Many states offer State Pharmaceutical Assistance Programs (SPAPs) to help residents pay for prescription drugs. Each program works differently.
States may coordinate their drug assistance programs with Medicare’s prescription drug benefit (Part D). Some SPAPs require that you sign up for Part D in order to qualify for assistance. In these cases, if a drug is covered by both your SPAP and your Part D plan, both the amount you pay for your prescriptions plus the amount the SPAP pays will count toward the out-of-pocket maximum you have to pay before reaching catastrophic coverage.
Your SPAP may also help pay for your Part D plan’s:
- Premium
- Deductible
- Copayments
Certain states have qualified SPAPs. Qualified SPAPs provide a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) to allow you to enroll in or make changes to your Part D or Medicare Advantage Medicare Advantage, also known as Part C, Medicare Private Health Plan, or Medicare Managed Care Plan, allows you to get Medicare coverage from a private health plan that contracts with the federal government. All Medicare Advantage Plans must offer at least the same benefits as Original Medicare (Part A and Part B), but can do so with different rules, costs, and coverage restrictions. Plans typically offer Part D drug coverage as part of Medicare Advantage benefits. Medicare Advantage Plans include Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs), Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs), Private Fee-for-Service (PFFS) plans, Special Needs Plans (SNPs), and Medicare Medical Savings Accounts (MSAs).  coverage.
Visit www.medicare.gov to find out if your state has an SPAP, whether you are eligible, how the SPAP works, and how to enroll.