I've seen lots of posts on the boards about companies that offer copay assistance and I thought I'd offer my experience with the situation in case it may help some of you.....
In March this year I started Enbrel and MTX. I have good insurance (Humana) at work, but even with my insurance, my copay for the Enbrel is over $300 a month. (I know some people have to pay even more depending on their insurance coverage).
I'd heard about the HealthWell Foundation http://www.healthwellfoundation.com and how they help patients with their copayments. There are several other organizations that also help with copayments, but my experience has only been with HealthWell.
After a couple months worth of filling out various forms they'd sent me, tracking down my most recent W-4 tax form (I'd lost it in a recent move), and waiting for them to complete the paperwork processing....I finally got accepted! They agreed to pay almost 1/2 of my monthly copay amount each month. (Results will be different for everyone). My rheumy told me I'm the only patient she's had who has ever been accepted by one of the organizations. I figure because I jumped through all their hoops and was willing to fill out all the paperwork. So my point is....it's worth it! The Foundation has told me that they've had so many people participating in their assistance program that they've been behind in processing the reimbursements, but at least they do still pay. Right now, my reimbursement checks are about 2 months behind, but it's better than not getting them at all.
So I hope this helps anyone who has questions about whether or not it's worth it. The way I look at it is any assistance is better than nothing.
Hang in there and let me know if anyone has any other questions.
Alice