If you need help paying for your medication, our guide can help you find the right assistance. This guide was created by MS Navigators on the Benefits & Employment Support Team. We have taken care to include every possible disease modifying drug cost help solution we are aware of – if you need help navigating this page please contact us (The National MS Society).
Paying for Medications Without Insurance
If help is available, it will be through the Pharmaceutical Company’s Free Drug Program. If your drug’s pharmaceutical program doesn’t offer free drugs, you may need to talk to your neurologist about how the cost is preventing you from adhering to your treatment.Drug discount cards can lower out of pocket costs at the pharmacy for symptom management medications or generic forms of some MS disease-modifying therapies. Examples include lower cost dalfampridine (generic Ampyra) and dimethyl fumarate (generic Tecfidera) through programs such as GoodRx and Cost Plus Drug Company. The National MS Society does not recommend any specific drug discount services in large part because each individual we speak to has unique needs.To learn about drug discount cards or discount pharmacies that may help lower your costs, ask your trusted healthcare providers and pharmacists for their advice. Needymeds offers details about a number of drug discounts and RxAssist has a list of questions to ask to help you find a card or discount pharmacy that will work for you.Learn about health insurance options.
Paying for Medications With Insurance
Even with insurance, paying for medications can be complicated. Click below for guidance on your specific situation.
- Drug Is Not Covered by My Insurance
- I Have Medicare and I Get My Medication at a Pharmacy or Through the Mail
- I Have Medicare and My Medication Is an Infusion That I Get in a Medical Office
- I Have Coverage Through an Employer or I Have Coverage I Bought on My Own Through the Marketplace or Insurance Company
- I Have Medicaid
I Need Help With Medical Bills or With a Drug That Isn’t a Disease Modifying Therapy.
It can be difficult to get assistance for past medical bills. You might be able to negotiate a reduced price or payment plan or you may be able to get help with other needs to free up your budget to pay the medical bill. Learn more at the Patient Advocate Foundation.
Cost Help for other Medications – NOT DMTs
For help finding assistance with medications other than the MS disease-modifying therapies, like symptom management medications, please visit NeedyMeds, a trusted national non-profit information resource. Use the NeedyMeds site or call 1-800-503-6897 to find all available programs for a medication (brand-name or generic) or condition. Access to the site is free and requires no registration.