Patient Assistance Programs

Help finding manufacturer and community programs that lower what you pay for medication.

Medically reviewed Medically reviewed by Angelo DeFazio, R.Ph. — NPI 1629115530 · Last updated 2026-09-03

If the cost of a prescription is a barrier, talk to us before you skip a dose, split pills against label instructions, or go without. Cost is one of the most common reasons a prescription goes unfilled, and it's also one of the most fixable — Arrow Pharmacy works with pharmaceutical manufacturer assistance programs, discount card services, and local and federal community resources to help lower what you pay out of pocket.

Types of cost assistance

• Manufacturer copay cards. Many brand-name drug manufacturers offer a card that reduces or caps what a commercially insured patient pays per fill. These generally cannot be used if you have Medicare, Medicaid, or another government insurance plan — federal anti-kickback rules treat that combination differently, which is a common source of confusion when a patient sees a coupon advertised but can't use it.
• Manufacturer patient assistance programs (PAPs). Separate from copay cards, these provide medication free or steeply discounted to patients who meet income and insurance-status requirements, including some Medicare patients. Applications are usually handled through the manufacturer directly, and we can help identify whether one exists for your specific drug.
• Discount card programs. Independent of insurance, these can sometimes beat your insurance copay for a generic medication, especially early in the year before a deductible is met. We can run the numbers at the register so you pay whichever price is actually lower.
• Government and community programs. Medicare's Extra Help (Low-Income Subsidy) reduces Part D premiums, deductibles, and copays for qualifying patients, and local community health organizations sometimes offer additional support for specific chronic conditions.

What affects eligibility

Eligibility for any of these programs depends on a combination of factors that changes by drug and by program: your household income relative to the federal poverty level, whether you're insured and by what type of plan, and sometimes your diagnosis specifically. There's no single form that covers everything, which is exactly why we recommend calling rather than searching on your own — a pharmacist who knows your medication and your coverage can usually tell you within a few minutes whether a program is worth applying to, before you spend time on paperwork that won't apply to your situation.

Before you call

• The exact name, strength, and quantity of the medication that's a cost problem
• What kind of insurance you have, if any (commercial, Medicare, Medicaid, or uninsured)
• Roughly what you're currently being charged, so we know the gap we're trying to close

If a condition on our Disease States Treated page applies to you, mention it directly — cost assistance for specialty and chronic-condition medications (oncology, hepatitis C, HIV, MS, and RA biologics in particular) often works differently than a standard generic-drug coupon, with dedicated manufacturer hubs and nurse-navigator programs that a general discount card search won't surface.

Resources you can check yourself

If you want to look before you call, NeedyMeds and RxAssist are established nonprofit directories of manufacturer assistance programs, searchable by drug name. Neither replaces a conversation with your pharmacist — they can't tell you whether a program will actually work with your specific insurance — but they're a legitimate starting point, not the kind of site you should be cautious of.