Hello and Welcome. This page on "Giving Something Back" is dedicated to helping chronic pain patients and others to find resources on the Net and in the outer world, through which to obtain medical care at lower or occasionally "no" cost.
-- The primary author and original researcher for the page is Susie Margaret Ross, a patient advocate who regularly contributes online research and interactive personal support and assistance on the Neurological Disorders forum of WebMD. Additional links were contributed by "Shiela", a chronic neuropathic face pain patient who supports Trigeminal Neuralgia patients at a website called "Living with TN" [see http://www.livingwithtn.org/profile/Sheila]
-- Red Lawhern, Ph.D., is owner/webmaster of "Giving Something Back". He has contributed as editor for this piece. However, this page is no longer actively maintained due to the press of other obligations.
To send us email, select Free + Low Cost Medical Care . To return to the home page of "Giving Something Back", select "Home Page"
About The List
Lacking affordable health insurance, many chronic pain patients find themselves with limited financial resources and sometimes in desperate need of low-cost alternatives to tradititional for-profit medical providers. The following list of resources has been developed for such people, to aid in finding free/low-cost medical care, including counseling. To take advantage of these resources, you may need first to go through an entry level evaluation with a primary-care doctor. Thereafter, you can ask to be referred to community medical care providers if they are available, or if you feel that you need assistance with depression or other issues, to a counselor or psychiatrist.
Our personal advice is not to tackle all of these at once. It's easy to get overwhelmed. So check out one or two, see what they say, and then check out one or two more.
We welcome suggestions for additions to this list. See the email link above.
Regards and Well Wishes -- Susie Margaret, Shiela and Red
Getting Started [Note: not all of the following resources are focused primarily on chronic pain patients]
Featured Selection: The Alliance for the Treatment of Intractable Pain (http://www.atipusa.org) is an advocacy organization dedicated to forcing the repeal and rewriting of the 2016 CDC guidelines for opioid prescriptions to adult non-cancer paitients. Red is a co-founder and serves as corresponding secretary for the Alliance.
http://www.cancercare.org/HelpingHandsGuide/HelpingHandsGuideList.cfm?c=49
http://community.catholiccharitiesusa.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=292&srcid=288
http://www.coverageforall.org/finder/index.php
http://www.findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov
http://www.freeclinics.us/freeclinic.php
http://www.freemedicineprogram.com/drug/ELDER+TONIC/
http://www.freemedicalcamps.com/index.php
http://www.helpingpatients.org/
http://www.lillyanswers.com/
http://www.mhsanctuary.com/add/rx.htm
https://www.merck.com/pap/pap/consumer/request_application.jsp
http://www.mycancernews.com/viatical.html
http://www.needymeds.org/free_clinics.taf
http://www.sch-plough.com/schering_plough/corp/patient_programs.jsp
http://www.pparx.org/en/prescription_assistance_programs/free_clinic_finder
http://www.rxassist.org/ -- subsidy and support programs for payment of medical prescription costs
http://www.sch-plough.com/schering_plough/corp/patient_programs.jsp
http://www.themedicineprogram.com/
http://www.volunteersinhealthcare.org/home.htm
Especially in the US: http://www.hrsa.gov/gethealthcare/affordable/hillburton/
Hill-Burton Free and Reduced-Cost Health Care
In 1946, Congress passed a law that gave hospitals, nursing homes and other health facilities grants and loans for construction and modernization. In return, they agreed to provide a reasonable volume of services to persons unable to pay and to make their services available to all persons residing in the facility’s area. The program stopped providing funds in 1997, but about 170 health care facilities nationwide are still obligated to provide free or reduced-cost care.
Since 1980, more than $6 billion in uncompensated services have been provided to eligible patients through Hill-Burton.
Telephone Contacts: Financial Assistance with Drug and Care Costs *
Acorda (Zanaflex): (800) 464-0097
Astra Zenica http://www.astrazeneca-us.com/content/drugAssistance/
Cephalon (Provigil): (800) 675-8415
GlaxoSmithKline (Wellbutrin): (866) 728-4368
Medtronic (Baclofen): (800) 999-6673
Novartis (Tegretol) (800) 257-3273
Pfizer (Nerontin, Zolof) (800) 707-8990
Phizer see also http://www.pfizerhelpfulanswers.com - 1-866-776-3700
Questor (Acthar gel steroid): (888) 435-2284
Roche (Klonopin): (800) 285-4484
The Commonwealth Fund: (212) 606-3800
Johnson Ortho Patient Assistance Foundation: (800) 652-6277
The Medicine Program (800) 921-0072
NeedyMeds: (978) 865-4115 [Website above]
National Organization of Rare Disorders (NORD): (203) 744-0100
N.O.R.D. Co-Pay Assistance (800) 634-7207
N.O.R.D. Medicare Co-Pay Help: (866) 924-0100
Wellness 2 Wellness: (866) 317-2775
The Access Project - (800) 367-2437
Alternative Funding Group (866) 426-2906
Bridges to Access (866) 728-4368
Chronic Disease Fund - (877) 968-7233
Eye Care America - (415) 561-8518
HealthWell Foundation - (800) 675-8416
FamilyWize - (800) 222-2818
Patient Access Network (866) 316-7261
Rx Council (866) 794-3571 Together
RX Access, LLC: (800) 444-4106
Rx Outreach (800) 769-3880
Rx Assist - (401) 729-3284 [Website Above]
RX Hope - (732) 507-7400
*Original Credit: MS-World Forum
National Patient Advocacy Organizations
-- When you check out this website -- http://www.patientadvocate.org/report.php -- be sure to click on both national and state organizations;
-- Also visit t the "live united" campaign of the United Way -- http://www.liveunited.org -- and use the "search our site" box at the right in the second blue ribbon to do a "search" for your city or state to find medical care programs in your area.
Knowledgeable People in Community Organizations
-- Consult your local Telephone Book Blue (government) Pages. Call your city, county, or state dept of health and Department of Family Services (or something that sounds similar). Ask about free or low-cost clinics in your area.
-- Go to the website for your state government, e.g., http:// www.your_state.gov [fill in your state], and click on every social service link you can find.
-- Look for free or low-cost clinics at nearby medical schools, divinity schools, large hospitals, and university graduate programs in nursing, social work, or psychology. In counseling services, students who are close to graduation may often provide health care under the close supervision of their instructors.
-- Phone hospitals near you to locate a social worker or a rehabilitation specialist. Very often, such people have very extensive knowledge of their own and other hospital and community resources.
-- Call the nearest office of Legal Aid, to see if they know of programs for free or low-cost medical care.
-- Check with churches, synagogues, and mosques to see if they have someone who does counseling; with many of these, you do not have to be a member, their only concern is that you are a person in need; and
Government Assistance Programs
Check out these websites to determine your eligibility for various Government assistance programs.
https://www.benefitscheckup.org/index.cfm?partner_id=0 [Login May Be Required]
https://eldercare.acl.gov/
https://www.seniorcare.com/assisted-living/resources/assisted-living-costs/
http://www.govbenefits.gov/govbenefits_en.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=gbcc_page_home&_nfls=false
http://www.hrsa.gov/osp/dfcr/obtain/obtain.htm
Assistance with health care costs in the UK: www.nhs.uk/nhsengland/Healthcosts/pages/Abouthealthcosts.aspx
Other Government and Non-Government Family Financial Assistance Programs
*Original Credit: Shiela Wall on "Living With TN", a patient-centered website for facial pain discussions
See http://bluebirdyliving.blogspot.com or http://www.livingwithtn.org
Direct links to the US food stamp site -- officially the USDA Food & Nutrition Service
Frequently asked questions -- http://www.fns.usda.gov/fsp/faqs.htm
Applicants and recipients -- http://www.fns.usda.gov/fsp/applicant_recipients/default.htm
The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions. It provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to children each school day.
http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Lunch/Default.htm
Modest Needs is a non-profit, tax-exempt philanthropic organization that began as one man's personal project in March of 2002. Since that time, Modest Needs has become a community of unlikely philanthropists dedicated to helping others as best we can with what we have.
http://www.modestneeds.org/
Find a National Depression Screening Day site near you (for members of the public wanting to take a free anonymous screening).
http://www.mentalhealthscreening.org/
http://www.mentalhealthscreening.org/locator/NDSDmap.htm
A national free eye care program for low-income working Americans that is now open year round.
See web site or call 1-800-766-4466.
http://www.aoa.org/eweb/DynamicPage.aspx?site=AOAstage&WebCode=VISIONUSA
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is a Federal agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Programs for which CMS is responsible include Medicare, Medicaid, State Children's Health Insurance Program(SCHIP), HIPAA, and CLIA.
http://cms.hhs.gov/default.asp?fromhcfadotgov=true
Links to help with Disabilities. http://www.disabilitypolicycenter.org/relatedlinks.htm
Sources of Free or Low-Cost Food and Nutrition Materials http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/pubs/bibs/gen/freelow.html
A list of directories of grantmakers by state/region/city http://fdncenter.org/learn/topical/sl_dir.html
Volunteers in Health Care staff have prepared the following list of links useful to those serving the uninsured.
http://www.volunteersinhealthcare.org/links.htm
Insurance for children http://www.insurekidsnow.gov
Patient assistance programs http://helpingpatients.org/
Habitat for Humanity http://www.habitatforhumanity.com
WIC http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/
Food Banks in the United States http://www.wadv.org/foodbank.htm
Administration for Children and Families and Domestic Violence
http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/opa/facts/domsvio.htm
Energy Assistance: Home Heating and Cooling http://www.ncat.org/liheap/referral.htm
Free or Low-cost Medical/Dental Care http://ask.hrsa.gov/pc/
Financial Help to Pay for Home Heating and Cooling http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/liheap/faq.htm
Head Start (Administration for Children & Families http://www.headstartinfo.org/infocenter/infocenter.htm
Job Opportunities for Low-income People http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ocs/dcdp/joli/welcome.htm
Medicaid - The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services http://www.cms.hhs.gov/medicaid/mover.asp
Resources to Help Children and Families http://www.ncfy.com/Resources.htm
State TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) Links http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/news/welfare/stlinks.htmSingle
Touched Twice provides free clinics and more to the less fortunate. Many of the clinics provide free food, clothing, dental and medical care, free haircuts, free legal, financial and spiritual advice. free clinics located in the US.
http://www.touchedtwice.org/index.html
A leading resource for senior related information http://www.friendly4seniors.com/_search.asp
Senior Guidance (https://www.seniorguidance.
Get Connected: Afford-A-Phone -- The Lifeline telephone discount program, also known as "Lifeline Assistance", gives people with low incomes a discount on the basic monthly service for either their wireline or wireless phone. The Link-Up America program pays for a portion of your wireline or wireless installation or activation fee excluding the handset.
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/getconnected/faqs.html#signup
Listing Of Free Clinics http://www.medkind.com/FCF/
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This page last (partially) updated August 2014