You May Be Eligible for a Prescription Assistance Program
Find Part I of this series: Work with Your Doctor to Save Money on Prescription Drugs
Saving money on the purchase of your prescription drugs is possible, even if you don’t have prescription drug coverage with your insurance. Today we’ll review prescription assistance programs (PAPs).
You may have heard about PAPs, designed to help those who lack insurance or simply need help paying for the drugs they’ve been prescribed. Hundreds of these programs exist. Some are very helpful. Others are scams. Be sure you know the difference.
Partnership for Prescription Assistance
You may have seen TV personality Montel Williams promoting this program, found online at www.pparx.org or by phone at 1-888-4PPA-NOW . It is a cooperative for 475 programs that help patients get the medicine they need. Among the organizations that offer assistance are government programs and the pharmaceutical companies which manufacture the drugs.
You might be pleasantly surprised to find out you qualify for assistance, even if you don’t think you do. Fill out the simple form on the PPARx website which asks for the drugs you have been prescribed, plus some basic income and insurance information. If you are eligible, it will return a list of possibilities and the steps needed to pursue them.
Needy Meds
Needy Meds (www.NeedyMeds.com ) offers access to information and resources for obtaining drugs at a lower cost in general, including many PAPs. This not-for-profit organization has been assisting patients since 1997, including those with Medicare Part D. The NeedyMeds Web site provides links to assistance programs for specific diseases or conditions, organizations that can help you fill out the necessary paperwork, even programs that offer assistance for purchasing prescription eyeglasses.
There are dozens more programs listed on the Web that claim to help you get your drugs at reduced cost. The problem is that many just want to take your money. Some violate your privacy, or tap into your bank account. Others may help you obtain the financial assistance you need, but they make their money by keeping a percentage of your savings.
Still others are really very good. So, if prescription assistance will be helpful to you, be sure to review any program you find carefully. If you know it’s listed through PPARx or NeedyMeds, then you are probably safe. If not, look carefully to be sure they won’t be tapping into your privacy, security, or the assistance you deserve.
Next column we’ll cover prescription drug cards, a good way to get the drugs you need at a discount.
Find Part I of this series: Prescription Discount Drug Cards - a Mixed Bag of Results
Learn more at About.com: Prescription Assistance Programs
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© 2008 Trisha Torrey |
