Financial Aid

Rosie, that sounds like a tremendous resource.

Wendy, Zach and all, I just found a brochure that was included in the packet my urologist gave me for my upcoming Gyrus Resection of my bladder tumor at Sentara Hospital. The brochure is entitled Patient Advocate Foundation. Direct Services Provided to Patients at No Cost Include:
Negotiation pre-authorization approvals; Providing assistance at expedting the appeal process: Ndegotiation resolutions to coding and billing errors, Resolving debt crisis realted to diagnosis, Mediating insurance apppeals, Negotiating access to pharmaceutical agents, chemotherapy, medical devices and surgical procedures, Co-ordinating benefits, Brokering resources to supplement to limits of Insurance and to assist access to care for the UNINSURED, Resolving insurance issues in the public and private sector. It also has a co-pay relief program. The website is www.patientadvocate.org or telephone 1-800-532-5274. The organization can be of help to all of us in some way, I am sure. Rosie

Please do!

Zachary, thank you so much for posting this great info. I have a page on the main site but your source cites a bunch more. I hope you don't mind if I add this?
blcwebcafe.org/financialresources.asp

Thanks again for the tips.
Wendy

I got this from Cure magazine. I hope it helps those of you who could use a hand financially:



Help for Patients

The costs of cancer treatment can quickly become overwhelming, even if you have medical insurance. Patient assistance programs are offered by various companies, nonprofits and government agencies to help patients with little or no insurance get access to drugs and money for other expenses.

If you’re interested in enrolling in a patient assistance program, you must first gather information, usually from your doctor or the maker of the specific drug you’re taking for which you need assistance. A doctor must be involved in the process because the physician writes the prescription for the medication.

Many patient assistance applications will require proof of income, including tax returns, social security income, interest and retirement to prove financial burden and to meet income requirements. Faxing the information often speeds up the process. In addition to many state governments, numerous organizations provide information on patient assistance programs, including the ones listed below.

Amgen Reimbursement Connection
800-272-9376
www.amgen.com/patients/assistance.html
For patients who are uninsured or underinsured and who have limited financial resources; based on insured status and income level. Drugs in this program include Aranesp® (darbepoetin alfa) and Neulasta® (pegfilgrastim).

Bristol-Myers Squibb Patient Assistance Foundation
800-736-0003
www.bmspaf.org
Established to provide temporary assistance to patients with financial hardship who generally have no private prescription drug insurance and are not enrolled in a prescription drug coverage plan through Medicaid or any other federal, state or local health program.

CancerCare
800-813-4673
www.cancercare.org/get_help/assistance
CancerCare’s financial assistance program provides limited grants for certain expenses related to treatment.

Genentech’s Single Point of Contact
888-249-4918
www.spoconline.com
[Avastin Expenditure Cap: 800-232-2717]
A reimbursement resource for Genentech products that provides information to patients and their health care providers.

GlaxoSmithKline’s Commitment to Access
866-265-6491
www.commitmenttoaccess.gsk.com
Provides outpatient medications to eligible low-income patients who do not have prescription drug benefits.

Lilly Cares
800-545-6962
www.lillycares.com
Provides temporary assistance to patients obtaining Lilly or Dista medication.

Merck's ACT Program

866-363-6379

www.emend.com/aprepitant/emend/consumer/reimbursement/what_is_act.jsp

ACT is a two-part program specifically designed to assist insured patients with insurance reimbursement issues, and to provide product support for those qualified individuals lacking coverage for Emend® (aprepitant).

Partnership for Prescription Assistance
888-477-2669
www.pparx.org
Offers a single point of access to more than 275 public and private patient assistance programs.

Patient Advocate Foundation's Co-Pay Relief
866-512-3861
www.copays.org
Provides direct financial assistance to qualified patients to enable them to afford co-payments required by their insurance. Offers personal service to all patients through call counselors.

Pfizer’s FirstRESOURCE
877-744-5675
www.pfizerhelpfulanswers.com
FirstRESOURCE provides products to eligible, low-income, uninsured and underinsured patients.

RxAssist and Rx Outreach Patient Assistance Programs
www.rxassist.org
Offers assistance to patients without prescription drug coverage who meet income requirements.

Rx Hope
877-979-4673
www.rxhope.com
Offers information on assistance programs from various pharmaceutical companies; offers an Assistance Finder, which matches patient information against available federal, state and charitable prescription drug programs.

Sanofi-Aventis’s PACT Plus
800-996-6626
oncology.sanofi-aventis.us/reimbursement.do
Offers reimbursement services and patient assistance programs for most products including Taxotere® (doxetaxel) and Eloxatin® (oxaliplatin injection).

Schering-Plough’s Commitment to Care Program
800-521-7157
www.schering-plough.com/schering_plough/corp/commitment_care.jsp
Provides free cancer medications through patient assistance programs to people with low incomes who do not have prescription drug coverage.

Together Rx Access
800-444-4106
www.togetherrxaccess.com
Assistance for patients who are ineligible for Medicare, have no prescription drug coverage and meet household income and age requirements.