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FINANCIAL HELP for FuchsSupport Members The #1 place to contact for financial help with eye dr bills for FuchsSupport Group members would be to contact your local Lions Club. The international Lions Club is in charge of all of the world EyeBanks (where donated corneas are sent to process and send out to doctors for cornea transplants). They also collect old eyeglasses to send around the world to those who need them. They have helped many of our members who are in financial need, and they MAY be of help to you, if you need it:
http://www.lionsclubs.org/EN/about-lions/index.php Here is another possible place of help, particularly for medicenes. This link was found by Judy N/PA http://www.needymeds.org/index.shtml The following information was provided by Judy N/PA, who also received permission from Prevent Blindness America to put on our website (Note that giving permission for us to post this does not in any way indicate an endorsement for FuchsSupport from Prevent Blindness America): Financial Assistance Information
American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) Post Office Box 7424 San Francisco, California 94120 (415) 561-8500 FAX: (415) 561-8533
American Optometric Association (AOA) 243 North Lindbergh Boulevard St. Louis, Missouri 63141 (800) 365-2219 FAX: (314) 991-4101
Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry 6110 Executive Boulevard, Suite 510 Rockville, Maryland 20852 (301) 231-5944 FAX: (301) 770-1828
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 7500 Security Boulevard Baltimore, Maryland 21244 (877) 267-2323
Sponsors several public service projects in conjunction with the Knights Templar Eye Foundation, under the umbrella name of EyeCare America. See: Diabetes EyeCare, Glaucoma EyeCare, and Seniors EyeCare. Sponsors VISION USA, a program offering free eye exams all year. Call (800) 766-4466 to request an application or to make inquiries. Many optometry schools offer low-cost care to people willing to be treated by supervised students. They may also provide free care to people who join research studies. Visit the website, call or write with questions that cannot be answered by your local Social Security office. Page 2 Diabetes EyeCare Post Office Box 7424 San Francisco, California 94120 (800) 272-3937 [24-hour hotline]
Elected Official Glaucoma EyeCare Post Office Box 7424 San Francisco, California 94120 (800) 391-3937 [24-hour hotline]
Health Department The Hill Burton Program Health Resources and Services Administration 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 10C-16 Rockville, Maryland 20857 (800) 492-0359 (in-state only) (800) 638-0742 [24-hour hotline] Feel free to leave a message after the recording.
Lions Clubs International 300 22nd Street Oak Brook, Illinois 60523 (630) 571-5466 (800) 747-4448
Sponsored by EyeCare America through the American Academy of Ophthalmology, they screen callers with diabetes. Those who qualify are referred to a participating ophthalmologist in their area. Patients have to be U.S. citizens or legal residents who are 65 and older, have diabetes, and not been to an ophthalmologist in the last three years. Check with your state elected official. Sponsored by EyeCare America through the American Academy of Ophthalmology, they screen callers for glaucoma risk factors. Those who qualify are referred to a participating ophthalmologist in their area. Patients have to be U.S. citizens or legal residents, and not had an eye exam in the last year. Call your local office. Participating hospitals and other healthcare facilities provide medical care for free, or at reduced cost, to those who meet eligibility requirements based on family size and income. Procedures covered vary from hospital to hospital. Request a list of assisting sites available in your state and apply at the hospital. Provides financial assistance to individuals for eye care through local clubs. Check your telephone book for the telephone number and address of a local club. Page 3 Assists patients who are concerned about access to Lucentis (a drug treatment for AMD developed by Genentech) and assists them with health insurance coverage and reimbursement issues. Assists people to enroll in one or more of the many patient assistance programs that provide prescription medicine free of charge to those in need. Patients must meet the sponsor’s criteria. The program is conducted in cooperation with the patient’s doctor. Coordinated by the Volunteer Eye Surgeon’s Association, it is a program providing free cataract surgery to people of all ages who have no other means to pay. Surgeries are scheduled annually on one day, usually in May. They provide free information on their website regarding the safe use of medicines.
Lucentis® Access Solutions PHONE: (866) 724-9394 FAX: (866) 724-9412 e-mail: accesssolutionsluc-d@gene.com www.lucentisaccesssolutions.com
Bureau of Prescription Help Post Office Box 515 Doniphan, Missouri 63935 (573) 996-7300 www.freemedicinefoundation.com
Mission Cataract USA 6716 N. Cedar Avenue – Suite 212 Fresno, California 93710 (800) 343-7265* * Please note – you will receive a voice message when you call this number. Leave your contact info and someone will return your call.
National Council on Patient Information and Education 4915 Saint Elmo Avenue – Suite 505 Bethesda, Maryland 20814 (301) 656-8565 FAX: (301) 656-4464
National Federation of the Blind 1800 Johnson Street Baltimore, Maryland 21230 (410) 659-9314
They work to improve social and economic conditions of blind persons. Provides evaluations of present programs and assistance in establishing new ones. Grants scholarships to blind persons. Has a public education program including speakers’ bureau. Has several special interest divisions, including those for diabetics, educators, lawyers, parents of blind children, students and public employees. Have affiliates in all states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
Page 4 NeedyMeds Post Office Box 219 Gloucester, MA 01930 (419) 625-9609 FAX: (419) 858-7221
New Eyes for the Needy 549 Millburn Avenue Post Office Box 332 Short Hills, NJ 07078 (973) 376-4903 FAX: (973) 376-3807
One Sight Box 277175 Dallas, Texas 75222 (972) 277-5000 (972) 277-5992
Partnership for Prescription Assistance 1100 15th Street, Northwest Washington, DC 20005 (888) 477-2669 FAX: (202) 835-3414
Public Aid Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) Salvation Army Senior Centers They provide information obtained directly from the drug manufacturers regarding special programs to assist people who can’t afford to buy the drugs they need. They accept donations of used prescription eyeglasses and distribute them to persons with limited incomes. Recipients must have a letter of referral from a social services agency. They help low-income individuals receive eye surgery, low-vision equipment, eye exams and eyeglass assistance programs. They will also help eligible non-profit organizations to buy equipment or with program development. Write for an application and information on the quarterly deadlines for individuals and information on block grants for non-profit organizations. HelpingPatients.org is a new interactive website by PhRMA and 48 of its member companies. This site is designed to help people find patient assistance programs for which they may qualify. Check with your state, county, or city office. Contact your local Medicare office for information on qualifying. Contact your local office. Contact your local center to see if they have financial resource information in your area.
Page 5 Seniors EyeCare Post Office Box 429098 San Francisco, California 94142 (800) 222-3937 [24-hour hotline]
Sight for Students, a Vision Service Plan (VSP) (888) 290-4964
Social Security Administration (SSA) Social Workers Specified Low Income Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB) United Way Vision USA (800)766-4466 (7am-7pm CST)
Inclusion of this material does not constitute endorsement by Prevent Blindness America. Sponsored by the AAO and Knights Templar Foundation, they provide a comprehensive medical eye examination and treatment for any condition diagnosed at the initial visit. If a disease is diagnosed and requires ongoing care, treatment will be provided through the project for one year. To qualify, patients have to be U.S. citizens or legal residents who are 65 and older, and not been to an ophthalmologist in the last three years. Contact your local Prevent Blindness America affiliate for more details. This program is in partnership with The Entertainment Industry Foundation, and provides eye exams and glasses to children 18 years old and younger whose families cannot afford vision care. Contact a social worker at a hospital or other community agency. Social workers are often knowledgeable about community resources that can help people facing financial and medical problems. Call your local Social Security Administration office for information on qualifying. Call your local Medicare office for information. Check with your local office. Coordinated by the American Optometric Association (AOA), they provide free eye care to uninsured, low-income, working Americans and their families. Patients cannot have had an eye examination in the past 24 months. Applications may be obtained on the AOA website, along with more information. Click on “Meet the AOA” on the left side of the navigator bar, then look for the VISION USA icon. This publication is copyrighted. This sheet may be reproduced—unaltered in hard print (photocopied) for educational purposes only. The Prevent Blindness America name, logo, telephone number and copyright information may not be omitted. Electronic reproduction, other reprint, excerption or use is not permitted without written consent. Because of the time-sensitive nature of the information contained in this publication, contact Prevent Blindness America for updates. IC03 09-022 2/09 © 2009 Prevent Blindness America® All rights reserved. This publication is added to the FuchsSupport Library by permission from Prevent Blindness America via email 2/9/11. Prevent Blindness America http://www.preventblindness.org/ 221 West Wacker Dr. Suite 1700 Chicago IL 60606 Toll free 800-331-2020 Local 312-363-6001 Fax 312-363-6052 Copyright © FuchsSupport Owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of this website (including the logo) may, for commerial, profit-making, non-profit organization, or other non-personal purposes, be reproduced in any form, or stored in a database or retrieval system, or transmitted or distributed in any form by any means, electronic, photocopy, or otherwise, without prior written permission of the author. | |
