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Prescription Drugs: Free and Low Cost Options. Discount Pharmacies.

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Prescription Drugs: Some Free and Low Cost Options

The Partnership for Prescription Assistance ...."brings together America’s pharmaceutical companies, doctors, other health care providers, patient advocacy organizations and community groups to help qualifying patients who lack prescription coverage get the medicines they need through the public or private program that’s right for them. Many will get them free or nearly free. Its mission is to increase awareness of patient assistance programs and boost enrollment of those who are eligible....  offers a single point of access to more than 275 public and private patient assistance programs, including more than 150 programs offered by pharmaceutical companies."

Access the Partnership for Prescription Assistance  at their website or by phoning toll-free 1-888-477-2669.

Here are links to some representative Patient Assistance programs:

AstraZeneca Patient Assistance Program  "...  to provide AstraZeneca medications free of charge to low-income patients who do not have prescription coverage, do not qualify for government-funded programs, and do not have the means to pay for the medications themselves. Patients enroll annually and, if approved for the program, receive free medication delivered right to their door."

"Uninsured patients of all ages, who are US citizens with a valid Social Security number, with an annual income below $18,000 per individual or $24,000 for couples, and who meet the requirements of the AstraZeneca Foundation may be eligible for this program...."

GlaxoSmithKine Orange Card Free Orange Card gives qualified seniors 20% to 40% off the usual price of GSK prescription medicines. To qualify, seniors must 1) be without public or private Rx insurance 2)have a single income of under $30,000 3) have a couple income of under $40,000. Click on link to access website or phone 1-888-ORANGE6.

LilyAnswers Prescription Assistance Program   "... for Medicare-enrolled seniors and Medicare-enrolled people with disabilities, who have:

  • No other prescription drug coverage and
  • Individual annual income below $18,000 or household income below $24,000"

National Organization for Rare Disorder  NORD  "...Since 1987, NORD has administered medication assistance programs to assist uninsured or under-insured individuals in securing life-saving or life-sustaining medications. In addition to the estimated 50 million Americans who have no health insurance, an increasing number of insured individuals have policies that do not reimburse for prescription drugs. Others have policies with low annual caps on prescription drug expenditures."

"NORD works closely with humanitarian-minded pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to ensure that certain vital medications are available to those individuals whose income is too high to qualify for Medicaid but too low to pay for their prescribed medications."

Pfizer Prescription Drug Discount Cards  "... Pfizer is committed to helping eligible low-income Medicare beneficiaries get access to their Pfizer medicines as well as helping patients better manage their health care. Under a new law, Medicare will include a prescription drug benefit starting in 2006. That's 2 years away, but people need help paying for drugs now. Through innovative programs, Pfizer is working to bridge the gap until there is a Medicare prescription drug benefit."

Pfizer Patient Assistance Programs  and Pfizer International Programs

The Merck Prescription Discount Program provides all uninsured Americans, regardless of age or income, with easy and immediate access to discounts of 15 to 40 percent off many Merck medicines. Under the Merck Prescription Discount Program, patients can present an innovative Instant Savings Certificate to their pharmacist along with a valid prescription and immediately save at least 10 percent on many Merck prescriptions. The certificates will be available in pharmacies, doctors' offices, clinics, churches and community centers free of charge. Patients also can print out Instant Savings Certificates at www.merckuninsured.com.

The Medicine Program helps people cut through the red tape involved in getting free prescription drugs. Costs a mere$5 for the processing fee. 

CLICK HERE for media reviews.

WHAT'S THE BEST KEPT SECRET of the drug business?

You may be able to get your medicine free of charge.

Amid the growing furor about rising prescription costs, many patients and doctors aren't aware that the drug companies themselves give away millions of dollars worth of drugs each year. Most people do not know these programs exist. An organization known as The Medicine Program is here to help and cuts the red tape for thousands of eligible Americans. 

There is a nominal $5 fee to cover the cost of processing your application.

To be approved for enrollment, some of the primary requirements are:

The applicant has no insurance coverage for outpatient prescription drugs.

The applicant does not qualify for a government program which provides for prescription medication, e.g. Medicaid.

The applicant's income is at a level which causes a hardship when the patient is required to purchase the medication at retail. (Note: this can be as high as $60,000 a year in some cases as in cancer and AIDS where very expensive drugs are involved.)

Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, or PhRMA, an industry trade group, said the nation's drug companies gave away 2.8 million prescriptions (this doesn't include drug samples) valued at about $500 million in 1998. By comparison, U.S. prescription drug sales reached $125 billion last year, according to IMS Health.
SOCIAL WORKERS AND patient-advocacy groups say the corporate drug programs are underutilized, in part because they aren't widely publicized and often require both patients and doctors to file extensive paperwork. They see the companies motives as political as well as philanthropic. "In my opinion, they want to keep it a secret," says Cindy Hogg, administrator for The Medicine Program, a private advocacy group in Doniphan, Mo., which helps patients navigate the free drug application process. "They do it so they can tell Congress, 'We give away medicine for free,' but then they don't tell anybody about it and make it hard for people to apply."
     Bristol-Myers Squibb spokesman Patrick Donohue said the company's sales representatives promote the free drug program to doctors. Like other drug makers, Bristol-Myers won't disclose its income criteria but said its program is "very generous" compared with federal programs.

Some of the drugs the company regularly gives away are the diabetes drug Glucophage, the cholesterol drug Pravachol, and drugs treating AIDS and cancer. Once approved, patients receive free drugs for six months, and there's no limit to how often they can reapply. The typical patient is in the program for about seven months, says Mr. Donohue.
Glaxo-Wellcome says its most requested drugs include the antidepressant Wellbutrin, asthma drugs like Flovent and the heartburn drug Zantac. It accepts applications from "health-care advocates" such as physicians, nurses, social workers, clergy and billing clerks. The advocate fills out a form with the patient's income and insurance information. The advocate can then get approval by phone. If approved, the application number is activated and the patient can go to a pharmacy and get a 30-day prescription filled for $5 to $10 co-payment. Once the form is mailed in, the patient receives another 60-day supply. If more is needed, the patient must provide further documentation.

Where to look for assistance in finding free and low cost prescription drugs.

Below is a "free" do-it-yourself resource for locating free and low cost drugs.

Most major drug companies provide free medications, but rarely, if ever publicize the programs.

  • Nearly 46 million Americans are lacking health care insurance. 
  • Many uninsured sick people can not afford potentially life saving drugs. 
  • Many pharmaceutical companies offer patient assistance programs to help those who are experiencing a temporary financial hardship and do not have access to prescription reimbursement programs. 
  • These free drug programs are being used by only a small number of people that could truly benefit from them.
  • These programs usually require that you are not eligible for any other form of assistance. 
  • Normally, application for this type of assistance must be made through you physician. 

Generally drug companies require a doctor's consent to provide the medication and proof of the patient's financial hardship.

Because each pharmaceutical company has their own set of requirements and these requirements can frequently change, it's not possible to summarize them here.

How to Find the Prescription Drug You Need

Look up the drug name in the alphabetical listing below or in the Directory of Prescription Drug Patient Assistance Programs compiled by the member companies of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Researchers of America.

Please be aware that pharmaceutical manufacturers' names and programs can change and new prescription drugs are frequently added. 

If a particular prescription drug you are using is not listed in the Directory of Prescription Drug Patient Assistance Programs, just ask your pharmacist or physician for the name of the manufacturer of that drug and their phone number. It's certainly worth a small effort on your part to find out if there is a patient assistance program and if you qualify for it.

How to Proceed

1. Phone the pharmaceutical manufacturer and ask them if they have a patient assistance program. NOTE: If they don't respond to the name "patient assistance program", you might give them the following alternative names by which these programs are sometimes referred:

  • reimbursement program
  • indigent patient program
  • compassionate care program
  • medical needs program

2. Ask the representative what the requirements are to participate in their program. Some companies require that you have a limited income or no insurance coverage, while others require only that you get a doctor's referral. 

3. If you qualify for a particular program, speak with your doctor's office and let them know. In most cases you will need your physician to request your participation in a program by a phone call or letter from your doctor.

4.  Should your doctor refuse to call or does not believe the program will work, contact the drug company or companies yourself and find out about the application process. While you will still need a doctor to fill out the application, you can at least get the forms, and then encourage your doctor to complete them. 

You can also take a look at the RxHope website.  This site is directed toward physicians and health care providers and it might be a good "third party" way to introduce this idea to your physician and could help overcome any objections your physician or health care provider initially may have. There is a convenient online application form which your physician or health care provider can fill out... and which will make their participation in these programs a lot easier.

If your doctor still refuses, as a last resort it's possible that you can find another doctor who will be willing to accommodate you and your needs.

5.  Ask the pharmaceutical company how you will receive the prescription drugs, and how you can get refills. It is the policy of most companies to send the medications directly to your physician. However, there have been reports of occasional delays in receiving the drugs.  It's best to find out ahead of time what the drug company's shipping policy and schedule is and what you or your doctor should do if there's a problem or delay.

RxHope.com: The Heart of The Pharmaceutical Industry

"Please note that the use of RxHope.com is limited to Prescriber offices and certain Patient Advocate Organizations." 

RxHope.com The Heart of the Pharmaceutical Industry provides Patient Prescribers and Health Care Providers with patient assistance request form  

"The Pharmaceutical Industry is committed to ensuring that everyone who needs prescription medications is able to receive them.

"RxHope.com can help prescribers obtain these medications for their patients when the patient is unable to afford them and does not have access to prescription insurance or government-funded programs.

"Best of all, this service is FAST, SIMPLE, and FREE. The procedure for applying for these medications is as simple as entering your request on the “Patient Assistance Request Form”. Once completed, your request is sent directly to the pharmaceutical company for processing. That’s it. No more forms to complete, no red tape; no dead-end phone calls.
 

Ask Your Doctor for Free Samples

Many manufacturers send doctors free samples to give to their patients. Ask your physician if he or she has any samples of the drugs that you have been prescribed. 

Medicaid can be a Source of Free and Low Cost Prescription Drugs. 

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

 Here are Medicaid offices:
Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California
Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida
Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana
Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine
Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi
Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire
New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota
Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island
South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah
Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin
Wyoming

Below are other advocacy groups. Many of these are also free or have minimal $4 or $5 processing fees. TheLivingWeb.net does not endorse any of these sources, so "buyer beware."

Advocacy Groups and Free Information

"Free and Low Cost Prescription Drugs" expanded to 48 pages, now includes over one hundred programs and nearly 1,200 drug listings. Cost to download is $4. The booklet gives hard to find information on how and where to get free & low cost prescription drugs.

 

 

 

NeedyMeds.com 

NeedyMeds was founded by Libby Overly, M.Ed, MSW and Richard J Sagall, MD. in 1997. . From the start, it was decided that the information would always be available at no cost on the web. It continues to grow with new information, links, and more are added to the website.

In response to requests for printed versions of the data, they began selling the NeedyMeds Manual. It contains the information on the website for those who find it easier to use a printed version rather than accessing the website. Their goal is to become the best source of information on patient assistance programs and other programs that help people obtain health supplies and equipment.

Program List

Brand Name Drug List

Generic Drug List

Poverty Guidelines

Access to Benefits Coalition

Rx Assist

Rx Outreach is a new Patient Assistance Program that provides qualified low-income individuals and families with access to generic versions of brand name medications.

Free Medicine  A patient advocate helping patients nationwide of all ages get free or low cost prescription drugs. Over 17 million prescriptions provided in 2004. Find out if you qualify for our program.

Free Medicine Foundation Helping patients nationwide of all ages get free or low cost prescriptions.

Free Medicine Program

Free Prescriptions

Dr. HealthyNet

Medicine for Free

Drug Assistance Programs from Pharmaceutical Companies 

Discount Online Pharmacies and Discount Cards

AffordableRx

Doctor Solve

Drug Place

Endless Meds

  Quality Prescription Drugs

Medical Discounts Internationa

USA Medication

People's Choice Prescription Plan

Have Diabetic Supplies Delivered to Your Home for FREE or at a Greatly Reduced Cost If You Qualify

Liberty Medical

National Diabetic Pharmacies

Nipro

Free Contact Lens Trials

AllAboutVision.com lists a variety of free trial and discount offers

Also see:

AARP Advocacy Program
 

WARNING:
CLICK HERE and read this before you
purchase prescription drugs online

Free Prescription News

Directory of Low Cost Prescription Drug Sources

CLICK HERE

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