Patients can apply for reduced-price or free prescription medications directly from the drugs' manufacturers.

Description of program:

• More than 50 drug manufacturers offer free drugs for people of all ages who have 1) a limited income and 2) no prescription drug coverage through an insurance policy.
  
• "Limited income" for many programs is as high as $25,000 gross income yearly, $40,000 for a couple. Each program has its own income guidelines.
  
• Over 270 commonly prescribed brand name drugs are covered by these programs.

How to apply:

1. Call Mass Home Care at 1-800-AGE-INFO. Ask them to send you the list of free drugs offered through "Indigent Patient Programs."
   
2. Once you have the list of drugs, you simply look up the medications you are taking on the list, and find the drug manufacturer for that drug. The list contains the phone number and address of each drug maker that offers free drugs.
   
3. You then take your list of drugs and manufacturers to your doctor.
   
4. Your physician (or anyone on their staff) then calls the drug company and asks them to fax or mail an application form and guidelines for their Indigent Patient Program.
   
5. Once the drug company has mailed the guidelines and application form to your doctor, the doctor must fill out your income level (which you must provide) and indicate that you do not have any health insurance coverage that covers prescription drugs.
   
6. Your doctor then sends the application to the drug company, and if the company determines you are eligible, most programs provide a three-month supply of drugs, with refills available upon your doctor's request.
   
7. Ask your doctor to show you the program's guidelines when they arrive. A few programs require your doctor to be treating you for free, but most do not.

Remember, your doctor must contact the company and then sign the application form. You cannot do this on your own. If your doctor complains about the paperwork, offer to fill out the forms yourself for him or her to sign. And point out that if you don't get these drugs for free, you're not likely to take your medication as prescribed -- because you can't afford the high cost of these drugs.

For more information:

Call Mass Home Care, at 1-800-AGE-CARE. Or ask the Family Help Desk, to your left.

If you have been denied access to the free prescription drug program, please call Health Care For All at (617) 350-7279, or 1-800-272-4232 (outside the 617 area code).

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