How to get free prescription medicine

For too many Americans, skipping doses of prescription drugs to save money or cutting pills in half to make them last longer is a way of life.

More than half (54 percent) of Americans say they currently take prescription medicines. According to a March 2008 report, "The Public on Prescription Drugs and Pharmaceutical Companies," issued jointly by USA Today, the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health, one in five Americans are currently taking four or more prescription drugs on a daily basis.

A risky sacrifice

The report shows that a significant portion of those with prescriptions have difficulty affording them. Four in 10 adults (41 percent) say it is at least somewhat of a problem for their family to pay for prescription drugs they need, including 16 percent who say it is a serious problem. That leads to personal strategies for cutting back: Three in 10 (29 percent) say that they have not filled a prescription because of the cost in the last two years, and 23 percent say they have cut pills in half or skipped doses in order to make medication last longer.

Four in 10 report at least one of these three problems (a serious problem paying for drugs, not filling a prescription because of cost, and/or skipping doses in the past two years). These percentages swell even more among those who take larger numbers of prescription drugs, those who don't have health insurance that covers prescriptions and those with lower incomes, according to the report.

Pharmaceutical manufacturers are well aware of the problems of affordability of their products and know that public perception is against them. Seven in 10 Americans say pharmaceutical companies are too concerned about making profits and not concerned enough about helping people.

Most drug manufacturers offer help to people who can't afford their prescriptions. The companies provide medications for free or at a reduced cost to people who qualify for their patient assistance programs. There are hundreds of these programs, and many drug makers operate multiple programs, depending on the medicines involved.

Eligibility rules for patient assistance programs vary considerably, but often you must be without insurance coverage for prescription drugs (including Medicaid and Medicare), meet low-income guidelines and be unable to afford your medicine on your own.

According to the USA Today report, there is public awareness of these patient assistance programs. Nearly six in 10 adults (58 percent) have heard of these programs, but 65 percent of those who have heard of them think the programs don't go far enough to help people. Sixteen percent say that they or someone in their family has applied for discount or free medications from a pharmaceutical company in the past.

Getting the ball rolling

If you can't afford to pay for your prescriptions and you're thinking of applying to a drug maker for assistance, first find out who manufactures the medication you take. If it's not listed on your prescription bottle, check with your pharmacist or doctor. Then locate a potential assistance program; resources for doing so are listed below. You may have to get your doctor involved: He or she will likely have to sign applications for assistance.

How you obtain the required forms can vary. You might call the drug makers yourself and request applications directly through their patient assistance programs. Some manufacturers prefer to communicate directly with a physician, social worker or patient advocate.

Don't give up

If you aren't eligible for a patient assistance program, don't give up hope. There are other ways to lower your prescription drug costs. Some companies market drug-discount cards that entitle you to breaks on prescription prices. In addition, major store chains offer low flat-rate prices for generic prescription drugs: Wal-Mart and Target have lists of prescriptions available for $4, as do Kroger and Safeway pharmacies. Also, ask your doctor for free samples of any drugs prescribed. Most physicians have closets full of them.