Financial Assistance for Your Rheumatoid Arthritis Medications

When it comes to finding financial assistance in paying for expensive medications, the process is not often an easy one.  Many of the pharmaceutical companies that produce drugs specifically for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis make financial assistance available to patients in need.  This benefits the patient and the drug company.  Face it, they want you to  continue to use their medication and not move to the competition, which might have better assistance available.

Often each company will run their own program or make contributions to independent foundations that handle the administration of "free medication" or copayment assistance.  Then, don't forget about sources of lower cost generic drugs and/or drug coupon programs.

This post is long, so keep scrolling through until you find your drug and/or the appropriate assistance program for you!

Also, if you need help figuring out where you stand in relation to the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), use this page from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Web site, which has a useful table: http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/09poverty.shtml

1. ASSISTANCE FROM THE MANUFACTURER

Adalimumab (Humira)
The HUMIRA Protection Plan helps patients access HUMIRA.  If you are unemployed and uninsured, you may be able to get HUMIRA at no cost to you through the Abbott Patient Assistance Foundation.  If you are covered by Medicare Part D, you may be able to get help from an independent co-pay foundation.

If you are employed with prescription coverage, you can reduce your co-pay to $5 per month.  However, this copay assistance program is not valid for prescriptions reimbursed under Medicare, Medicaid, or similar federal or state programs or private insurance in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  Monthly co-pay assistance amounts are subject to predetermined limits.

Phone: (888) HUMIRA3 or (888) 486-4723 for reimbursement assistance
Program website: http://www.humira.com/Global/FinancialHelp/Default.aspx

The Abbott Patient Assistance Foundation is designed to help financially disadvantaged individuals receive a limited supply of Abbott pharmaceutical products at no cost.  To be eligible for this program, patients must not have prescription drug coverage for the requested medication through an employer other third party payer, Medicaid or any other state or federally-funded program, and must be financially disadvantaged based upon current Federal Poverty Guidelines adjusted for household size.  Patients with prescription drug coverage, including enrollment in a Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plan, who have difficulty accessing their Abbott medications may be eligible for assistance by obtaining a Pharmaceutical Assistance Program exception based on health-related expenditures and household income.

Abbott Patient Assistance Foundation - HUMIRA Patient Assistance Program

P.O. Box 789, San Bruno, CA 94066