Medicare
If you've been getting Social Secu-
rity disability benefits for 24 months
(or, if you are over 65) you may be
eligible for Medicare, which is an
entirely federal program. Part A
(which is free-of-charge for most
people) pays hospitals for treating
you. Part B pays doctors to see you.
Part B currently costs $115.40 a
month for most people (more for
those with high incomes). More
information is available online at:
www.medicare.gov.
Veterans Affairs
If you are a veteran of active duty in
the U.S. Armed Services, you may
be eligible for health care from the
VA. Full information is available at:
www.va.gov.
Patient Assistance Programs
All of the pharmaceutical companies
that manufacture HIV medications
have "patient assistance programs"
that provide free or low-cost drugs
to people who could not other-
wise afford to pay for them. Each
program has specific criteria about
who is eligible and what kind of
help they will receive. Details differ
greatly between programs. A list
of phone numbers for the most
commonly prescribed HIV medica-
tions is on the Internet at: www.
needymeds.org.
The drug companies' patient as-
sistance programs have become
extremely important in this era of
budget cutting and tight money.
The drug companies have picked up
the slack for thousands of people
with HIV who cannot get help from
ADAP because of under funding.
Partnership for Prescription
Assistance
The Partnership for Prescription
Assistance offers a single point of
contact for 475 public and private
patient assistance programs, includ-
ing almost 200 programs offered by
pharmaceutical companies. You can
contact them at 1-888-477-2669 or
online at: www.pparx.org. The ser-
vices of the Partnership for Prescrip-
tion Assistance are free.
Other Options
In almost every large community in
the United States, there are ad-
ditional resources available to you,
including free or sliding-scale clin-
ics, organizations that offer free or
sliding-scale complimentary treat-
ments like acupuncture, yoga, mas-
sage, and more. Your local ASO is
usually your best source of informa-
tion on local and community-based
resources like these.
Whatever you have to do to get
the treatment and medications you
need do it! The process may seem
complicated and frustrating. You
may have to jump through some
hoops. But, if you're determined and
persistent, you will find a way to
pay for your life-saving HIV drugs
especially with the help of a good
case manager.
10 hivpositivemagazine.com