Financial Assistance

What is the Program?

The Kidney TRUST is piloting a new Financial Assistance Program (FAP) for people on dialysis who are having trouble managing co-pays, co-insurance and deductibles for medical treatment, services, and prescription drugs that are covered under their private health insurance plan.

The FAP pilot will be conducted in selected cities in California, Colorado, Iowa, and Texas.  Approximately 230 grants of up to $3,000 will be made during the pilot phase to help with eligible expenses incurred during the grant period, which will cover a twelve (12) month period.

Eligibility criteria details and the application process are noted below.  For more information, including a copy of the application and applicant agreement, contact us at fap@kidneytrust.org or by phone at 1-866-399-7634.  The due date for completed applications is November 10, 2008.

What is the Purpose of the Program?

The purpose of the program is to:

• Help dialysis patients manage financially while maintaining their private insurance coverage, which generally is more comprehensive with a wider range of provider choices than Medicare coverage.
• Enable patients to continue working, which contributes positively to their quality of life and emotional well-being.
• Address the problem of patients discontinuing vital drugs and/or treatments because they cannot afford high co-pays and deductibles, and therefore, adversely impacting their health.
• Avoid premature draw on the Medicare Trust Fund.

Who Is Eligible?

To be eligible for an FAP grant, applicants must:

• Be on dialysis.
• Have primary health insurance coverage through an employer group health plan (EGHP) or COBRA.  Primary insured may be self, spouse, parent, domestic partner or guardian.
• Have a household income that is no higher than 600% of the Federal Poverty Level up to a maximum of $148,800.
• Complete the FAP application form, including all supporting documentation.
• Applicants who are not eligible for other medical assistance programs will be given preference.

What Are Eligible Expenses?

If the applicant is awarded a grant, it will cover co-pays, deductibles, and co-insurance for medical treatment, services, and prescription drugs that are covered under the applicant’s health insurance.  Treatment and prescription drugs must be for the applicant only, not family members or others. Qualified expenses are not limited to applicant’s dialysis or kidney disease but must be covered under the applicant’s insurance and ordered by his/her doctor.  The grant pays for out-of-pocket costs for co-pays, co-insurance and deductibles.  Payment for expenses will not exceed the amount of the grant.

How Are Eligible Expenses Paid?

Those applicants who are awarded a grant will receive a “FlexCard” (a MasterCard debit card) to pay for eligible expenses.  In addition, eligible expenses can be reimbursed by submitting appropriate receipts.  Detailed instructions for use of the Flexcard and for the expense reimbursement process will be provided to applicants who are approved to receive a grant.

What is the Application Process?

In order to be considered for the FAP, applicants should work with their dialysis provider representative to complete and submit the Application for Assistance and Applicant Agreement.  The Application describes the required steps and the Agreement details responsibilities.  Both must be signed by the applicant.

Please note that the due date for applications for the pilot phase is November 10, 2008.

What is The Kidney TRUST?

The Kidney TRUST is an independent non-profit organization that believes everyone should be empowered to take a proactive role in their health.  Toward that end, the TRUST is seeking to reduce the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) through free, rapid screening in non-medical settings and to provide financial assistance to people affected by CKD.

For more information about the TRUST, please visit www.KidneyTRUST.org.