One of the most frustrating dilemmas facing patients with mental disorders is the fact that many medications are quite costly, especially brand-name pharmaceuticals. At the same time a large percentage of these same patients are too poor to afford psychotropic drugs in the dosages recommended by their doctors. What can they do?
1. Ask for free samplesMost physicians and psychiatrists have a supply of medications given to them by pharmaceutical salesmen, and may be able to give you enough to determine whether they are effective or not.
2. Contact the pharmaceutical companyMany pharmaceutical firms have programs to help people on limited incomes to obtain their medications, either for free or at a discount. For example:
HelpingPatients.org: PhMRA (Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America), with 48 member companies. "In 2003, PhRMA members provided free prescription medicines to more than 6.2 million patients in the United States."
Needy Meds: A source of information on patient assistance programs.
Other programs are available from Medicare and The Medicine Program.
Unfortunately, Colorado does not have any, but other states do.
4. MedicaidIn some states, if you qualify for SSI (Supplemental Security Income), you may automatically be entitled to Medicaid. Check out the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Web site, or contact your local Medicaid agency or county mental health agency for more information.
5. Generic drugsSome people will say that the brand-name drugs are better, but if you find the generic equivalent to be acceptable, and the medication is available as a generic, it's easy enough to ask your doctor to write the prescription in such a way that a pharmacist can dispense either one or the other.
6. Pill splittingThere are many examples where a double dose of a medication costs about the same or only slightly more than a single dose. Sometimes pill splitting is not recommended because of concerns over liability issues, or because precise dosage is critical. In any event, this is something to be discussed with your doctor.
The Bipolar Disorders Center has a list of toll-free numbers you can call if you are a low-income patient needing medications. It also has helpful information on medical savings accounts, doctors' samples, clinical trials, and miscellaneous discounts.
El Paso County Residents Get Prescription Drug Assistance
Three programs in El Paso County are putting prescriptions drugs within the reach of low income patients.
The prescription assistance solution service, or P.A.S.S. card, will use existing drug company discounts to get chronic disease medications to income qualifying patients. Call Diana at 329-7103
The second program, Physicians Rx Care Card, is a free pharmacy discount card available to any resident of El Paso or Teller County. Call 591-2424 for more information.
The third program, P.N.S. stands for Practice Net Solutions, and accesses mental health providers for those with no insurance. Check with your doctor or therapist to see if you qualify. Diana at 329-7103 can answer questions.
Free Meds and Solutions
Our Focus at Free Meds and Solutions is to provide you and your loved ones with programs that will assist you in your continuous effort to save or eliminate prescription medicine costs as well as a number of associated assistance programs.Our site is designed to assist you in accessing the 100’s of Patient Assistant Programs. We provide the most up-to-date information, qualifying criteria, applications and detailed instructions for these programs.
www.freemedsandsolutions.com
The Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA)
The Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA) 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 find out if they may qualify for one or more programs, patients can call toll-free 1-888-4PPA-NOW (1-888-477-2669) to speak with a trained specialist who can provide application assistance in English, Spanish and approximately 150 other languages.
To boost enrollment of eligible patients in patient assistance programs nationwide, the Partnership for Prescription Assistance is rolling out an extensive grassroots awareness program. Over the next year, the PPA will work with community leaders to establish chapters in all 50 states. In addition, efforts will be supported by a substantial national broadcast and print advertising campaign.
More than 50 national organizations including the American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Physician Assistants, American College of Emergency Physicians, NAACP, National Alliance for Hispanic Health, National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, National Association of Chain Drug Stores, National Medical Association, National Urban League, United Way of America, as well as a fast-growing list of state and local organizations, are working with America's pharmaceutical companies to spread the word about the program.
www.pparx.org
Rx Outreach
Rx Outreach is an easy and affordable way for people of all ages to get medicines they need. Through this program, people who qualify financially can get more than 55 generic medications that treat a wide range of conditions including diabetes, asthma, heart disease, and depression. People may take advantage of the program even if they receive medicines through another discount program. The program is available to individuals and families with incomes of up to 250 percent of the federal poverty level. For a family of four, this figure is about $48,000 per year.
www.rxoutreach.com