Resources-Financial Assistance

Reduced drugs in Canada:
www.drugsfromcanada.com

UK info: Practical advice about financial issues that can affect people diagnosed with cancer, their families and friends. Including information on sick pay, benefits, help with NHS costs, grants and dealing with debt
http://www.cancerbackup.org.uk/Resourcessupport/Symptomssideeffects/Pain/Practicalandfinancialsupport

Info and resources for US Citizens:
Your County Department of Social Services should be able to direct you to those agencies which can provide general assistance. Check with your primary care physician about a referral to a social worker who specializes in financial matters. They are usually incredibly well connected with all of the assistance agencies and may be able to help you with paperwork, etc. Call your local chapter of the American Cancer Society and see if they can give you some referrals. If you can’t find the telephone number for your local chapter call 1-800-ACS-2345. Contact all your local and state officials regarding
welfare and general assistance programs.

From the NCI: Financial Assistance for Cancer Care
http://cis.nci.nih.gov/fact/8_3.htm

Social Security Disability Help (US)
By helping people through the process, and offering free case evaluations, we feel we do our part in getting people the benefits they deserve so that they can live somewhat comfortably and with less financial worry. We are currently trying to raise awareness that you or a loved one can be considered for Social Security Disability benefits if you have been diagnosed with a disabling condition.
http://www.socialsecurity-disability.org/content/how-apply

Natinal Cancer Coalition
NCC’s mission is to reduce the suffering of cancer patients and their families by meeting their unfulfilled needs. NCC provides medical and financial relief, research and educational programs throughout the world in an effort to improve the cancer patient’s quality of life.

The Partnership for Prescription Assistance
http://www.cancercareinc.org/patients/plinksfinancial.htm
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. Patients can determine which programs they may be eligible for by answering questions and using the online application wizard.

Free medications
http://www.themedicineprogram.com/
The Medicine Program RX
P.O. Box 515
Doniphan, MO 63935-0515
Telephone (573) 9967300

Many pharmaceutical companies have patient assistance programs and provide free meds to those who need them. Call and ask about their patient assistance program.

For a list of drugs, their manufacturer, and contact information,
check out: http://www.institutedc.org/pd370r4.htm

Drug assistance program:
http://www.phrma.org/patients/

This site lists a lot of the different meds and how to go about
getting them. http://NEEDYMEDS.COM/

Free Medications for Low Income Patients
http://www.cpmission.com/gallery.html

Links to Insurance Assistance, Claims, Disabilities, etc.:
http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/Oasis/6455/insurance-links.html

The following are state telephone numbers to call for information
about pharmaceutical-assistance programs in that state. Sorry not all
states are listed. This came from an AARP newsletter.

Connecticut:860-832-9265
Delaware: 800-996-9969, ext.17
Maine: 888-600-2466
Maryland: 410-767-5394
Massachusetts: 800-243-4636
Michigan: 517-373-8230
Minnesota: 800-333-2433
Neveda:866-687-6822
New Jersey: 800-792-9745
New York:800-332-3742
Pennsylvania:800-225-7223
Rhode Island:401-222-2858
Vermont:800-529-4060
Wyoming: 307-777-7531

Patient Advocate Foundation. www.patientadvocate.org 1-800-532-5274.
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.

From Cure Magazine: 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
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). 800-272-9376

Bristol-Myers Squibb Patient Assistance Foundation
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. 800-736-0003

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

Genentech’s Single Point of Contact
www.spoconline.com 888-249-4918
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
www.commitmenttoaccess.gsk.com
Provides outpatient medications to eligible low-income patients who do not have prescription drug benefits.
866-265-6491

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

Patient Advocate Foundation’s Co-Pay Relief
www.copays.org 866-512-3861
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
www.pfizerhelpfulanswers.com 877-744-5675
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
www.rxhope.com 877-979-4673
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
http://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.