Tag: Patient Assistance Programs

Resources for Prostate Cancer

According to the National Cancer Institute, Prostate cancer is a cancer that forms in the tissues of the prostate gland that usually affects older men. What is the prostate gland? From the Prostate Cancer Foundation: “The normal prostate is a small, squishy gland about the size of a walnut. It sits under the bladder and in front of the rectum…It seems to supply substances that facilitate fertilization and sperm transit and survival.” Prostate cancer affects 1 in 6 men, making it the most common non-skin cancer in America. There are a number of factors that can increase your risk of […]

Paying to Apply to PAPs

There are many companies that, for a fee, offer to help people apply to pharmaceutical patient assistance programs (PAPs). Some even show up when you do a Google search for “NeedyMeds” or words spelled close to “NeedyMeds.” While some make reasonable claims, others seem to say if you pay them a fee they can get you any medicine for free. And some of the fees can pile up pretty quickly. No PAP charges you to apply. Occasionally you’ll find one that has a copayment, but you should never pay upfront. How complicated is it to apply to a PAP? The […]

Finding Help With Major Depression

Major depression, also commonly referred to as clinical depression, is one of the most common mental illnesses in the United States. Major depression, including major depressive disorder, manic depression, and dysthymia, affect more than 19 million Americans a year. Almost two-thirds of those with depression are women. The symptoms of clinical depression vary, but common symptoms include persistent sad or anxious mood, sleeping issues, reduced appetite, irritability, fatigue, and thoughts of suicide among others. From Mental Health America, “Depression causes people to lose pleasure from daily life, can complicate other medical conditions, and can even be serious enough to lead […]

All About State Grants for Assistive Technology

Routine “everyday tasks” can be quite burdensome for many people living with a disability. For a long time there was little one could do to help in these situations, causing many people with disabilities to require personal assistance, which oftentimes would lead to depression and low self-esteem issues. Throughout the last few decades, however, much work has been done in developing and launching new technologies to help people with a variety of disabilities. Commonly referred to as “assistive technology,” these new devices are designed to help those living with a disability to easily perform common tasks. Thanks to the Assistive […]

The Affordable Care Act and the Future of Assistance Programs

We’ve been getting a lot of questions from our readers about how the resources we list on our website, especially the pharmaceutical patient assistance programs, will be affected by the Affordable Care Act. While we are still far away from having all the answers, we do have some additional information we can provide you after attending a recent PAP Conference. The overarching consensus is that PAPs will continue to exist to help those in need that fall into the gaps.  Here is an overview of what we learned at the CBI PAP 2014 Conference, held in Baltimore on March 6-7. […]

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Welcome to the NeedyMeds Voice! We look forward to presenting you with timely, provocative pieces on healthcare reform, patient advocacy, medication and healthcare access, and other health-related news. Our goals are to educate, enlighten, and elucidate; together, we will try to make sense of the myriad and ongoing healthcare-related changes in the U.S. today.