Patient Access: The Need, the Resources, and the Challenges

Abstract

Health care coverage comes in many forms, and for some, it does not exist at all. The US Census Bureau estimated that 15.2% of the population (43.6 million people) had no health insurance coverage throughout 2002. 1 These numbers do not address the millions who are underinsured-those individuals with insurance coverage but who cannot afford the costs associated with their coverage (ie, premiums, deductibles, copayments, and coinsurance). Both the uninsured and the underinsured continue to face an increasing need for resources, to help them to secure their medications and lifesaving therapies by locating available coverage or various assistance programs that can help them. Many programs are available depending on the patient's need, but navigating these resources across multiple therapies and disease states can be challenging for both physicians and patients. There are several patient assistance program models that support patients in accessing their medications. The primary types of assistance programs include manufacturer-sponsored patient assistance programs (PAPs), PAPs with case management services, federal-and state-funded programs, cost sharing assistance charities, and general (often disease-specific) outreach programs.