Specialty Pharmacy Continuum features PAN’s research on patient familiarity with financial assistance programs
Information about this website: Following the March 2026 merger of Patient Advocate Foundation and the PAN Foundation, this website is now a part of Patient Advocate Foundation and remains active during our website transition.
Where to find information during our transition:
- About the 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
Only 2 in 5 adults in the U.S. with a chronic condition report they understand their healthcare plan very well, and only 1 in 5 report high familiarity with financial assistance programs available to help patients in need cover the cost of prescription medications. This research was featured in an article by Specialty Pharmacy Continuum discussing how low familiarity with their health insurance plans causes patients to skip or delay healthcare treatment.
The results of PAN’s national patient survey were presented at Asembia’s AXS25 Summit this year. “It’s clear that people have challenges navigating and understanding their healthcare plans,” Amy Niles, the chief mission officer for the PAN Foundation, told Specialty Pharmacy Continuum after the presentation. Niles added in her interview with the publication, “People don’t dive into their [health] plans until they need something. For example, if diagnosed with a chronic disease, they now have to understand what their plan covers, including medications. And, in general, plans are confusing to understand.”