In 2021, the PAN Foundation reached a milestone, surpassing 1 million patients served.
We’re proud of the financial assistance we’ve provided to those living with chronic and serious conditions, but our patients are more than a diagnosis. Our annual report introduces you to some of the grandmothers, veterans, animal lovers, and friends we were honored to help in 2021.
Meet our first million
Supporting the whole patient with copay assistance and beyond
In 2021, we proudly provided more than $380 million in financial assistance to 160,554 patients.
From providing financial assistance for nearly 70 diseases to helping patients with their transportation needs—including nine new funds in 2021—our initiatives remove barriers to treatment and improve health outcomes. Where our nation’s safety net ends, we step in.
Supporting every health journey
We’ve continued to expand our services to holistically address the needs of our patients, with the support of the thousands of healthcare professionals in our network. In 2021, we helped patients apply for federal assistance programs, supported their transportation needs, and expanded our mental health offerings. We are committed to meeting our patients where they are and supporting them along their health journey.
“My medicine bills were getting so ridiculous that I was having to choose, ‘Do I want medicine or groceries?’ I had heard people talk about that before, but that was my first time facing it.”
Mary-Ellen Harwood, good friend, and nature lover
Read Mary-Ellen’s story on page 15 of the report
“PAN allows patients the financial security to focus on what is most important in their life: their physical and emotional well-being, their family and friends, and the ability to be strong in an uncertain time.”
Donna Cortright, serving patients in Connecticut
Read Donna’s story on page 27 of the report
Calling on Congress
We continued our advocacy work—from writing opinion pieces to visiting Capitol Hill virtually—keeping our focus on the pressing needs of the people we serve.
14 position statements
Outlining key policy recommendations to improve healthcare access and affordability
4 advocacy coalitions
With Medicare Access for Patients Rx and All Copays Count Coalition
22 policy letters
Sent to Congress and the Administration to increase healthcare access and affordability
6 issue briefs
Analyzing and explaining key healthcare issues
5 national polls
Exploring healthcare affordability facing older adults
15+ opinion pieces and media mentions
Including Morning Consult, The Hill, Kaiser Health News, and Conquer Magazine
Our main policy priorities were:
- Placing an annual cap on out-of-pocket prescription medication costs for Medicare beneficiaries
- Smoothing out-of-pocket costs evenly throughout the benefit year for Medicare beneficiaries
- Expanding the federal Extra Help program income eligibility criteria and streamlining the application process
- Eliminating copay accumulator programs in commercial health insurance plans
We helped advocates send nearly 16,000 emails to their Congress members supporting lower out-of-pocket costs and other healthcare reforms.
Thousands of patients and supporters joined us in asking elected officials to pass legislation to relieve the financial burden of living with a chronic disease. We will continue, with the support of these grassroots advocates, calling on Congress for increased healthcare access and affordability for all.