Lifesaving drugs shouldn’t cost an arm and a leg. If you need an EpiPen, an asthma inhaler or diabetes medications, you already know that. You need the meds. They’re not nice to have; they’re must-haves. But they cost too much.
To help combat high prescription drug costs, I proposed Santa Clara County’s new MedAssist effort, a program that helps cover the cost of lifesaving medications for qualifying residents who have been diagnosed with diabetes, asthma or severe allergies. In September 2022, the program was expanded to include an even fuller range of medications for diabetes care.
MedAssist provides monthly grants to help cover the high out-of-pocket cost of prescription medications like anti-diabetics (including insulin), asthma inhalers and epinephrine auto-injectors. The program is designed so that the majority of adults and children in our county meet income eligibility requirements. If you meet the eligibility requirements, you’ll receive a grant payment to offset paid medical expenses, prescriptions, co-pays or health insurance premiums based on your annual gross household income.
In Santa Clara County, we have nearly 120,000 adults who have been diagnosed with diabetes, over 250,000 adults and children with asthma and over 20,000 individuals who are prescribed epinephrine auto-injectors for allergic reactions. It’s likely you or someone you know relies on painfully pricey anti-diabetics, inhalers or EpiPens to function on a daily basis. The high cost of living in our area, however, means paying for essential medications can threaten someone’s ability to pay the rent, make the mortgage payment or put food on the table. Even when lives are at stake.
That’s why I proposed MedAssist. The program serves people with good middle-class incomes who are nevertheless struggling to cover these costs. MedAssist provides real help, even to those with private insurance. On average, grantees receive about $200 per month deposited directly to their accounts. In fact, the grants can be as much as $1,250 per month for a family with qualifying prescriptions.
MedAssist was specifically designed for those in our community who fall into the missing middle—folks with an income that’s a little too high to qualify for existing healthcare subsidies, but not quite enough to cover the cost of accessing the necessary medication or pay for high-end insurance coverage.
It’s been a struggle. Over the years, both the state and federal governments have tried to address prescription drug costs. The Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law last year, includes provisions to lower prescription drug costs for insulin for older Americans on Medicare. And here in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom recently announced that the state would partner with the nonprofit drug company Civica Rx in an effort to produce low-cost insulin. These actions will undoubtedly help some people with diabetes, including our Santa Clara County residents.
Unfortunately, however, these efforts won’t help people who take prescription drugs to treat their diabetes; or those who use newer kinds of insulin not covered by these new programs; or who need high-cost medications for other conditions like asthma or severe allergies. But MedAssist does.
I’m glad the state and federal governments are still looking for solutions. But until they are providing diabetes medications and all insulin products for free, or at a significantly lower price, MedAssist will remain a vital resource in improving the health and welfare of people with diabetes — as well as asthma and severe allergies — in our communities. When we make it easier for folks to afford lifesaving expensive prescriptions, we not only help them financially, we also help make sure they get the medication they need to keep themselves healthy.
So take care of yourself. And tell a friend. You can apply online at GetMedAssist.com or call 408-970-2001 for more information.
Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian represents District 5, which includes Cupertino, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Saratoga, Stanford, San Jose’s Almaden Valley and unincorporated communities in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Sign up for Simitian’s monthly newsletter at district5.sccgov.org/newsletter.
Source: www.mercurynews.com