or call the program and have them mail you the application form.
Follow instructions carefully. Read the form and answer all the questions on it. If you do not then your application will be refused.
Ask your doctor for help. Take each one of your applications to your doctor. He/She needs to fill out the medical portion of your application. It is also beneficial to have a letter from your doctor on his/her own stationary that explains why you need the help.
Mail forms to the assistance programs. Either have your doctor’s office mail the forms or do it yourself. If you choose to mail them yourself, make sure you include the prescriptions. If you are approved, your medications should be mail to you, via your doctor’s office, within a few weeks. You will need to go to your doctor’s office to pick up your medicine.
Partnership for Prescription Assistance
Web site: www.pparx.org
Toll-free number: 1-888-4PPA-NOW (1-888-477-2669)
The Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA) program is a group of drug companies, health care providers, patient advocacy organizations, and community groups. They help people who don’t have prescription coverage find assistance programs that are right for them. There are more than 475 public and private patient assistance programs, including more than 180 programs offered by drug companies. They also have information on some free drug discount cards funded by private companies, which can help reduce your costs for certain brand or generic drugs.
To find programs that may be right for you, call the toll-free number or fill out the confidential online form. You will be asked about:
- the drugs you take
- your age
- where you live
- your annual income
- number of people living in your household
- insurance and prescription drug coverage, if you have it
If you fill out the online form, your answers are quickly compared to the requirements for the different programs, and you will be able to see a list of programs that might be able to help you. From there, you can download each program’s application form and find out how to apply.
Both phone and online services are available in Spanish or English.
Your doctor or nurse can also use the Web site to find programs for you. They may be able to complete the required application forms for you and send them by e-mail or fax.
Together Rx Access Card
Web site: www.together-rxaccess.com
Toll-free number: 1-800-444-4106
The Together Rx Access Card was created to help people who do not have prescription drug coverage. You can use the card to save on certain brand-name prescription drugs, some generic drugs, and other prescription products. The Together Rx Access Card is not part of Medicare or Medicare Part D. It is not medical insurance, but a special discount card that costs you nothing.
To get a card, all of the following must be true for you:
- you are not eligible for Medicare
- you have no prescription drug coverage (public or private)
- your household income is equal to or less than $45,000 for a single person, $60,000 for a family of 2, $75,000 for a family of 3, $90,000 for a family of 4, and $105,000 for a family of 5 (income limits may be higher in Alaska and Hawaii)
- you are a legal United States resident
The Web site and telephone assistance are in English and Spanish.
Every time you visit your doctor, be sure to ask for any samples he/she might have, and also check and see if they have any coupons for the medications you are on.
Most of the information that I put in this post and also in Part I are things I have personally utilized to help with obtaining discounted or free medications. I cannot guarantee they will work for everyone, but in my opinion it is worth trying. These tips and ideas are only useful in the US.
I will be happy to answer any question you might have about the information I have put into either Part I and Part II,
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Good morning Melissa! I popped in to see what was up and say "hello"! It sounds like you have a good understanding of the process of getting help with medications – very clear and easy to read!
My recent post I Believed
Good morning Melissa! I popped in to see what was up and say "hello"! It sounds like you have a good understanding of the process of getting help with medications – very clear and easy to read!
My recent post I Believed
Good morning to you! Thanks for commenting on this post. I really wanted to present this material for other people because I know how difficult getting our psych meds can be.
Good morning to you! Thanks for commenting on this post. I really wanted to present this material for other people because I know how difficult getting our psych meds can be.
SO, SO glad you write this. I used to me a neuro social worker. One word of caution:
Please use Melissa's links and avoid Googling medication programmes. Many of the links are to profit making organisations run by people who have figured out how to make scam money off desperate patients.
If someone is charging you to process Patient Assistance paperwork, stop the transaction immediately. While it is true some non-profits which are legit charge a small fee ($5 or so) to help with paperwork, there are those who try to take a hundred or more. These are SCAMS and should be reported to the drug manufacturers.
Also, many of these programmes require a rejection letter from your state Medicaid programme. These can be surprisingly hard to get. You must apply for, and be ineligible for, Medicaid to get such a letter. Lazy or overworked staff will sometimes try to get away with taking your data and giving you an informal verbal denial on the spot. Do not accept this; only a written denial is accepted by most PAPs (Patient Assistance Programmes).
Again, if you use Melissa's links, you should be able to find the links you need to the programmes. Follow the directions carefully; each company's programme is different.
SO, SO glad you write this. I used to me a neuro social worker. One word of caution:
Please use Melissa's links and avoid Googling medication programmes. Many of the links are to profit making organisations run by people who have figured out how to make scam money off desperate patients.
If someone is charging you to process Patient Assistance paperwork, stop the transaction immediately. While it is true some non-profits which are legit charge a small fee ($5 or so) to help with paperwork, there are those who try to take a hundred or more. These are SCAMS and should be reported to the drug manufacturers.
Also, many of these programmes require a rejection letter from your state Medicaid programme. These can be surprisingly hard to get. You must apply for, and be ineligible for, Medicaid to get such a letter. Lazy or overworked staff will sometimes try to get away with taking your data and giving you an informal verbal denial on the spot. Do not accept this; only a written denial is accepted by most PAPs (Patient Assistance Programmes).
Again, if you use Melissa's links, you should be able to find the links you need to the programmes. Follow the directions carefully; each company's programme is different.
Thanks for stopping by and offering some tips of your own. I wrote the two posts because I kept seeing people who could not get their psych medications because of the expense. I thought that if I shared the things I have been doing to either get discounted or free medications it might help other people.
Thanks for stopping by and offering some tips of your own. I wrote the two posts because I kept seeing people who could not get their psych medications because of the expense. I thought that if I shared the things I have been doing to either get discounted or free medications it might help other people.