The Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA) program was created to make it easier for low-income, uninsured patients to get free or nearly free prescription medicines through existing patient assistance programs. A patient or patient advocate simply completes our online application with basic information about prescription medicines, income, and current prescription medicine coverage and PPA matches the patient with assistance programs for which they may be eligible.

The Partnership for Prescription Assistance brings together America's biopharmaceutical companies, doctors, patient advocacy organizations and civic groups to help low-income, uninsured patients get free or nearly free brand-name medicines. Learn more about PPA.

No. The Partnership for Prescription Assistance helps find eligible programs, but does not process program applications. Read through each application to find where it should be emailed, faxed or mailed.

Patient assistance programs have been part of the health care system for many years, providing millions of people with free or nearly free medicines. While these programs are an important safety net for low-income and uninsured patients, they are not the only solution. It is critical that all partners in the health care industry work to develop more long-term options to increase the access to and affordability of health care for all Americans.

Health care providers play a crucial role in spreading the word that patients in need can get free or nearly free prescription medicines. Physicians, nurses and other health care providers can also log on to PPARx.org to get information on patient assistance programs. Finally, physicians are responsible for signing patient application forms, adding patient prescription information and, depending on the program, mailing or faxing the application on behalf of the patient.

Each program available through the Partnership for Prescription Assistance has its own enrollment and renewal requirements. Many programs require patients to reapply yearly. The specifics of each program are included in an information packet, which you will receive when you are matched with a program.

Subscribe to our Email Newsletter to receive information regarding program updates, as well as information about how to afford health care.

The staff at The Partnership for Prescription Assistance reviews each email; unfortunately, HIPPA and other regulations prevent us from providing any assistance via email. The response messages simply confirm that we received and are reviewing your message.

Send information corrections or use our feedback form.

The Partnership for Prescription Assistance is not currently hiring, nor do we know about job opportunities at our partners. You are welcome to check the PhRMA Career Center for job opportunities.

The Partnership for Prescription Assistance is a clearing house for prescription assistance programs; we do not offer prescription assistance or benefits cards ourselves. Please contact the specific prescription assistance or benefit card program regarding program information and expiration dates.

The Partnership for Prescription Assistance does not mail applications or other information. However, program applications may be downloaded directly from our site.

The Partnership for Prescription Assistance does not accept any form of advertising on its website, newsletters or other properties. We also do not purchase or place advertisements on other websites.

We are in the process of fixing a bug that occasionally affects PDF applications. If you have trouble opening the PDF applications from our website, please search for your medicines and download the applications individually.

Due to HIPPA and other privacy regulations, we are unable to store, save or otherwise record patient information on our website.

Each patient assistance program has its own eligibility criteria. Complete the application process to see if you are eligible for one or more patient assistance programs. Please note that there are some instances in which Medicaid beneficiaries may be eligible for patient assistance programs.

Each patient assistance program has its own eligibility criteria. Common criteria for prescription assistance programs include:

• Citizenship status
• Household income and size
• Current prescription benefits

Yes, there may be some patient assistance programs for which you may be eligible.

The eligibility criteria varies from program to program and may even vary by medicines within a program. Eligibility most commonly depends on factors related to your income, prescription medicines, resident state, age and current prescription drug coverage.

No. Prescription assistance programs are designed to help those who have an immediate need for prescription medication help.

The programs and services listed on the Partnership for Prescription Assistance website are only available to those living in the United States. At this time, we do not know of similar services available in other countries.

Yes, it is possible to belong to more than one patient assistance program.

Patients who may be eligible for one or more programs will receive application information for each program. In many cases, patients can fill out program application forms online and print out nearly completed forms. Patients then bring the application to their health care provider who must sign the form and include patient prescription information (or simply attach the patient's prescription). The patient or the physician can mail the application to the program's sponsor.

The Partnership for Prescription Assistance does not handle or process applications. Contact the assistance program to inquire about the status of your application.

The Partnership for Prescription Assistance is a free service. We will never ask for your credit card or other payment information. If someone says they represent PPA and asks for credit card information, payment, or otherwise attempts to sell you a service, this may be a scam. Read more about common scams on our SCAM Alert.

The Partnership for Prescription Assistance does not accept, review or evaluate applications ourselves. If you believe you should qualify for a specific program but are deemed ineligible, please contact the program directly.

Generally, each program requires a unique application from each patient requesting assistance. This varies by program, so if you are applying for yourself and a family member, please read the program guidelines to determine whether you need to send in separate applications.

You can obtain an application through the Partnership for Prescription Assistance program portal. It will gather information needed to determine if you might qualify for an assistance program and provide you with the forms you need to apply.

Patients or patient caregivers should be prepared to provide information regarding:

• Age
• State of residence and ZIP code
• Estimated gross annual household income
• Number of people living in household
• Brand name of prescription medicines they are currently taking or have been prescribed
• Type of health insurance and/or prescription coverage (if applicable)

Your responses to these questions are confidential.

The Get Prescription Help Now Tool takes you through the PPA application process step-by-step. For further assistance, you can call the PPA at 1-888-4PPA-NOW or 1-888-477-2669.

No; your information is safe. While you fill out an application on the website, your information is protected by SSL certificate encryption, one of the most secure online transaction mechanisms in the world. When your session on the website ends, our systems automatically delete your personally identifiable information. Learn more in our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

If you have chosen to have your program applications emailed to you, the PDF files will be packaged together in a compressed folder commonly known as a "ZIP" file. Windows and Macintosh computers and most mobile devices open ZIP files. To open, view and print the applications from the ZIP folder, you will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your device. Download the Adobe Acrobat Reader free from Adobe at http://get.adobe.com/reader/.

To open, view and print the applications from the zip folder, you will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. Download the Adobe Acrobat Reader free from Adobe at http://get.adobe.com/reader/.

Unfortunately, we cannot print and mail applications. We recommend visiting a public library to print applications.

The Partnership for Prescription Assistance is not an insurance program. To find health insurance, please visit HealthCare.gov.

While each patient assistance program has its own eligibility criteria, some programs do provide prescription assistance for Medicare beneficiaries who do not have full prescription drug benefits.

Yes, it is possible to belong to more than one program.

The Partnership for Prescription Assistance cannot directly enroll seniors in the Medicare drug program. However, we do provide seniors with information regarding the enrollment process.

The new Medicare program provides comprehensive prescription drug coverage for seniors (over age 65) while patient assistance programs are for all people in need, regardless of age. In fact, more than 80 percent of patients helped by the Partnership for Prescription Assistance are not Medicare-eligible.

Every company that sponsors a prescription assistance plan is handling the Medicare transition differently, and in some cases, seniors may be best served through the Medicare drug plan. Nevertheless, the Partnership for Prescription Assistance will continue to help patients of all ages find programs that best meet their needs.

The Partnership for Prescription Assistance does include programs that provide assistance for devices and other health care necessities, such as hearing aids and service dogs. Please review our participating programs to see if your device is included, and follow the PPA on Twitter and Facebook for updates regarding newly added assistance programs.

Because the Partnership for Prescription Assistance is an information resource only, you will need to contact the assistance programs with specific questions. Use our simple search tool to locate programs that may provide assistance with the medicines you need.

Decisions about which drugs are included in a prescription assistance program are made by the participating pharmaceutical companies that sponsor the programs. Use our search tool to see if your medications are supported by our program partners.

There are currently more than 100 different pharmaceutical companies participating in this program. View the complete list of companies and programs.

Traditional financial assistance programs are usually not available for over-the-counter (OTC) medications. Drug discount cards are offered by many companies that can help to provide cost-reductions for these medications. View our savings cards for more information. 

The Partnership for Prescription Assistance helps low-income and uninsured patients connect to existing patient assistance programs. The best way to find out about a specific drug is to consult with your doctor or pharmacist.

Unfortunately, if you do not find your medication on our list of resources, then we do not have assistance program information for it at this time. Please continue to check back for new program information. If you know of a program we should list on our site, please .

Each patient assistance program has different requirements, depending upon your income and insurance coverage. If you do not have insurance coverage and have a hard time affording your medicines, many patient assistance programs may provide the medicines free of charge.

In addition to improving overall health outcomes, prescription medicines help reduce spending on other non-drug medical expenses, such as hospitalizations and skilled nursing facility care.

While participating organizations are committed to getting medicines to eligible patients as quickly as possible, each participating assistance program has its own timeline. Patients should call the organization sponsoring the assistance program for more details on when they will receive their medicines.

Depending on the program, the prescription medicines are either sent to the doctor's office or to the patient's home. Some programs send patients a pharmacy card in the mail to get free or nearly free medicines at their local pharmacy.

If you experience an adverse effect from any medicine, you should call your health care provider. You are also encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the drug's manufacturer or to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Patients should not change medications based on what financial assistance programs are available; appropriate medicines and therapies must be determined by a physician. Thus, we do not provide a program search based on a diagnosis or condition.