Prescription Co-Assistance

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Onazza

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Lamictal

My son was diagnosed with epilepsy in 2009. Out of the blue, he had a grand mal seizure a month after graduating from college for no apparent reason. No trauma, no drug use, no reason at all. It took over 4 years to get the right combination of medication in order to control his seizures 90% of the time. It was a sleepless four years. He is now on a comination of generic Keppra and name brand Lamictal XR. He tried generic lamictal (Lamotrigine) in many different doseages and for many months, and it stopped his grand mal and simple complex seizures but caused cluster seizures every week. The problem is my son is insured through his employer but his copay for the Lamictal is still $511 a month. It was over $600 with CVS, but we now switched to Walgreens. My son cannot afford $511 a month for the rest of his life. I am a single mom and cannot afford it either. Our doctor has filed two appeals on our behalf but both have been denied by BlueCross CareFirst. My son and I have contacted the pharmaceutical company, prescription assistance companies, the health department, etc. and he cannot get any help. We feel as if the rug has been pulled out from underneath him. For the last six months he has been seizure free but all at the cost of me putting the medication cost on my credit card. We are at wits end. He is working and wants to be a part of society. He will never have a dream job because he cannot work long hours or spend a lot of time commuting or it affects him. Any ideas out there with trying to fight the system.
 
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You say he has a job. Has he tried for partial disability like through your state's welfare dept? As long as his doctor says he can only work under a certain amt of hours, he can receive benefits. Usually they give medicaid as a secondary insurance.
 
Contact your local Epilepsy Foundation and see if they are able to help you. Check out the resources that are available:
http://www.epilepsy.com/get-help/services-and-support/resources-help/health-coverage
Following are some links that can help you understand health coverage policies, get information about programs in your state and find other support. You can also contact your local Epilepsy Foundation for information.

Healthcare.gov: A government sponsored website that explains how people with preexisting conditions can be covered under the new law


State-by-State Guides to Finding Health Insurance Coverage
Partnership for Prescription Assistance: Resource for finding programs to help cover prescription medication

J. Kiffin Penry Patient Travel Assistance Fund: Epilepsy Foundation fund to help families who must travel more than 50 miles for medical care.

The Catalyst Center: National center dedicated to improving health care insurance and financing for youth with special health care needs

And check out these websites:

www.NeedyMeds.org

NeedyMeds.org is a private nonprofit web site that lets you search for patient assistance programs by drug name. For each drug on the list, NeedyMeds.org gives the program name, phone number, application link, eligibility guidelines, application requirements, and program details.

Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA)
The Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA) is a joint effort of American drug companies, medical organizations, and government agencies to inform patients about patient assistance programs. The PPA offers a toll-free helpline as well as an online application wizard and program information. The toll-free helpline is 1-888-477-2669 or look up www.pparx.org.

PatientAssistance.com
This is a free resource designed to help connect patients who cannot afford their prescription medications with patient assistance programs.

rxassist.com
This is a website with information, news, and a database that are all designed to help you find out about ways to get affordable, or free medications. The database includes information on the pharmaceutical companies’ patient assistance programs, or programs that provide free medication to low-income patients. RxAssist was created by Volunteers in Health Care, a national, nonprofit resource center for health care programs working with the uninsured. Email: info@rxassist.org.
 
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