Are you having financial problems? Are you on a fixed income? Do you need medications but can’t afford them? Does your insurance not have a medication payment program? It is possible that you may qualify for free or nearly free prescription medication.  The Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA) is an association of over 1,300 national, state and local organizations and programs that have combined forces. Their mission is to help uninsured patients, people who do not have prescription coverage and people who have financial hardship, find programs that may help them obtain their prescription medications.  

 

The PPA provides access to nearly 500 public and private medication support programs for which many patients may qualify. Nearly 200 of these programs are provided by pharmaceutical companies themselves.   PPA programs provide access to more than 2,500 brand-name medications and also offer assistance for many generic medications as well. There are more than 40 programs that focus on providing medication and health care assistance for children. The PPA also provides information to patients with chronic disease about new medications in development that may be helpful to them. 

 

The PPA also provides information to patients about healthcare programs such as Medicaid and Medicare, and gives information to patients about free health care clinics that are available in their community. 

 

The Partnership for Prescription Assistance, which is sponsored by pharmaceutical research companies, was launched in April, 2005. A wide range of respected health care organizations participate in and cooperate with the PPA, including, in alphabetical order, the American Academy of Family Physicians, American Cancer Society, American College of Emergency Physicians, Easter Seals, National Association of Chain Drug Stores, United Way and the Urban League.

 

Why Haven’t You Heard About This?
Since its inception almost 5 million people have been placed in contact with programs that can help them with their medical and particularly their medication needs. The PPA strives to work with healthcare providers, such as doctors, pharmacists, patient advocacy organizations and others to provide educational information to the public about the PPA services. The PPA has an outreach program. Chapters of the PPA are present in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Washington D.C. The PPA has two buses that crisscross the United States promoting the medication support programs, and Montel Williams became spokesperson for the PPA in January of 2006. 

 

Most providers probably know about the PPA and about these patient medication assistance programs. Unfortunately, while you may very well qualify for support you have probably never been told that these programs exist. One can only speculate why people who may qualify for these programs are not made aware of their existence. Healthcare providers focus their attention on providing diagnostic and treatment services and do not routinely do an inquiry with patients to determine patients’ financial limitations or problems the patients have being able to afford their medications. Medical practitioners have access to the websites that can be used to determine if a particular patient qualifies. The problem, it would seem, is that doctors do not routinely take the time to investigate which of their patients may qualify for these medication support programs. 

 

Perhaps the most prohibitive deterrent to physician’s direct and aggressive promotion of these medication programs is the fact that healthcare providers have onerous workloads, significant pressures to maintain their patient-load, and massive amounts of paperwork. Going online, researching patient qualifications, reviewing the medication support  programs that are available, and then completing the additional paperwork involved to qualify patients for the medication programs is just too much for most physicians. The bottom line is that if you want to find out if you qualify for one of the PPA medication support programs your best bet is to go online to the website and determine for yourself if you qualify. 

 

Find Out More
Information about the Partnership for Prescription Assistance and the medication support programs they offer can be found at a www.pparx.org. Read about the programs for yourself.  Read some of the testimonials by some of the many people who have been helped by the PPA medication support programs. Make sure you click on the tab that says “Prescription Assistance Programs”. You’ll find this tab in the middle at the top of the home page. This site allows you to download and print applications for medication support programs for which you may be eligible. 

 

If you are a parent and struggle with paying for your child’s medication, there is also a Web site that is designed to aid parents identify assistance programs for their children: www.kids.pparx.org.

 

Finally, if you have difficulty with the forms, or need further assistance there is a toll free phone number (1-888-4PPA-NOW). A trained specialist will help you identify medication support  programs and help you with the application procedures. The call-center can handle calls in English, Spanish and, get this, in about 150 other languages.

 

If you, or someone you know, is struggling with financial problems, lacks insurance, or doesn’t have medication coverage, then you should absolutely take some time to investigate these programs. Do NOT let the fact that your doctor may have to sign a form and complete some paper-work deter you. These programs exist to help patients who cannot afford their medications.  If this is you, there is no excuse to ignore this opportunity. You may qualify for free medication. Check out the website www.pparx.org. Make the call (1-888-4PPA-NOW).

 

 

 

 

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