Education is a cornerstone of the Patient Access Network (PAN) Foundation mission to ensure everyone has access to affordable, equitable healthcare.
The U.S. healthcare system is notoriously difficult to navigate, let alone understand. By providing clear education about complex topics, we empower people to understand challenges they might face when accessing healthcare, allowing them to advocate for themselves throughout their journey to optimal health.
The PAN Foundation offers educational online resources on topics that are often hard to explain, and even harder to navigate, including recent Medicare Part D reforms, clinical trials, the federal Extra Help program, copay accumulators, and alternative funding programs.
Medicare education resources
PAN offers several easy-to-understand education guides to Medicare programs and reforms.
Everything you need to know about Medicare reforms
To help patients and healthcare professionals better understand the key Medicare Part D reforms passed as part of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, we developed an educational resource hub.
Understanding the Medicare Part D cap
Out-of-pocket costs for prescription medications will be capped at $2,000 for enrollees starting in 2025. PAN walks you through how this works and which medications are covered by the cap.
Understanding the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan
The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan is a new voluntary, opt-in Medicare Part D payment option going into effect in 2025 that lets you spread your out-of-pocket drug payments throughout the calendar year. PAN provides a clear guide to this plan, including example monthly payment plans.
Extra Help program for people on Medicare
The Low-Income Subsidy (LIS) or Extra Help program, is a federal program for people on Medicare drug plans with limited income that helps pay for monthly premiums, annual deductibles, and copays. PAN’s guide to Extra Help includes a tool to check your eligibility.
Medicare open enrollment
Prepare for 2025 Medicare open enrollment with PAN’s guide to understanding how the Medicare prescription drug plans will change.
Clinical trials
Our robust, easy-to-understand, unbiased education platform offers information and tools to support patients who want to explore their options related to clinical trial enrollment and participation. Use our educational guides to understand how clinical trials work, how to select and enroll in a trial, what to expect, clinical trial safety, the importance of diversity in clinical trials, and how to talk to your healthcare professionals. The education hub also offers a directory to find a clinical trial and how to connect with the PAN Foundation’s ComPANion Access Navigator services.
Programs that prevent access to care
Alternative funding programs
If you have health insurance through your employer, your insurance plan may be using a cost-saving approach known as an alternative funding program (AFP) that could hurt your access to specialty medications and increase your out-of-pocket medication costs. Even if your healthcare provider prescribes a specialty medication that is the best course of treatment for your condition, your health insurance plan may deny coverage and then require you to choose between enrolling in an alternative funding program or paying in full for the medication. Read PAN’s educational guide to AFPs to understand how AFPs prevent access to medications and increases out-of-pocket costs for patients with rare and chronic health conditions.
Protecting your access to medications
Commercial health insurers have adopted programs and policies—including copay accumulators, copay maximizers, and alternative funding programs (AFPs)—that limit access to medications and increase the out-of-pocket financial burden for patients living with life-threatening, chronic, and rare diseases. We developed an educational resource to help patients and others learn about these harmful programs and how to take action.
Patient financial assistance
If you have a hard time paying for your prescription medications or treatments, help may be available. Financial assistance options for patients are available from multiple sources: the federal government, state government, nonprofit programs, and the private sector, which usually includes for-profit companies. Note that this list is not all-inclusive, and other financial assistance programs may be available.
If you’re worried about the cost of your prescription medications, explore our guide to your options and resources that are available to help reduce out-of-pocket prescription medication costs.
Charitable patient assistance foundations, like the PAN Foundation, are independent, nonprofit organizations that provide financial assistance and other patient services to people living with life-threatening, chronic, and rare diseases. Explore our guide to charitable patient assistance foundations, why and how they operate, and what you should look for in a foundation.
Recursos educativos en español
Lea nuestras guías educativas sobre las reformas de Medicare, los estudios clínicos, cómo ahorrar dinero en medicamentos recetados y cómo encontrar asistencia financiera para sus medicamentos.
- Nuestra guía: todo lo que necesita saber sobre las reformas en Medicare
- Obtenga más información sobre los programas de financiación alternativa
- Recursos para aprender más sobre estudios clínicos
- Cómo encontrar asistencia financiera para sus medicamentos
- Consejos para ahorrar dinero en medicamentos recetados
Health equity
Health Equity in Action webinar series
In 2023, the PAN Foundation and CVS Specialty presented a four-part webinar series to equip healthcare professionals and advocates with actionable strategies to help patients break down barriers to care. Each webinar convened a diverse group of leading subject matter experts for critical conversations covering various topics, from mental health services to clinical trials to the unique challenges and needs in rural communities.
Read our webinar recaps and watch recordings of these webinars:
- Understanding health inequities
- Mitigating barriers to mental health services
- Expanding diversity in clinical trials
- Addressing the needs of rural communities
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