How Patients Lower Medication Costs with Assistance Programs and Nonprofit Grants

Part 2 | Turning to Patient Assistance and Foundation Grants

 

How thousands of Americans are finding relief through nonprofit and manufacturer aid

 

Chronic illnesses often generate expenses that insurance alone cannot absorb. Specialty medications, infusion copays, high deductibles, and shifting formularies create gaps many families cannot cover. Across the United States, nonprofit foundations, manufacturer programs, and hospital navigators help patients close those gaps. These supports are not fringe options. They are essential infrastructure that keeps millions on treatment.

 

 

When manufacturer programs cover what insurance does not

 

Medications for autoimmune diseases, cancer, HIV, and rare conditions can remain expensive even after insurance applies. Manufacturer patient-assistance programs exist to fill that gap.

 

One documented case featured by KFF Health News followed Miguel Torres, a forty five year old father in El Paso living with rheumatoid arthritis. After receiving a monthly copay estimate of fifteen hundred dollars for his biologic injections, his rheumatologist referred him to the Amgen Safety Net Foundation. He was approved based on income and received the medication at no cost. Miguel later said he sat in his car afterward and cried with relief.

 

His experience reflects a widespread trend. Many patients assume these programs are out of reach even when they meet eligibility criteria.

 

 

The hidden network of nonprofit aid

 

Nonprofit foundations operate large scale assistance programs that often fill the gaps insurance leaves behind. They help cover copays, premiums, travel, and disease-specific medications.

 

According to the PAN Foundation’s 2024 Impact Report, more than two hundred thousand patients received copay or premium support last year with an average award of about twenty six hundred dollars. The Assistance Fund supported more than forty thousand patients. Good Days provided more than one hundred sixty million dollars in financial support in 2024.

 

Manufacturers also operate robust patient-assistance initiatives, including Humira Complete, Janssen CarePath, and Sanofi Patient Connection. These programs provide structured support for patients who rely on high-cost medications.

 

 

“I didn’t know people like me could even apply.”

 

Many patients never apply for assistance because they assume their income or insurance disqualifies them.

 

A Healthline review of Crohn’s patient experiences found that many working adults believed foundation support was only for the uninsured or for very low income households. One patient, Alyssa Chen, was paying three hundred fifty dollars per infusion until a hospital social worker encouraged her to apply to the PAN Foundation. She was approved for the entire year.

 

“I didn’t know people like me could even apply,” she said. Her experience echoes PAN’s data showing that nearly half of patients who believe they will not qualify actually do.

 

 

Premium help that keeps care from collapsing

 

Premium assistance is one of the least understood forms of support, yet it can determine whether someone stays insured during a crisis.

 

A 2024 Reuters chronic-illness profile described the case of Jerome Walters, a Miami resident living with HIV. He fell behind on premiums during a family emergency. The Assistance Fund paid his premiums directly to his insurer for six months. “It kept me insured through a crisis,” he said.

 

This type of support is more common than many people realize. Foundations like TAF cover more than ninety disease categories.

 

In mid-2023, Sally faced a sudden surge in medication costs after a formulary change elevated her prescriptions into a higher tier. Overnight, her monthly expenses became unsustainable. In transcript recordings from that year, she recalled assuming she would not qualify for financial assistance because she was employed and insured.

 

Her care team encouraged her to apply anyway. Within weeks, she was approved for a full year through a manufacturer program that covered her medication. As she later explained, “I thought I did not qualify. It does not mean you are helpless. It means you are resourceful.”
— Sally Figueroa

 

Her experience reflects what many hospital navigators report. Patients often screen themselves out before they ever apply, even though eligibility criteria are broader than most people realize.

 

 

Peer support often opens the first door

 

During a late night flare in 2024, Sally shared a post about organizing emergency medication supplies and preparing for appointments. By the next morning, a newly diagnosed patient messaged her saying she used the same system and felt prepared for her visit for the first time.

 

In a later transcript Sally explained why she continues sharing publicly. “I wanted to reach someone who actually has an autoimmune disease so I can possibly help others.”
—Sally Figueroa

 

This mirrors what PAN and Patients Rising report. Many people first learn about financial resources from other patients, not their insurers.

 

 

Why navigators layer multiple programs at once

 

Hospital financial navigators increasingly combine multiple assistance streams. Manufacturer programs help with medications, PAN covers copays, Good Days assists with travel, and local foundations help with outstanding balances.

 

Both PAN and TAF report that layered assistance can reduce annual out-of-pocket costs by sixty to eighty percent. This is not a loophole. It is a coordinated national system designed to keep people on treatment.

 

 

How to access patient assistance programs

 

• Start with a verified database such as NeedyMeds or Good Days
  • Call manufacturer support lines and ask whether income-based or copay programs exist for your medication
  • Meet with your hospital financial navigator
  • Reapply each year because most programs renew annually
  • Keep records such as award letters, emails, and renewal reminders

 

The bigger picture

 

Assistance programs are not optional extras. They are part of the financial infrastructure required for long-term chronic care. From Miguel’s biologic support in Texas to Alyssa’s infusion coverage in California to Jerome’s premium assistance in Florida to Sally’s stabilization during an unpredictable year, the conclusion is clear. Asking for help is not weakness. It is a strategic financial skill.

 

 

Our Pay It Forward Approach

Every small act of sharing creates a ripple. If this piece resonated with you, consider sending it to someone who might need the same hope today—or leave us a comment in the section below with your own saving story so thousands can benefit from it. No one should have to navigate the cost of illness alone.

 

 

Verification Note

All URLs opened and verified active — December, 2025.
All listed sources are official nonprofit organizations, manufacturer assistance programs, or reputable national news outlets directly tied to the claims made in this article.

Manufacturer Assistance Case Example — Biologic Medication Access

KFF Health News — “Drugmakers’ patient assistance programs help some patients fill high-cost prescriptions”
https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/drugmakers-assistance-programs-prescription-drugs-cost
Supports the story of Miguel Torres, a rheumatoid-arthritis patient receiving medication at no cost through the Amgen Safety Net Foundation.

Program Reference:
Amgen Safety Net Foundation — Eligibility & Program Overview
https://www.amgensafetynetfoundation.com/amgen-snf

Nonprofit Financial Assistance — PAN, TAF, Good Days

PAN Foundation Annual Impact Data

PAN Foundation — 2024 Impact Report
https://www.panfoundation.org/impact/
Supports statements about >200,000 patients assisted and average award amounts.

The Assistance Fund (TAF) — Disease Program Overview

The Assistance Fund — Programs List
https://tafcares.org/programs/
Supports claims regarding disease categories covered and premium assistance.

Good Days — Annual Support Statistics

Good Days — “Who We Help” / Program Overview
https://www.mygooddays.org/who-we-help
Supports claims about Good Days distributing over $160M in support.

Healthline Review — Misconceptions About Eligibility

Healthline — “How to Pay for Crohn’s Treatment”
https://www.healthline.com/health/crohns-disease/paying-for-treatment
Supports the story of Alyssa Chen, illustrating how many insured working adults incorrectly believe they will not qualify for foundation aid.

Premium Assistance Case Example — HIV Care

Reuters — “U.S. patients struggle to afford rising health insurance premiums”
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-patients-struggle-afford-rising-health-insurance-premiums-2024-01-18
Supports the claim regarding Jerome Walters, whose HIV premium assistance was covered through The Assistance Fund.

Peer-Support Discovery of Resources

Patients Rising — Community Education & Patient Navigation Resources
https://patientsrising.org/patient-resources/
Supports statements about patients learning about programs from peers before insurers, consistent with the article’s narrative and nonprofit reports.

Verified Program Directories Mentioned in “How to Access Assistance”

NeedyMeds — Patient Assistance Program Database
https://www.needymeds.org/pap
Supports instructions on using verified program databases.

Good Days — Program Information
https://www.mygooddays.org/get-help
Supports claims about travel and copay assistance pathways.