Instructions
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Step 1:Contact The Bureau of Primary Health Care division of nHealth Resources and Services Administration. This organization has a network of clinics where you can get services and medications on a sliding scale or at no cost at all. You can check their website for a simple search engine interface that will list the clinics in your community (see Resources below).
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Step 2:Locate a hospital, clinic or other health care facility that participates in the Hill-Burton program. This is a government program that grants hospitals, nursing homes and other facilities funding for construction or equipment upgrades in exchange for free or reduced cost services for their community. Get a list of these hospitals on the HRSA website (see Resources below).
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Step 3:Apply for free or low-cost health insurance for your child with diabetes through your state. These programs are available in each state through the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), and while it will not directly provide you with free medicine for diabetes, it will provide you with insurance, which will likely cover your costs. Find your local office and even apply online (see Resources below).
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Step 4:Review the programs available through the Partnership for Prescription Assistance Program. Literally hundreds of options are available depending on your state and particular medication needs. You can see an entire list of programs or get a list of programs that you may be eligible for by using the interactive program search (see Resources below).
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Step 5:Apply for Medicare or Medicaid. These programs are not only able to provide some free medications directly, but they also make you eligible for other government programs that provide free medicines for diabetes. Check the Medicare website for free or lost-cost programs (see Resources below).
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Step 6:Ask your doctor for suggestions. She may be able to help you locate an assistance program, or provide you with free sample medicines for your diabetes.
Tips & Warnings
- Never accept an old prescription from another person. These older prescriptions may be out of date and no longer effective to help control your diabetes, or they may be the wrong dosage, which could cause multiple problems and even more medical expenses.
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