Believe it or not, many pharmaceutical companies offer free medications to patients in need. Although each company will have their own list of requirements, this generally means that the patient must have little to no income and absolutely no drug coverage. Most of the time, they require the patient’s doctor to complete a form to refer the patient to the program, but, once approved, the patient receives their critical medications each month at absolutely no cost.
Some pharmaceutical companies mail the medications directly to the patient while others distribute their products through the doctor’s office. If the medications are considered controlled substances, like pain killers and some psychiatric drugs, they are more likely to move through a pharmacy or doctor’s office before reaching the patient for security reasons.
If you’ve ever wondered why you pay such a high price for some new prescription drugs, this is part of the reason. Although a lot of the price consists of the research costs, advertising expenses, and a healthy profit for the drug-maker, a percentage of each paid prescription sometimes supports this free-drug program.
Many people who are insured through Medicare also use this program. Although it’s harder to get approved when you have some form of insurance, people in the “doughnut hole,” where they have to pay full price for prescriptions, can sometimes find assistance for critical medications. If you, or someone you care about, is having a hard time paying for life-saving drugs, speak to your doctor about one of these programs.
