As the PAN Foundation works to advocate for improved healthcare access, affordability, and equity for all, we want to hear directly from patients and healthcare professionals like you about your personal experience with key healthcare policies. By sharing your stories with us, you help to ensure policymakers understand how the policies they enact directly impact patients across the country.
Share your step therapy story
Step therapy—or “fail first” policies—are health insurance policies that require patients to try and fail an insurer-preferred medication before covering the medication that was originally prescribed. These policies can delay access to recommended prescriptions. For some patients, this can also lead to severe side effects and irreversible disease progression. Is this something you or your patients have had to deal with? Has it delayed your access to care? If so, we’d like to hear your story to help us advocate against harmful practices like these.
Share your prior authorization story
Prior authorization is when patients or their healthcare professional need pre-approval from their insurance provider before they can get coverage for a prescribed medication. Too often, this practice disrupts care delivery and can lead to negative health outcomes for patients. Have you or your patients faced delayed access to care because of prior authorization practices? If so, we’d like to hear your story as we advocate for policymakers to put patients first and minimize the use of such practices.
Share your telehealth story
Telehealth continues to be a vital lifeline to care for millions of people in the United States—especially for older adults, underserved communities, and those in rural areas. However, without Congressional action, Medicare’s telehealth flexibilities put in place during the pandemic will expire by the end of 2024—potentially cutting off crucial healthcare access for many. What has been your experience using telehealth? How has access to telehealth services benefited you or your patients? We want to hear your story to help us advocate for long-term Medicare telehealth coverage.
Share your copay accumulator story
Copay accumulator policies used by commercial health insurers prevent patients from using financial assistance to count toward their deductibles, resulting in a much larger overall out-of-pocket financial burden. You might have gotten financial assistance (such as manufacturers’ coupons or support from an assistance organization) for your medication costs, only to be told your insurance won’t let it count towards your deductible. Have you or your patients faced increased out of pocket costs or delayed access to your care because of copay accumulator programs? If so, we’d like to hear your story as we advocate for policymakers against harmful policies like these.
Share your alternative funding program story
Some commercial health plans use alternative funding programs (AFPs) to avoid covering expensive specialty medications. These plans won’t cover specialty medicines, labeling them as non-essential health benefits. Instead, the plans send you to enroll in an alternative funding program (AFP), operated by vendors that are separate from your health plan and are not health insurance. The AFP vendors then help patients get medications for free from patient assistance programs, such as those operated by pharmaceutical manufacturer programs and independent charitable foundations. Have you or your patients faced increased medication costs or delayed access to your care because of AFPs? If so, we’d like to hear your story as we advocate for policymakers against harmful policies like these.