Apologies for not having visited DailyKos in a while, and for being so woefully behind in most anything that comes beneath a mere news headline and subhead. I've been pretty sick the past few months, and I've been investing my energies close to home.
Even though I had a voice precisely 16 days since October before relapsing back to voicelessness, I am still regularly making my calls and writing my letters to Congressmembers urging them to reform our health-care system. And I hope you are calling and writing as well. Are you?
Just in case our dear Congressmembers don't decide this is important (yes, yes, that sarcasm was intended), I've put together a list of resources for people who need some financial assistance with their medical costs right now.
I have been fortunate to get some assistance through HealthWell Foundation, which provided me with a not-insignificant annual stipend to cover the copays for some of my medications.
Depending upon whether you meet the criteria for a specific list of illnesses for which they have resources, HealthWell may also cover other out-of-pocket health care costs, including health insurance premiums and other selected costs. They're also wonderful to work with! Their exceedingly patient representatives understand that sometimes sick people aren't at their sharpest, and they have even called me back a couple times to fully verify information in case I forgot something the first time around.
HealthWell's list of covered diseases and disorders changes as funding resources come and go, so it's well worth checking their Web site every few weeks to see whether something new is on the list for coverage.
There are many other programs available in the U.S. as well. In addition to the assistance programs almost every pharmaceutical company offers for its particular brands of medications, there are a number of "clearinghouse" organizations that can assist you or at least point you to another resource.
If you're ill and need help, or if someone close to you needs some assistance, it may well be worth spending a little time each week making contact with these resources.
Here's a partial list of some avenues for assistance. It's only a partial list, but it's a good start.
- Chronic Diseases Fund
CDR is a non-profit charitable organization that helps underinsured patients with chronic disease, cancers or life-altering conditions obtain the expensive medications they need. They assist patients throughout the U.S. who meet income qualification guidelines and have private insurance or a Medicare Part D plan but cannot afford the co-payments for their specialty therapeutics.
- Co-Pay Relief Program
This program provides direct financial support to insured patients, including Medicare Part D beneficiaries, who must qualify financially and medically to access pharmaceutical copay assistance.
- Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
(LLS is a cause near and dear to my heart. I've been a volunteer with them for more than a decade now and received services from them some years ago.) Among other services, LLS offers a Patient Financial Aid Program and Co-Pay Assistance Program for people with leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, and other blood cancers.
- National Organization for Rare Diseases
NORD is a federation of voluntary health organizations dedicated to helping people with rare "orphan" diseases. NORD works with certain 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.
- Partnership for Prescription Assistance
PPA is a coalition of pharmaceutical companies, patient advocacy organizations, doctors and other health-care providers, and community groups that helps qualifying patients who lack prescription coverage get the medicines they need through the public or private program that’s right for them. PPA offers a single point of access to more than 475 public and private patient assistance programs, including more than 180 programs offered by pharmaceutical companies.
- Patient Access Network Foundation
The PAN Foundation is non-profit organization, unaffiliated with any of its donors, that's dedicated to assisting insured patients who cannot afford the out-of-pocket costs associated with their treatment needs.
- Patient Services, Inc.
This non-profit organization helps people with certain chronic illnesses or conditions locate suitable health-insurance coverage and access help with expensive co-payments. PSI provides assistance with the cost of health-insurance premiums associated with COBRAs, state high-risk pools, open enrollment, and prescriptions co-payments associated with private insurance as well as with Medicare Parts B and D.
Sometimes it is daunting to face the applications and contacts. It can be a very draining process. But don't give up. Don't you EVER give up. Chip away a bit at a time, and enlist the aid of friends and family -- many of whom would be over the moon that you FINALLY let them give you an hour or two of their time -- for some of the calls and Web searches and form downloads.
Another day when I have a bit more energy, I will write about the Ezra LeMarpeh Center in Israel. They have extended a hand across the waters (waters) to link me with a neurosurgeon who specializes in the rare type of tumor that I have. I met with him recently and it was awesome. The Ezra LeMarpeh folks have opened doors for me that I didn't even know existed, and I'm confident things are going to be alright.
Which does not mean we can stop putting the pressure on Congress to reform the U.S. health-care system. No excuses for slacking on those efforts!