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20 Nov 07 - 12:57 PM (#2198459) Subject: BS: Help with Prescription Drugs From: SINSULL Trying to find an organization to help a Leukemia patient (retired and covered by Medicare - that's a laugh) get the drugs not covered by his plan. He can't afford them and is going without. Any suggestions? Thanks, Mary |
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20 Nov 07 - 01:10 PM (#2198472) Subject: RE: BS: Help with Prescription Drugs From: artbrooks Is he a veteran? If so, and if Social Security is his main/only income, he is probably within the income limits for non-service-disabled eligibility within the VA medical system. The waiting times can be horrible, depending on where he lives, but it is worth it once he gets on the rolls. The VA will not fill prescriptions from non-VA doctors, so he'd have to switch to them for most medical care. |
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20 Nov 07 - 01:19 PM (#2198479) Subject: RE: BS: Help with Prescription Drugs From: John on the Sunset Coast I understand that some pharmaceutical companies do, in some instances, provide dear medications to those in need. Perhaps the person you are speaking about should try to get in touch the manufacturer, either directly or through his physician. I pray he will have success and recovery. |
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20 Nov 07 - 01:27 PM (#2198482) Subject: RE: BS: Help with Prescription Drugs From: Scooby Doo I hope you get lucky Mary for your friend.We are very lucky in Wales with free prescription to most medication. Scooby. |
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20 Nov 07 - 01:46 PM (#2198497) Subject: RE: BS: Help with Prescription Drugs From: katlaughing Just looked this up for a friend in need. The drug companies have direct lines one may call, but it seems this place is a clearing-house type of thing, slogs through all of it for you for a ten dollar fee (I don't know anything about them, just what I've read on their site): http://www.freemedicinefoundation.com/index.html. Here's the direct link for Pfizer's help page which includes a phone number: http://www.pfizerhelpfulanswers.com/pages/misc/Default.aspx Good wishes for your friend, Mary and you are a GREAT friend. kat |
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20 Nov 07 - 01:53 PM (#2198504) Subject: RE: BS: Help with Prescription Drugs From: catspaw49 Try this. OR here's something at Needy Meds Not too sure on this one but might be worth a deeper look. I'll see what else.... Spaw |
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20 Nov 07 - 03:24 PM (#2198581) Subject: RE: BS: Help with Prescription Drugs From: wysiwyg Some options: You could contact your county's Area Agency on Aging (or equivalent) and local nursing homes and ask the social services people there what organizations they know that might help in that area. You could also contact The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society: www.leukemia.org and The National Cancer Institute: www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/leukemia and start from there to do some netwroking through relevant advocacy groups. Retired from what? There may be a professional or union org that can be tapped. In our poor-economy area, people mostly gang up in community fundraisers to get money and referrals to additional sources for help. Stuff like benefit dinners at churches and fire halls, scouting organizations, etc-- any group where this person has some form of social connection, or any other local org active in your area that is looking for a "project" to work on together, where they "adopt" this person's situation. Any press you can get in your local paper about any of these types of efforts will tend to attract more help and helpers, as well. Let me know if you want me to contact an Episcopal church in the area on this, and I'll be happy to do it. ~Susan |
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20 Nov 07 - 03:29 PM (#2198588) Subject: RE: BS: Help with Prescription Drugs From: SINSULL Thanks all. I have passed on these links. M |
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20 Nov 07 - 04:34 PM (#2198646) Subject: RE: BS: Help with Prescription Drugs From: GUEST,Janie If the friend is getting their tx. through a hospital based clinic, that clinic should have a social worker on staff whose job, among other things, is to assist patients to obtain assistance for medications not covered by their insurance or Medicare D. This can be a fairly complex and confusing task, and having a case manager to facilitate it may be very helpful. Janie |
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20 Nov 07 - 07:47 PM (#2198816) Subject: RE: BS: Help with Prescription Drugs From: SINSULL That was my first recommendation, Janie. I think shock and depression are impeding the process. |
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20 Nov 07 - 11:04 PM (#2198936) Subject: RE: BS: Help with Prescription Drugs From: Stilly River Sage I heard a radio program a few days ago talk about having volunteers at a senior center help people choose a new plan, because staying with the one from the first two years isn't always the best option. The plans change, can get more expensive. The volunteer had a computer and it sounded like software or a web site that helped evaluate plans. Anyone else hear that program, maybe narrow down what the web site might be? SRS |
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20 Nov 07 - 11:48 PM (#2198951) Subject: RE: BS: Help with Prescription Drugs From: Janie The formulary finder at medicare.gov is the site to use for Part D plans. If you think it appropriate to your friendship, you could call the clinic, get the specific contact information for the person they would need to speak with, and pass it on. Sometimes it is just too intimidating to make that first, cold call, not even really knowing who to ask for. Or you could offer to call with your friend present, so you could hand the phone off to them. I don't know that I can help at all, but if you like, pm me with more information, i.e. the hospital and oncology clinic involved, the medications, if you know them, the part D plan, and info on any additional insurance. Janie |
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21 Nov 07 - 01:58 PM (#2199347) Subject: RE: BS: Help with Prescription Drugs From: Leadbelly What a shame: leading a bloody war which costs so much money and lifes of innocent poeple but your own country is not able or willing to implement a health insurance system payable for everybody. Sorry for this comment, Mary, because it won't help your patient. But perhaps a pharmaceutical company can help. Permanently they all talk about their ethical behaviour in finding and introducing new drugs. Now they can try to prove what they are talking about: to help a poor person for free. Please try to contact Boehringer Ingelheim in the US. They are most ethical in helping people. That's my experience from Germany, Manfred |
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21 Nov 07 - 03:55 PM (#2199433) Subject: RE: BS: Help with Prescription Drugs From: Barry Finn Mary, I found that in some cases (I wasn't successful) if you call the drug company they've a plan set up for folks that either can't pay or aren't covered for the drug they manufacture. Also there's a state agency within medicade/medcare that will refere you to the folk that can & will help (I was unsuccessful there to). If it's a cost issue check the Canadian prices, I found them to be way lower in some cases. Good Luck Barry |
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21 Nov 07 - 04:09 PM (#2199442) Subject: RE: BS: Help with Prescription Drugs From: GUEST,Kim C no cookie Spaw already posted the link for PPARX - they are a fairly new program, but I have heard good things about it. My office refers people to it all the time. |