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,

Let’s face it, if we choose to go the medication route, in the treatment of our mental health issue, it can get very expensive. Many mental health patients do not have insurance, and even if they do, many insurance companies do not pay for the medications we need. Before my medication mix was figured out, I bounced around from one type of medication to another, I remember that one would have cost me over a thousand dollars a month if it had worked out.

Part of me wants to be mad at the pharmaceutical companies. How can they expect people to realistically afford their medications? What about people, me for example, who need to take several prescription medications daily? I realize the companies who make these medications have to make a profit, and there is time and research money involved in creating them, but still….I know people who go without their medications, including the medications they need for their mental health problem. I have gone without medications, when I could not afford them.

Then there is the other part of me that wants to praise the pharmaceutical companies. Several of them have given me free medications for over a year now. I have gotten free allergy meds, free insulin (two different types), free restless leg syndrome meds, free blood pressure meds, and two different medications for my depression.

Most people do not know about these programs that help you with your medication needs. I know that I did not. They are not advertised any where. I found out about them when I started going to a free clinic for my medical needs. I was fortunate and they handled all of the paperwork that needed to be sent to the pharmaceutical companies. However, it is possible to fill out that information yourself, or even have your doctor’s office do it for you.

When filling out these applications, be prepared to give them financial information, sometimes they base their approval on your income tax return.  Or they need you to have a relative or friend sign a form stating that you currently have no income.When applying, your doctor will need to write a prescription for a year’s worth of the medication.  Once everything has been approved the pharmaceutical company will automatically send the medication, usually enough for three months.  Most of the time they also send out refills automatically.  Be prepared to have to pick up your medications from your doctor’s office.  Most companies will prefer to send your meds to your doctor’s office, rather than straight to you.

Many pharmacies are now offering generic medications for $4 for a 30 day supply or $10 for a 90 day supply.  In my area, Kroger and Walmart are the ones that have the most extensive list of these discounted medications.  You and your doctor may have to get creative when writing your prescriptions for medications that might be on those lists.  For example, recently my primary doctor put me on a new high blood pressure medication.  The dosage I needed did not come in a generic form, so he wrote me two prescriptions with different dosages, when they are combined I get the amount he wants me to take.

There are discounts cards for prescriptions.  There are a couple ways you can obtain these prescription discount cards.  There are discount cards available from programs that are not affiliated with any pharmacy, and several that are affiliated with the pharmacies.  I have a drug discount card through Walgreens.  I pay $20 a year for it, and it has saved me a considerable amount of money.

Most extended released (XR) medications do not come in a generic form.  If you have no problem taking medications, you can ask your doctor to write your prescription for the regular form of your medicine, which often comes in a generic form.  However, you need to be aware that you will have to take the medicine two or three times a day, instead of just once, like you would with an XR form.

In another post, I will have a list of places you can go to find online applications for free and/or discounted medications, a well as links for some prescription discount card programs.