Important announcement: Following the 2026 merger of Patient Advocate Foundation and the PAN Foundation, this website is now part of Patient Advocate Foundation and remains active during the transition. If you are currently receiving assistance, or would like to apply, visit TotalAssist.org to find your fund and access your account. For help by phone, call 866-512-3861, Monday through Friday, 8:30am to 5:30pm ET. Learn more about the merger and our organization.

Patient access report insights shared in NASP newsletter

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Patients living with chronic health conditions rate the overall state of healthcare access in the U.S. a “C,” according to the PAN Foundation Center for Patient Research’s flagship State of Patient Access Report initiative. And survey results suggest that patients with rare conditions experience more negative impacts of medical costs than those living with cancer or other chronic conditions.

In this article from the National Association of Specialty Pharmacy’s The Advocate Newsletter (pages 16-18), PAN Foundation Chief Mission Officer Amy Niles, highlights key findings from the 2025 State of Patient Access Report. In addition, she highlights what the PAN Foundation is doing to address the barriers highlighted in the report and what steps specialty pharmacies can take to help improve healthcare access and affordability for the patients they serve.

In addition to advocating for policy solutions, specialty pharmacies can talk with patients about their healthcare access and affordability challenges, identify resources to share with patients, and empower their staff and team members to help patients navigate their healthcare journeys.

State of Patient Access 2025 scorecard rates overall access to care a C plus, relationship with healthcare professionals a B, affordability of medications a B minus, access to treatment through healthcare plans a D minus, and financial toxicity a D plus.
The article highlights PAN’s scorecard of aggregate scores for five categories of healthcare access as rated by patients. Learn more about the scorecard

“Healthcare costs, insurance barriers, and medical debt are preventing patients with chronic illnesses in the U.S. from accessing essential treatments and medications,” reports Niles. The 2025 report findings show that healthcare access remains a significant challenge for many Americans, and that patients urgently need lasting policy solutions to healthcare access barriers, Niles explains. “That’s why we at the PAN Foundation remain committed to working with policymakers, patients, healthcare professionals, and patient advocacy organizations to break down barriers to care.”