Pharmaceutical Commerce: AFP caution flag for patients
During our transition, where to find information about:
- Our merged organization: uniting.patientadvocate.org
- Financial assistance: totalassist.org
- Additional direct patient services and resources: patientadvocate.org
- Education: panfoundation.org and education.patientadvocate.org
- Clinical trials education: clinicaltrials.panfoundation.org
- Advocacy: npaf.org
- Research: patientinsightinstitute.org
Health plan sponsors, like employers that fund their own health coverage, may use alternative funding programs (AFPs) to save money by excluding some or all specialty medications from coverage. But while they use AFPs to lower their costs, they are hurting the very patients they should be serving.
In this column for Pharmaceutical Commerce, PAN’s President and CEO, Kevin L. Hagan, and Chief Advocacy and Engagement Officer, Amy Niles, outline how AFPs harm patients and put additional strain on existing safety net programs.