If you’re a patient who takes prescription medications to treat a chronic illness, you likely have many questions and concerns right now about maintaining access. Issues with medication access vary by medication type and are changing rapidly.
If you need to get medication infusions at a doctor’s office, clinic, or hospital, you may have concerns about being exposed to COVID-19 in a health care setting. If you take certain prescription pain medications that require being picked up from the pharmacy in person, you may be worried about COVID-19 exposure there.
Whether you rely on hydroxychloroquine for lupus, insulin for diabetes, or diuretics for high blood pressure, you know that any barrier to your medication can be life-threatening.
We need EVERY state to protect patients’ access to their prescription medication. Help us advocate for ALL patients by becoming a volunteer patient advocate today.
Submit the form below to sign up to be a volunteer advocate with our advocacy arm, the 50-State Network. Our advocacy team is monitoring new policies as they develop in each state, and we may need to call upon patient volunteers to share their experiences. We will work closely with you to find volunteer opportunities that make the most sense for you. This can include speaking with the media, sharing your story with legislators on Capitol Hill, or writing an op-ed for local or national news outlets.
Help Protect Patients’ Access to Prescription Medication: Become a 50-State Network Patient Advocate
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What have states been doing to protect patients?
New York: We applaud Governor Andrew Cuomo for issuing a directive that health insurance companies must cover a patient’s replacement medication if their usual medication becomes unavailable.
All health insurers have a list of medications they cover called a “formulary list.” If the patient’s medication is no longer available due to public demand amid coronavirus fears, Governor Cuomo’s directive would require that the health insurer must cover the patient’s substitute medication, even if that medication is not on their formulary/coverage list. This protects patients from the burden of out-of-pocket costs that could have otherwise prevented them from accessing their substitute medication.
If your state has recently issued policies to protect patients, please let us know sending us an email.
About the 50-State Network
The 50-State Network is the grassroots advocacy arm of CreakyJoints and the Global Healthy Living Foundation.
It is comprised of patients with chronic illness who are trained as health care activists to proactively connect with local, state, and federal health policy stakeholders to share their perspective and influence change. Through public and personalized opportunities to advocate for the chronic disease community, the 50-State Network mobilizes patients to voice their concerns about access to treatment, quality of care, and the need to prioritize the physician-patient relationship. Learn more at 50StateNetwork.org.
