Health and Care Resources for Prescription Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities: New Horizons Un-Limited

Financial Assistance: Prescription Drug Assistance

National
State Listings: CT /DE /ME /MD / MN (Official USPS State Abbreviations)

National

Medical Assistance Tool offers other financial assistance programs that might provide additional options for accessing cost savings on your prescription drugs.

Medicare.gov, the official U.S. Government site for people with Medicare has developed a brief online guide Costs in the Coverage Gap. This guide offers links to other assistance programs, both national and local.

Medicare Low-Income Subsidy Program (Extra Help) offers eligible Medicare beneficiaries "extra help" to purchase prescriptions at a reduced rate of as little as $1 for generic and at most $6 for brand name. The program changes the way income and assets are counted. To qualify, Medicare beneficiaries’ incomes must be less than $16,335 a year (or $22,065 for married couples) and have resources limited to $12,640 (or $25,260 for married couples). Resources include bank accounts, stocks, and bonds, but do not include a beneficiary ’s house, car, or life insurance policy. To learn if you qualify, call 1-800-772-1213 or TTY 1-800-325-0778, 7am-7pm Monday-Friday.

National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) has teamed up with Pfizer, Inc. to develop Sharing the Care, a National prescription drug assistance program for low-income individuals. Pfizer provides its entire line of single source drugs free of charge to Community Health Center patients at or below 100% of poverty who are pharmaceutically uninsured and served by centers which own and operate their own pharmacies. For more information, contact your local Community Health Center or contact NACHC by e-mail at contact@nachc.com or by phone at (202) 659-8008 Ext. 133.

National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) offers a Patient Assistance Program to assist uninsured or under-insured individuals in securing life-saving or life-sustaining medications. 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. Through the NORD Patient Assistance Program, eligible patients are provided with cost-free medications, or, in some cases, subsidy relief is given for high health insurance co-payments. For more information, visit the program webpage.

NeedyMeds.com offers information in regards to patient assistance programs available to those who cannot afford their prescription medication. The programs are offered by pharmaceutical manufacturers. They provide a database that can be searched by manufacturer, drug name, or drug category and lists specific programs and eligibility requirements of each program. The website also features a handy frequently asked section. Visit this website for more information.

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. Their website 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. To access the Partnership for Prescription Assistance by phone, you can call toll-free, (888) 4PPA-NOW (1-888-477-2669).

RxHope.com Patient Assistance Program "can help prescribers obtain medications for their patients when the patient is unable to afford them and does not have access to prescription insurance or government-funded programs." This service is FREE. Physicians can visit their website and enter their request on the "Patient Assistance Request Form." Once completed, the request is sent directly to the pharmaceutical company for processing. Ask your doctor if they are familiar with this service. Additionally, each state has a program designed to assist specific groups of individuals obtain prescription medication.

Together Rx Access is a free savings program, sponsored by eleven of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies, that helps qualified individuals and families save anywhere from 25%-40% on over 275 brand-name prescription drugs and other prescription products. To be eligible, you must not be eligible for Medicare and have no other prescription drug coverage (public or private). Your household income must be equal to or less than $30,000 for a single person, $40,000 for a family of two, $50,000 for a family of three, $60,000 for a family of four, $70,000 for a family of five. You must also be a legal US resident. For more information, visit the Together RX Access Card website or call (800) 444-4106.

State Listings

Connecticut

ConnPace is a prescription assistance program that assists eligible senior citizens and individuals with disabilities in paying for most prescription drugs, insulin, insulin syringes and needles. Participants are responsible for annual enrollment fees and prescription co-payments. To obtain an application and learn about eligibility requirements for this program, call (800) 423-5026.

Delaware

Delaware Prescription Assistance Program (DPAP) is a state-funded program that provides prescription assistance to elderly and/or disabled individuals currently without prescription coverage. This assistance is not available to Medicare recipients. To be eligible, individuals must reside in the State of Delaware, must be at least 65 years old or qualify for Social Security Disability benefits and must not have a gross individual monthly income exceeding $1,477 (200% of the Federal Poverty Level). Individuals with income over $1,477 can qualify if they have prescription costs exceeding 40% of their income. For more information, call the Deleware Division of Social Services at (800) 996-9969 ext. 17.

Maine

Maine Low Cost Drugs for the Elderly or Disabled Program helps eligible citizens get certain prescription drugs at a low cost. The State pays 80% of the cost of the drug and the individual pays $2.00 or 20%, whichever is greater. Under the Basic Program, prescription drugs used to treat the following chronic conditions are covered: Diabetes, Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, Chronic Lung Disease (including Emphysema and Asthma), Arthritis, Anticoagulation, Hyperlipidemia (High Cholesterol), Incontinence, Thyroid Disease, Osteoporosis (Bone Density Loss), Parkinson's Disease, Glaucoma, Multiple Sclerosis and ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). For more eligibility information, call (888) 600-2466.

Maryland

Maryland Pharmacy Program (MPP) has two programs designed to help eligible Maryland residents pay for medically necessary prescriptions. The Maryland Pharmacy Assistance Program is for people with incomes (such as earnings and social security), at or below $869 monthly for one person ($1,010 monthly for a couple) and with assets (such as bank accounts and homes, etc.) below $4,000 for one person ($6,000 for a couple). The Maryland Pharmacy Discount Program is for people who receive Medicare and have monthly incomes below $1,310 for one person ($1,768 for a couple). Money in bank accounts and the value of other assets are not counted for the Pharmacy Discount Program. For more information, call (800) 226-2142 or visit Maryland Medical Programs online.

Minnesota

Minnesota Prescription Drug Program, a program of the Minnesota Department of Human Services, offers financial assistance for prescription drugs for eligible, low-income seniors and people with disabilities. The program has expanded to include coverage for persons on Medicare due to a disability. The Prescription Drug Program pays for most prescription drugs after enrollees pay the first $35 per month (per person). For questions about eligibility, contact your local county human services agency. People with disabilities may call (800) 657-3659, or through the Minnesota Relay Service at (800) 627-3529 (TTY) or (877) 627-3848 (speech-to-speech relay service).