Partnership for Prescription Assistance Adds New Feature to Website to Help America’s Uninsured Access Information about Medicaid and CHIP

Washington, DC – Recognizing that many uninsured Americans may have difficulty accessing information about available public programs that provide critical health insurance coverage, the Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA) website now features a new resource to help eligible patients learn about state Medicaid programs and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

There currently are millions of uninsured Americans eligible for assistance through Medicaid or CHIP who have not yet enrolled. While there are many reasons why this is the case, simply knowing how to access the relevant information about state programs can be a hurdle for many eligible patients. In the same spirit that the Partnership for Prescription Assistance simplified the process for accessing information about patient assistance programs, the new feature on the PPA website (www.pparx.org) is designed to bring critical information about these public health programs into the hands of people who need it most.

“With just one click of the mouse, patients can find out what public programs are available in the state they reside,” said Billy Tauzin, President and CEO of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). “Too many people are falling through the cracks and not getting access to the healthcare coverage they need to win their battle against disease. By providing this important information for uninsured Americans, we can help close the ever-widening health care coverage gap that exists in the U.S. today.”

The new feature is very simple. Patients can scroll their computer mouse over the state they reside, click the mouse, and a list of Medicaid and state CHIP programs will appear. Patients can then click on the program to see if they are eligible for help.

Medicaid provides medical care and long-term care for financially-struggling Americans. More than 59 million low-income Americans, including children and parents, people with disabilities and seniors currently have access to health and long-term care services covered by Medicaid.

CHIP was created to provide healthcare coverage to uninsured children in families with incomes that are modest but too high to qualify for Medicaid. CHIP currently provides insurance coverage to more than 7 million children, allowing them to visit the doctor for routine care.

The Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA) – a nationwide effort sponsored by America’s pharmaceutical research companies – was created more than four years ago to help uninsured and financially-struggling Americans get access to information about programs that provide prescription medicines for free or nearly free. Since its launch in 2005, PPA has helped more than 5.7 million patients nationwide find these programs. Also in that time, the PPA bus tour, the “Help is Here Express,” has traveled the country – visiting all 50 states and more than 2,500 cities – to educate people about patient assistance programs.

“America’s pharmaceutical research companies are working to help get a bipartisan, comprehensive health care reform bill to the President’s desk this year. Our goal is simple: we want to help ensure that all Americans have access to high-quality and affordable healthcare coverage,” Tauzin said. “In the meantime, the PPA will continue to be available as a critical resource for financially-struggling Americans who need help accessing health care services and treatments.”

Patients seeking help from PPA can call a toll-free number (1-888-4PPA-NOW) to talk to a trained operator or access the PPA Web site (www.pparx.org).

MEDIA CONTACT
Jennifer Wall
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