Medication Assistance Program Offers Help To Uninsured

PARSONS, Kan., Aug. 23, 2011– An increasing number of Americans are without prescription drug coverage, and many are unable to afford the cost of their medications. Some are forced to choose which prescriptions to fill, or even between buying food for their families or the medications they need. At the same time, more than 100 pharmaceutical companies offer many of those medications free or at reduced prices to those who qualify. A new Labette Health program is designed to bring the two together.

The new Medication Assistance Program helps individuals and families who are without prescription drug coverage and whose family income falls below 200 percent of the federal poverty level obtain prescribed medications, according to the program’s administrator, Caitlin Butler. Butler proposed establishing the program at Labette Health after working in a similar one at a community health clinic in Lawrence, Kan. The Parsons program is funded with assistance from the Labette Health Foundation.

“Some people think having insurance means having prescription drug coverage as well, but prescriptions aren’t always included,” Butler said. She added that some prescription drug plans may not cover a specific medication, and those individuals may qualify for assistance as well. This includes those who have Medicare Part D coverage but have fallen into the “donut hole,” the coverage gap in Medicare benefits.

Butler said that the 100-plus companies that offer prescription-assistance programs include more than 3,000 medications available at free or reduced prices. However, each company has its own application process and the information required varies from company to company. Butler researches each prescription, ensures that the applications are completed properly and follows up with the pharmaceutical company to make sure the application has been received and accepted.

Since setting up the program, Butler has been meeting individually with physicians and their office staff,in Parsons and the surrounding area. Brochures are available in each physician’s office and at various locations at Labette Heath. The physician’s office faxes the prescriptions to Butler, and the prescriptions are shipped to the physician’s office to be picked up by the patient. She said the response has been very positive, both from physicians and their patients.

“The physicians we’ve introduced the program to have been very enthusiastic about it, and we’ve already been able to help a number of people obtain the medications they need. In some cases, we were able to save them quite a bit of money,” she said.

Medication Assistance Program Administrator Caitlin Butler assists a patient in completing a prescription-assistance application.

The chart below lists yearly and monthly household incomes at 200 percent of the federal poverty level.

Patients who have questions about the program or their eligibility can contact Caitlin Butler at 620-820-5533 or email: