The Patient Advocate Foundation is a national non-profit organization that serves as liaison between patients and their insurers, employers and/or creditors to resolve insurance, job retention, or debt crisis matters related to their illness.
Strengths: Cancer patients who are having problems getting medical care or approval from their insurance companies to pay for certain procedures or tests may look to the foundation for help. This organization can help patients navigate health care and insurance issues, as well as other job-related and financial issues.
Advocacy and Legal Assistance
The Patient Advocate Foundation’s professional case managers and attorneys specialize in mediation, negotiation, and education on behalf of patients experiencing problems getting access to medical care, job-related issues, denial of income and/or health benefits, and financial problems related to housing, utilities, food, and transportation. In the Personalized Help section, there is an extensive list of FAQ’s, which answers questions about how to get case management assistance, financial assistance, and insurance. If you do not find your question answered in this section, there is also a form that you can fill out to request help regarding access to care, job retention, debt crisis, and other such services. You can also contact the Foundation at help@patientadvocate.org or by calling 800-532-5274.
Financial Assistance
The Patient Advocate Foundation’s Co-Pay Relief (CPR) Program provides direct co-payment assistance for prescriptions to insured Americans who financially and medically qualify. The Foundation also offers personal services to all patients in the program through its call counselors. These counselors personally guide patients through the simple enrollment process by collecting financial and medical information. Once eligibility has been determined, you will need to complete a more detailed application. Patients who qualify for the program will be assigned their own call counselor who will be available to answer any questions during the process. To see if you qualify for this program, call toll-free 866-512-3861, or submit the short form on the Contact Us page. Information is also available in Spanish.
Insurance Appeals and Employment Discrimination
The Patient Advocate Foundation’s Web site includes Your Guide to the Appeals Process, a guide for patients who are having problems getting their health insurance companies to pay for diagnostic tests, lab work, or treatment. The guide includes sample appeal letters you can personalize to send to your insurance company. Other helpful resources include First My Illness, Now Job Discrimination: Steps to Resolution, a guide designed to empower patients who may be dealing with illness-related job discrimination. The site also has information for patients in need of insurance and debt crisis assistance. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to read these publications. If you don’t have this software, you can download it free from the Internet.
