Prescription Drug Savings

I don't even know where to start on the high out of pocket cost for some prescription medications. Sometimes the copays alone are the difference between being able to eat that week or take your medications.

I have worked in the medical field for a little over 12 years now and the statement above is one I have heard far to many times. While I cannot advise you on what insurance has better coverage I can talk to you about my experience with co-payment assistance programs and patient assistance foundations

Most of these programs can work with or without insurance and even bring your out of pocket cost down to little or no money out of pocket.

Co-payment assistance programs are often offered directly through the drug manufacturers and cover patients who have commercial insurance or no insurance.

To find and apply for this program please search the internet using your drug name plus the words copayment assistance program. (Ex. "Your drug co-payment assistance program") While not all medications have available programs most do.

Once you find a copay program for your prescription. The first step is to apply for assistance.

Once approved you will be issued a copay assistance benefits card that will need to be provided to the pharmacy as soon as possible. These programs often come with annual benefit limits and renewal periods, look for this so you can continue to have coverage through the life of your prescription.

Say you apply and get denied, what's next? If you get denied call the program and ask what the reasoning was, it may be an error. If there is no error and you do not qualify please look into the foundation programs below.

Hopefully this is not confusing and please if you have any questions leave a comment or send me a message through the contact button on our home page.

The next kind of assistance is called patient assistance foundations. Notice the word change from program to foundation. This is a key word as foundations are often helpful to those patients with government imsuramves such as Medicare, Medicaid, Tricare or a Medicare Advantage plan.

Foundations are a little trickier because they often open up at the beginning of the year and only allow so many applicants at a time. If you look and they are closed to new applicants mark you calendar for the date they plan to reopen and apply.

Here are a few sites I am familiar with.

Patient Advocate Foundation | Co-Pay Relief https://copays.org/

HealthWell Foundation: When health insurance is not enough https://www.healthwellfoundation.org/

PAN Foundation - Home https://www.panfoundation.org

Co-Pay Relief Program - Patient Advocate Foundation https://www.patientadvocate.org/connect-with-services/copay-relief/

I do know some drug companies have their own foundations so just like above look up your "drug name patient foundation"

If the foundation is open for your drug and you get denied call and ask why. Hopefully it is an error.

While we are looking at both of these programs to help cut pharmacy cost they can sometimes be utilized to help cover drug cost for those injectable/infusable medications that you receive at your doctor's office. Once you are approved notify your doctor's office so they can look into it the program. If they do not accept the benefits card you can still submit your insurance explanation of benefits (EOB) or receipts for reimbursement yourself.

If everything is denied and there seems like no help you can ask your pharmacy if there is a generic version of your medication. Often times there is and they are offered at a much lower cost to you.

I do know this is a lot of information and I am not writer so it is probably all over but please message me if you have any questions or leave a comment below and I am sure someone will have an answer.

Let's start saving!

Elizabeth Blue

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