The information in this article was current as of the time of publication

I had the opportunity to meet with Anita Reynolds, the Relationship Manager for Patients Programs for Patient Advocate Foundation on January 12th. Anita and I had a pleasant conversation about her organization and all of the ways it can assist people who live in the United States with the “red tape” aspect of having a rare disease or a cancer of any kind, such as financial benefits and health insurance navigation.

Patient Advocate Foundation has impressive beginnings. It begins with two very good friends, Cheryl Grimmel and Nancy Davenport-Ennis. Both had cancer. Because Nancy’s health insurance plan was more comprehensive, it covered her life saving treatment. Cheryl’s did not. Cheryl’s family, being desperate, did fundraisers and decimated their own personal life savings to raise enough funds to enroll Cheryl into a drug trial. It was 1994 when Cheryl died, but Nancy and her husband Jack were already forming a plan to start Patient Advocate Foundation. Nancy had lost too many people to cancer, and she decided this was a wake up call to take action.

Patient Advocate Foundation (AKA PAF) was founded along with sister organization National Patient Advocate Foundation in April of 1996. Please read more about how the foundation started.

What is the purpose of this organization?

PAF is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit charity that provides services like co-pay assistance, financial aid, and scholarships to people with chronic, debilitating, or life-threatening illnesses and diseases to folks who live in the United States. There are available by phone during business hours (1-866-512-3861) but also have an on-line intake form you can fill out at any time. They also provide valuable resources on their website under the Explore our Resources tab on the home page at www.patientadvocate.org .

This is a snippet of what they do…

We can help patients with:

Access to care

• Getting prescribed medical treatment and services
• Understanding what your health insurance covers and your options if you don’t have insurance

Paying for treatment

• Getting approvals and payments from health insurance
• Appealing insurance denials
• Applying to insurance programs, like Medicaid, Medicare, and the Health Insurance Marketplace
• Applying to programs that help pay for co-pays and insurance premiums
• Applying for free or low-cost healthcare and medicine programs
• Getting discounts or setting up payment plans

Paying for living expenses

• Applying for programs that can help pay for things like food, rent, utilities, and transportation
• Applying for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)

Employment

• Helping you use your employee benefits, like health insurance and sick leave
• Understanding laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
• Applying for disability insurance to help with income if you can’t work; and helping you challenge disability denials, if needed (https://www.patientadvocate.org/connect-with-services/case-management-services-and-medcarelines/)

This video from their website at https://www.patientadvocate.org/ is just one of many testimonies and examples of what they do:

Carolyn Testimonial from Patient Advocate on Vimeo.

College Scholarships

Please check into their scholarship programs as the applications for the fall semester are still open until March 9th, 2022 here: https://www.patientadvocate.org/connect-with-services/apply-for-a-scholarship/

Finally, they are a non-profit, so your donation can help “pay it forward” for other individuals and families who need financial assistance. https://impact.patientadvocate.org/give/197762/#!/donation/checkout

Acknowledgements/Awards

https://greatnonprofits.org/org/patient-advocate-foundation-inc

https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/541806317

https://www.guidestar.org/profile/54-1806317

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