Free Medicine for the Uninsured

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Free Medicine for the

Uninsured

The lack of insurance for healthcare and prescription drugs is a serious public health problem in the United States. According to

the US Census Bureau, 45 million Americans were uninsured in 2003, up from 43.6 million in 2002.[1] However, a new program can help uninsured patients obtain financial assistance to pay for their prescription drugs.

In the past, applying for assistance was a lengthy and trying process. Now, the Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA)[2] provides a single point of access to more than 475 public and

private patient assistance programs, including more than 150 programs

offered by pharmaceutical companies. Patients can talk to a trained specialist or use the Web site to determine whether they are

eligible for free prescription medications. (See "Resources" below.)

The specialists at PPA provide application assistance for the various programs in English, Spanish, and more than 150 other languages.

Pharmacists can inform uninsured patients and their doctors about

the PPA program. Many patients (especially the elderly) may be unaware that pharmaceutical companies and patient assistance programs offer free medications. To complete the PPA form, patients must provide their age, state of residence, estimated gross annual household income, name of the prescription medicine(s) needed, and any type

of existing health coverage. After answering some preliminary

questions, the patient will receive a list of programs for which they may be eligible. Patients can print out applications for these programs

from the PPA Web site.

Patients should be advised that all of these forms require both the patient's and doctor's signatures before they are mailed or faxed.

Partnership for Prescription Assistance: Phone toll-free 1-888-4PPA- NOW (1-888-477-2669) or visit

https://www.pparx.org/Intro.php.