Insulin company offers free 90-day supply amid coronavirus pandemic. Who qualifies?
An insulin company is offering a free 90-day supply to people with diabetes who’ve been financially affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
People who use Novo Nordisk insulin who have lost health insurance coverage during the pandemic may be eligible for the company’s Diabetes Patient Assistance Program, according to a news release.
Enrollment in the program allows insulin users a 90-day supply for free, the company said.
Those who wish to apply do not have to provide proof of income, but rather documentation showing loss of health care benefits such as a job termination notice or job status change, the release said. Proof that they’re being offered COBRA benefits will also suffice.
“We know people need more help right now and we want to do something that could make an immediate difference,” president Doug Lana said in the release. “Patients have enough issues to worry about at this moment. We don’t want being able to pay for their insulin to be one of them.”
If eligible patients are also being denied Medicaid benefits, insulin assistance could be extended to the end of the year, the company said.
Those applying for the company’s Diabetes Patient Assistance Program must have a valid prescription for Novo Nordisk insulin and be a U.S. citizen.
To be eligible, applicants must have either Medicare or no insurance and a total household income at or below 400% the federal poverty level, according to the company’s website.
Applicants must not qualify for or be enrolled in any federal, state or government programs, the site says. There is an exception for people who are eligible for Medicaid but have applied and been denied.
Eli Lilly
Another insulin company has also launched a program that cuts the cost of insulin prescriptions during the pandemic.
Earlier this month, Eli Lilly launched the Lilly Insulin Value Program which allows those with commercial insurance and without insurance to fill their monthly prescription for $35, the company said in a news release.
Those interested can call the Lilly Diabetes Solution Center at 833-808-1234 on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. EDT, the release said.
The offer is not available to those with government insurance including Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare Part D and others.
Sanofi
Available before the pandemic, Sanofi Rx Savings Program also provides certain insulin prescriptions, including Lantus, Toujeo and Soliqua, for as low as $0 to commercially insured patients, according to the company’s website.
The offer is not valid to those covered by federal or state programs including Medicare or Medicaid, the company said.
Read more about it here.
This story was originally published April 21, 2020 at 9:38 AM with the headline "Insulin company offers free 90-day supply amid coronavirus pandemic. Who qualifies?."