Patient assistance programs (PAPs) help people who are uninsured, underinsured or can’t meet their out-of-pocket expenses for health care. They are most commonly known as drugmaker-run programs, but, technically, any help one gets on health costs beyond one’s insurance, such as assistance from nonprofits, foundations or from government programs such as Ryan White AIDS Drug Assistance Program are considered PAPs.

The easiest way to find out whether a drugmaker PAP can help pay for a medication you can’t afford is to ask your pharmacist for help or to search online using the name of the med and the terms “patient assistance” or “co-pay assistance.” Most drugmakers have their own special PAPs for their drugs and their websites will walk you through what you need to do. You can always ask your health provider, pharmacist or local HIV and AIDS service organization for help as well. 

Generally, to access a PAP, you must be a citizen or legal U.S. resident and show that you have no other way to cover the drug or the co-pay and that you meet income eligibility requirements.

You can also look at PAP clearinghouse websites like this one from Medicare or this one from RxAssist.