Fund Offers Copayment and Premium
Assistance to Eligible Patients
GERMANTOWN, Md., May 23, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- The HealthWell Foundation®, an
independent non-profit charitable organization that provides
financial assistance for underinsured Americans, announced today it
has opened a new fund to provide financial assistance to
individuals living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
(COPD). Through the fund, HealthWell will provide up to
$3,250 in medication copayment or
insurance premium assistance to eligible Medicare patients with
annual household incomes up to 500 percent of the federal poverty
level for the management of their disease.
COPD describes chronic lung diseases including emphysema (damage
to the air sacs) and chronic bronchitis (damage to the bronchial
tubes), which are characterized by breathlessness. COPD can
progress for years without noticeable shortness of breath. Symptoms
of COPD include increased shortness of breath, frequent coughing,
wheezing, tightness in the chest, and unusual tiredness. Currently,
COPD is an incurable disease, but treatments are available to help
patients breathe better and improve their quality of life. COPD
affects an estimated 30 million Americans, many of whom are
undiagnosed.
"Individuals with COPD often need multiple medications and
treatments that can create financial challenges," said Jean Wright, M.D., MBA, CEO of the COPD
Foundation. "We commend the HealthWell Foundation for addressing
this issue and enabling people to afford proper treatment plans.
Our partnership aims to make medications more accessible and
supports the COPD Foundation's mission to help millions of people
live longer and healthier lives."
"We are honored to expand our services to the COPD community and
to provide access to life-changing medications patients might
otherwise forgo due to cost," said Alan
Klein, HealthWell Foundation Chief Development Officer.
"Being diagnosed with a chronic disease is difficult enough. For
many Medicare patients, they have the added stress of not being
able to access or afford life-changing medications to treat their
disease. We are thankful to our dedicated donors who realize the
undue hardship these patients face and for providing the financial
resources necessary to ensure they can receive the care they need
without worrying how they will pay for it."
To determine eligibility and apply for assistance, visit
HealthWell's Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease - Medicare
Access Fund page. Note that all new fund openings and fund
re-openings occur at 11:00 a.m. Eastern
Daylight Time (8:00 a.m.
Pacific) Monday through Friday. To learn more about HealthWell
programs and our robust portfolio of disease funds, visit
HealthWellFoundation.org.
About the COPD Foundation
The COPD Foundation is a
non-profit organization whose mission is to help millions of people
live longer and healthier lives by advancing research, advocacy,
and awareness to stop COPD, bronchiectasis, and NTM lung disease.
The Foundation does this through scientific research, education,
advocacy, and awareness to prevent disease, slow progression, and
find a cure. For more information, visit copdfoundation.org,
or follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
About the HealthWell Foundation
A nationally recognized, independent non-profit organization
founded in 2003 and a resource to the White House Cancer Moonshot
Initiative, the HealthWell Foundation has served as a safety net
across over 90 disease areas for more than
930,000 underinsured patients. Since its inception, HealthWell
has provided over $4 billion in
financial support through more than 1.5 million grants to access
life-changing medical treatments patients otherwise would not be
able to afford. HealthWell provides financial assistance to adults
and children facing medical hardship resulting from gaps in their
insurance that cause out-of-pocket medical expenses to escalate
rapidly; HealthWell assists with the treatment-related cost-sharing
obligations of these patients. HealthWell ranked 23rd on the
2023 Forbes list of America's Top 100 Charities
and was recognized for its 100 percent fundraising efficiency. For
more information, visit HealthWellFoundation.org.
CONTACT:
Ginny
Dunn
240-632-5309
ginny.dunn@healthwellfoundation.org
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SOURCE HealthWell Foundation