HealthWell Foundation Launches Fund to Assist Medicare Patients Living with ALS

The nonprofit HealthWell Foundation has just launched a pioneering fund to assist patients living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The fund will provide up to $15,000 in co-payment or premium assistance to eligible Medicare patients who have annual household incomes up to 500 percent of the federal poverty level.

“The financial impact on people living with ALS, and their families, is extreme and often results in their not benefiting from potential options,” Barb Newhouse, president and CEO of the ALS Association, said in a press release. “This program will provide important financial assistance to cover co-payments and premiums to eligible individuals, resulting in their ability to access care they would otherwise not be able to afford.”

HealthWell, based in Chantilly, Va., provides financial assistance to patients facing elevated medical expenses, resulting from insufficient insurance plans. HealthWell helps with treatment-related costs in different ways.

“The support provided through individual grants from the HealthWell Foundation will provide a critical resource for people living with ALS (PALS) and clinics to meet the challenge of providing care and medications when there are significant co-pays and lack of a secondary insurance for already financially strapped PALS and families with ALS. This is certainly an unmet need,” said Terry Heiman-Patterson, co-chair of the Northeast ALS Consortium.

To check eligibility for financial assistance with HealthWell, visit the ALS Medicare Access program webpage. Applicants must be currently receiving treatment for ALS in the United States, have Medicare, and have income that does not exceed the program’s guidelines. Patients may apply for a second grant within 12 months subject to availability of funds.

“Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we are now able to offer ALS patients on Medicare a financial lifeline to assist with costs associated with the treatment and management of their disease,” added Krista Zodet, president of the HealthWell Foundation. “Through the fund, we hope to mitigate the constant concern about the financial burden of treatment these patients face each day.”

For more information, contact HealthWell at (800) 675-8416 or at [email protected].