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Getting Assistance

Accessing medications that you need can be difficult, but there are often programs such as Patient Assistance Programs or state and/or federally funded ADAPs (for HIV and some hepatitis medications) or medication assistance programs that can help. Other Drug Types are also available such as drugs for diabetes, cancers, and heart disease.

Our objective is to help you learn about these programs, as well as maximize your benefits through Medicare, Medicaid, or any type of private insurance you might have. The goal is to reduce your expenses to the smallest amount possible, and to make sure you know you do have options.

The Network is a national, non-profit community based organization that provides case management, treatment and access information, advocacy and counseling, education, and referral services for people with HIV, chronic hepatitis, and other diseases.

You can help us out by sending an e-mail to us first so we have basic information on how we can best help you. Using this form, let us know if you have any kind of insurance and what kind if you do, your state and zip code, and a way to respond to your questions. Make sure to include your e-mail address and a phone number if you like. Any information you send us is confidential. We don't share your identifying information with anyone.

Drug Companies often have programs that offer treatments to individuals who can't afford them. They are called Patient Assistance Programs. There are all types of programs, but the main type is the kind where a drug company makes their products available for free to people with few financial resources. Typically - but not always - these programs determine your eligibility based on your household income.

Often, they will provide the drug (or possibly drugs) you need at no charge, but there are eligibility criteria you must meet and forms to be filled out. They may also require that you prove that you are not eligible for any public or private insurance programs. We can help you figure all that out, if you need us to do so.

You should have ready proof of income and medical expenses, doctor's prescription, Medicare Part D status, and a Medicaid/Insurance denial letter. You may ask your doctor or another health care professional, a case manager, or someone who is helping you to contact us if it is easier for you.

If you have insurance coverage, or make a certain amount of money per year, you may be referred to a program that provides the drug at a reduced price. In some cases, you can receive a drug although you have not met the $2,700 donut hole required of Medicare Part D Drug Prescription Plans. If you are on an ADAP waiting list (for HIV and related drugs) or your ADAP does not cover the drug you need, have documentation (such as your ADAP's formulary or a letter from the program stating you are on a wait list) ready as well. If you have HIV or HIV/hepatitis co-infection, the people who run your state's program will be able to tell you exactly what they require. There also may be other state programs for HIV, hepatitis, or other medications used to prevent or treat ilnesses.

There are hundreds of drugs used for the management of AIDS and HIV-related illnesses - which now include a lot of the ilnesses and conditions that everyone deals with - including hepatitis treatments and vaccines. Some of them are described in Simple Fact Sheets.