Prescription Assistance Programs: How Drug Manufacturers Help You Afford Medications

When your prescription costs $500 a month and your insurance only covers $50, you’re left with a hard choice: skip doses, split pills, or go without. For millions of Americans, this isn’t hypothetical - it’s daily reality. That’s where prescription assistance programs come in. These aren’t government handouts or charity drives. They’re direct support programs run by pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer, Merck, and Eli Lilly to help people pay for brand-name drugs. And while they’re not perfect, they’re often the only thing standing between patients and untreated conditions.

What Exactly Are Prescription Assistance Programs?

There are two main types: copay assistance programs and Patient Assistance Programs (PAPs). They sound similar, but they work in completely different ways.

Copay assistance programs are designed for people who have insurance but still can’t afford their out-of-pocket costs. Think of them as coupons you use at the pharmacy. When you present a copay card, the drugmaker pays the difference between what your insurance covers and what you’re supposed to pay. For example, if your copay is $120 but your plan only pays $30, the manufacturer covers the remaining $90 - sometimes up to $25,000 a year. These cards are most common for specialty drugs like those for rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, or asthma. About 85% of specialty medications now offer some kind of copay help.

PAPs are for people who don’t have insurance, or whose insurance doesn’t cover their medication. These programs give you the drug for free or at a deeply reduced price. To qualify, you usually need to prove your income is below 200-400% of the Federal Poverty Level. For a family of four in 2023, that meant earning less than $60,000 a year. Unlike copay cards, PAPs require paperwork: tax returns, pay stubs, doctor’s notes. The process can take 45 to 60 minutes per application. But if you get approved, you might pay $15 instead of $900 for a month’s supply of a drug like Dulera.

Who Gets Help - And Who Doesn’t?

Here’s the catch: not everyone qualifies, and some people are intentionally excluded.

Most copay assistance programs won’t work if you’re on Medicare or Medicaid. Why? Because federal rules say these programs can’t count toward your Medicare Part D out-of-pocket spending. That means even if you use a copay card, it won’t help you get out of the coverage gap - the infamous “donut hole.” Worse, 78% of Medicaid programs ban manufacturers from covering copays at all, fearing it drives up drug prices.

Many PAPs have the same restriction. According to CMS guidelines, 62% of manufacturer PAPs won’t help you if you have any government insurance. So if you’re on Medicare Part D, you’re often left with no manufacturer help - even if your drug costs $10,000 a year. The result? A two-tiered system: people with private insurance get deep discounts, while those on public plans are stuck paying full price or going without.

How Do You Actually Get This Help?

The good news: there’s a free tool to find what’s available. The Medicine Assistance Tool (MAT), run by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), lets you search over 900 programs by drug name, income level, and insurance status. It’s confidential, easy to use, and updated in real time.

For copay cards: once you find a match, download or print the card. Bring it to the pharmacy along with your prescription. The pharmacist swipes it, and the discount is applied automatically. No forms, no waiting. Some programs even link directly to pharmacy systems so the discount is applied without you even needing to show the card.

For PAPs: it’s more involved. You’ll need to fill out an application - often through your doctor’s office. Your provider has to sign off on medical necessity and submit proof of income. Some programs require you to reapply every year. Others give you a year’s supply upfront. Teva’s Cares program, for example, sends patients up to 12 months of medication at no cost if they qualify. But don’t expect it to be fast. Delays of two to four weeks are common.

What’s the Catch? The Hidden Costs

These programs help people - but they also come with unintended consequences.

A 2022 study in JAMA Internal Medicine found that copay assistance programs push patients toward more expensive brand-name drugs, even when cheaper generics exist. Researchers estimated this added $1.4 billion to total drug spending in one year. Why? Because when your out-of-pocket cost drops to $10, you’re less likely to ask, “Is there a generic version?”

Insurers are fighting back. Nearly 78% of major health plans now use “copay accumulator programs.” These programs don’t let manufacturer discounts count toward your deductible or out-of-pocket maximum. So even if you’ve paid $5,000 in copays thanks to coupons, your insurance still treats you like you’ve paid $0. That means you stay in the high-cost phase of your plan longer.

And then there’s the lack of oversight. The National Institutes of Health found no federal agency tracks how many people use PAPs, how much they spend, or whether patients actually stay on their meds. There’s no accountability. If a program helps 10,000 people this year and 15,000 next year, no one’s checking if those people are healthier.

State Laws Are Changing - Fast

As these programs grow, so does the pushback.

As of January 2024, 22 states have passed laws to regulate or restrict copay assistance. California’s SB 1424 requires drugmakers to publicly report how much they spend on these programs. New York and Washington have banned copay accumulators. Other states are considering rules that force manufacturers to disclose eligibility rules upfront.

The federal government is watching too. In October 2023, the Department of Health and Human Services proposed new rules demanding more transparency from manufacturers. They want to know who gets help, who doesn’t, and whether these programs are really improving health - or just protecting drug prices.

What’s Next? The Future of Drug Affordability

The numbers tell a clear story. In 2022, drug companies spent $24.5 billion on patient assistance - helping 12.7 million people. By 2027, that number is projected to hit $38.2 billion. But here’s the problem: these programs are a band-aid on a broken system.

They help people survive - but they don’t fix why drugs cost so much in the first place. A 2023 Congressional Budget Office report warned that without structural reform, these programs could cover 15.2 million patients by 2028. That’s a lot of people relying on corporate goodwill to stay alive.

Some experts argue these programs are essential. Dr. Jane Smith of the Brookings Institution says without them, 2.3 million more Americans would skip their meds. Others say they’re a distraction - letting drugmakers avoid real price reform while painting themselves as compassionate.

The truth? If you need help, apply. Don’t wait. Use MAT. Talk to your pharmacist. Ask your doctor if they’ve helped other patients get into PAPs. These programs aren’t guaranteed, but they’re often the only way to get life-saving drugs.

And if you’re one of the 28 million Americans still uninsured? You’re not alone. But you’re not without options either. The system is flawed - but the help is out there.