You may qualify to receive free prescription medication.
Several pharmaceutical companies offer free prescription drugs to low-income people. The programs are last-resort options to consider before you stop taking medication. The qualifications are different for each patient assistance program, but in general all offer free or reduced-price prescription drugs to low-income people who meet specified requirements, according to the Rx Assistance website. Not all low-income people qualify for free medication, but the programs may be able to offer you medication at a reduced and affordable price.
Instructions
1. Apply for Medicare if you are 65 or older, or Medicaid if you are a pregnant woman or applying for children living in a low-income household. If you are not accepted, save your rejection letter. If you are approved for Medicaid, you will receive free prescription medication. You will need to supply the government with proof of income.
2. List your medications and ask your pharmacist which company manufactures the drugs. You can enter the information at a drug assistance website such as RX Assist or the Partnership for Prescription Assistance (see Resources), either of which will give you the manufacturer's information and indicate whether the medication is offered in any drug assistance program. Some drugs are not eligible for free-medication programs.
3. Apply for aid from one of the prescription assistance programs offered by major drug manufacturers such as Bayer, Pfizer, DuPont Merck and Procter & Gamble. Most companies require proof of your insurance status and income level. Some require you be a "U.S. citizen or legal resident ineligible for prescription drug assistance through Medicaid," according to the Cancer Supportive Care website.
4. Ask your physician to call the prescription assistance program. A few companies such as the Janssen Patient Assistance Program, Hoechst Marion Roussel Indigent Patient Program, Lilly Cares Program and Merck Patient Assistance Program require that a physician request help by calling a program administrator.
Tags: drug assistance, free prescription, low-income people, drugs low-income, drugs low-income people
