What Is PPA in Medicine?

PPA stands for The Partnership for Prescription Assistance, which is a group of health-care providers, drug companies, advocacy groups and community groups that have banded together to help patients who may or may not have prescription drug plans find programs that will help them get free or affordable prescription medication.

Function

• According to PPARx.org, the PPA offers access to more than 475 public and private programs, including pharmaceutical companies. It also brings together doctors, patient-advocacy organizations and civic groups to ensure low-income or uninsured people can get more than 2,500 brand-name and generic medicines for free or close to free. Some of the groups involved with the PPA are the American Cancer Society, American College of Emergency Physicians, the Urban League, Association of Chain Drug Stores, United Way and the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Doctors

• Health-care providers such as doctors, nurses and others can log into the PPA website to find information on the programs available to their patients in order to properly notify and educate about the potential benefits the Partnership for Prescription Assistance offers. Patients can then enroll in the program that best suits their needs. According to PPARx.org, more than 40 programs specialize in the needs and treatment of children

Programs

• The PPA works with Medicare, Medicaid, Children's Health Insurance Program, many free/low-cost health clinics across the country and other organizations. Potential patients are advised to call the toll-free number, 1-888-4PPA-NOW (1-888-477-2669) for information about local programs for which they may be eligible. Upon calling you will be asked your age, location, annual income, number of people in your household, drugs you currently take and name of your insurance provider, if you have one. You can also fill out a form online.

Eligibility

• Each program that is affiliated with the PPA has its own eligibility requirements. The criteria for eligibility can involve income, household size, citizenship status and veterans'-benefit status. It is possible to be eligible to receive benefits for certain medications but not others, depending on the program's guidelines, which can include residency, age and current prescription coverage.

Drugs

• There are over 90 pharmaceutical companies involved with PPA programs offering medicines for free or nearly free if you meet the eligibility criteria. After drugs are purchased they will either be sent to your doctor's office or your home. It is possible to obtain a discount card from certain programs in order to get free or nearly-free medicines from a pharmacy.