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Patient Assistance Programs

Having trouble affording treatments? Need to travel long distances to receive treatments?

There are a growing number of patient assistance programs to help. Some offer financial assistance, while others provide free or discounted flights to patients unable to afford travel expenses associated with their treatment needs.

Help is available – sometimes it just takes a little looking around. Below is an incomplete list of patient assistance programs. Each of these links will open in a new window.

General Support:
The Patient Advocate Foundation is a national non-profit organization that seeks to safeguard patients through effective mediation assuring access to care, maintenance of employment and preservation of their financial stability.

Financial Assistance:
Ovation is offering a patient access program to assist patients and physicians who seek reimbursement for Mustargen. The Ovation Reimbursement Support Program provides assistance for patients with insurance coverage issues and a Patient Assistance Program for patients with financial need. Patients and physicians can contact The Ovation Reimbursement Support Program by calling 1-866-209-7604.

The HealthWell Foundation is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that helps patients meet their cost-sharing obligations for prescription medications they are taking for specific illnesses. The Foundation provides financial assistance to help eligible patients to cover certain out-of-pocket health care costs, including prescription drug coinsurance, co-payments, and deductibles; health insurance premiums; and other selected out-of-pocket health care costs. The Foundation considers individual financial, medical, and insurance situations when determining assistance eligibility. The HealthWell Foundation opened a Cutaneous T Cell Lymphoma fund on March 9, 2006. This fund is designed to assist patients suffering from CTCL with their out of pocket costs. Applications are available on the HealthWell Foundation website (www.healthwellfoundation.org) or by calling the Foundation directly at 1-800-675-8416.

The Patient Access Network Foundation was formed to improve access to needed health services for insured patients who cannot afford the out-of-pocket costs associated with their treatment.  In October, 2004 they announced the launch of a new fund to meet the needs of patients diagnosed with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL).  For further information, check out their web site or call:  1-866-316-7263.

The Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF) offers a grant of up to $500 for lymphoma patients. The funding may be used for expenses not covered by insurance, and must be used within a year of the award date.

For more information, contact:
Lisa Warren, Patient Aid Grant Coordinator
Lymphoma Research Foundation
Phone: 800-235-6848
Web: www.lymphoma.org
Email: LWarren@lymphoma.org

Another source of financial support of up to $500 per year comes from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. This money may cover approved drugs and transportation for leukemia, Hodgkin, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma patients. An additional $1,500 per patient is available through their co-pay program, administered through their home office.

For more information, contact:
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
1311 Mamaroneck Ave.
White Plains, NY 10605
Phone: 914-949-5213
Fax: 914- 949-6691
Web: www.lls.org

Cancer Care, a national non-profit organization, provides "free professional help to people with all cancers through counseling, education, information and referral and direct financial assistance." They have a variety of programs in place to assist those in need.

For more information, contact:
Cancer Care
275 Seventh Avenue
New York, NY 10001
Phone: 212-712-8080
Toll-free: 800-813-HOPE (4673)
Fax: 212-712-8495
Web: www.cancercare.org

Travel and Lodging:
Angel Flight arranges free air transportation in response to health care and other compelling human needs.

For more information, contact:
Angel Flight
3161 Donald Douglas Loop South
Santa Monica, CA 90405
info@angelflight.org
Main : (310) 390-2958
Toll-Free: (888) 4-AN-ANGEL
24-Hour Emergency Response (310) 317-1000
FAX (310) 397-9636
Web: www.angelflight.org

The Air Care Alliance (ACA) is "a nationwide league of humanitarian flying organizations whose volunteer pilots are dedicated to community service." When there is a financial need, private pilots volunteer their time to transport patients to necessary treatments.

For more information, contact:
Air Care Alliance
Phone: 918-745-0384
Toll-free: 888 260-9707
Fax: 918-745-0879
Web: www.aircareall.org

Through the generosity of many large corporations, the Corporate Angel Network (CAN) fills empty seats on corporate jets with cancer patients in need of travel assistance. According to the CAN web site, "Eligibility to participate in [the CAN] program is open to all cancer patients, bone marrow donors, and bone marrow recipients who are ambulatory and not in need of medical support while traveling. Eligibility is not based on financial need, and patients may travel as often as necessary."

For more information, contact:
Corporate Angel Network
Westchester County Airport
One Loop Road
White Plains, NY 10604-1215
Phone: 914-328-1313
Fax: 914-328-3938
Toll-Free Patient Line: 866-328-1313
Web: www.corpangelnetwork.org

Joe's House is a housing resource for cancer patients and their families who must travel away from home for medical treatment. As such they have designed a site that lists cancer treament centers and lodging facilities.

The National Patient Travel HELPLINE is a great source of information for patient travel programs. Their HELPLINE directs patients to resources available to them, and is a free service.

For more information, contact:
National Patient Travel Helpline
c/o Mercy Medical Airlift
4620 Haygood Road, Ste. 1
Virginia Beach, VA 23455
Phone: 757-318-9174
Fax: 757-318-9107
HELPLINE: 800-296-1217
Web: www.patienttravel.org

Medication:
A new program, Rx Outreach, has a number of very common generic drugs available at a low cost. Go to www.RxOutreach.com for a list of the drugs, application forms and other information about the program.

Some free or reduced-cost drugs are available through the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). Representing research-based pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, PhRMA provides a Patient Assistance Directory on their web site, www.phrma.org. It is a directory searchable by drug name or company.

Another source of free drugs is the Free Medicine Program. Their web site is available at www.freemedicineprogram.com.

NeedyMeds.com is another great resource for finding assistance. They have information about the many drug assistance programs offered by states, localities, and pharmaceutical manufacturers themselves.

AARP Bulletin online has a state-by-state, plan-by-plan guide to pharmacy assistance programs.

Seniors Inc. (303-300-6945) and the Medicine Program are both free services that help people enroll in medication assistance programs.

Partnership for Prescription Assistance is a web site run by pharmaceutical companies, doctors, and patient advocacy groups that offers access to public and private patient assistance programs, including more than 150 programs offered by pharmaceutical companies.

Many individual drug companies make a practice of having a patient assistance program. However, it is difficult to find information about many of them. If you are taking a specific medication, call the manufacturer and see if they have assistance available for you.