If you can’t afford the cost prescription drugs your doctor prescribes, you may be eligible for assistance programs offered by pharmaceutical companies, nonprofit groups, or state governments.

Click here to download your free Myositis Association Drug Discount Card to save up to 80% on your medications. No fees or registration required. Also save up to 40% off durable medical equipment, such as canes, crutches, splints, incontinence supplies and diabetic supplies such as glucose meters, test strips, lancets and diabetic shoes.

TMA offers some insights on what to do when health insurance plans won’t pay for medications prescribed by your doctor.

WebMD offers a good overview of these programs.

The Immune Deficiency Foundation has a comprehensive Patient Insurance Center that helps you understand how health insurance works, provides information regarding insurance issues, and offers other possible sources of assistance.

Pharmaceutical company assistance programs

CSL Behring provides a variety of assistance and co-pay programs for patients using their immunoglobulin products and services.

CSL Behring Assurance Program ensures that people who rely on their therapies can continue to receive these vital treatments even if they experience a lapse in third-party, private health insurance. 866-415-2164

NuFACTOR Specialty Pharmacy has a reimbursement support page with frequently asked questions and the opportunity to submit personal questions. A telephone hotline is also available. 800-323-6832

Shire Pharmaceuticals patients can access insurance and financial assistance, emotional support, disease  management support from nurses, and educational resources and tools through a program called MyIgSource.

Soleo Health is committed to improving the lives and experiences of those affected by complex and chronic conditions. They provide a number of co-pay programs to help patients cover the cost of their therapies.

Prescription assistance programs

Blink Health offers some of the lowest prices on over 15,000 medications, whether you have insurance coverage for prescription drugs or not. Payment is made online and you pick up your meds at a local pharmacy. Be sure to compare other options, though. Some prices may be lower through other outlets.

Center for Benefits is a program of the National Council on Aging that shares information about assistance programs for low-income seniors and young people with disabilities.

Good RX  helps you comparison shop to find the lowest prices and discounts for every FDA-approved prescription drug at more than 70,000 US pharmacies. They also have free coupons that can be used at the pharmacy and will show the lowest price at each pharmacy near you.

The Partnership for Prescription Assistance is a partnership between biopharmaceutical companies, health care providers, patient advocacy organizations, and community groups to help qualifying patients who are uninsured or underinsured get free or nearly free medicines through the public or private program that’s right for them. Services are free.

NeedyMeds is an online information resource of programs that provide assistance to people who are unable to afford their medications and health care costs. All the information is free, easy to access and updated regularly. No registration is required and they don’t request any personal information.

National Organization for Rare Diseases (NORD) provides assistance programs to help patients obtain life-saving or life-sustaining medication they could not otherwise afford. These programs provide medication, financial assistance with insurance premiums and co-pays, diagnostic testing assistance, and travel assistance for clinical trials or consultation with disease specialists.

Patient Advocate Foundation is a national nonprofit organization that serves as an active liaison between the patient and their insurer, employer and/or creditors to resolve insurance, job retention, and/or debt crisis matters relative to their diagnosis. They seek to safeguard patients through effective mediation, assuring access to care, maintenance of employment, and preservation of their financial stability. Their services are free.

RxAssist offers a comprehensive database of these patient assistance programs, as well as practical tools, news, and articles so that health care professionals and patients can find the information they need.

RX Hope helps patients obtain critical medications that they would normally have trouble affording. They maintain a database where you can search by medication to locate assistance programs. They also offer help with the application process.

RxOutreach is a nonprofit mail-order pharmacy for people with little to no health insurance coverage.