About 212,000 people in Arkansas have been dropped from Medicaid healthcare coverage in the past four months, with 82,000 being dropped in July alone. The Arkansas Department of Health has said some people were dropped because of the end of the federal Covid-19 eligibility, and others lost coverage because they no longer qualify or failed to return paperwork.
When it comes to prescription medications, some people are going without or reducing their doses because they can’t afford to purchase the drugs.
People Helping People is a Carroll County non-profit that has been providing free medication for infants, children, the working poor, the disabled and senior citizens for more than 31 years. PHP has seen that the need for Rx assistance has increased the past few months.
There are many people who have been dropped by Medicaid and are either reapplying for assistance or are no longer eligible, according to social worker Roberta Kirby of Mercy Hospital Berryville.
“PHP really does save lives,” she said. “If it was not for the help of PHP and pharmaceutical patient assistance programs, many would require hospitalization or emergency room visits, and could even end up dying or having a permanent disability.”
Kirby works with Mercy Clinic’s Community Outreach Coordinator Johnnie Graham to enroll people in pharmaceutical patient assistance programs for patients who don’t qualify for other assistance. Graham also helps people apply for Medicaid and disability.
“This time of year many get in the doughnut hole on their Medicare prescription drug plans and have much higher co-pays that they can’t afford,” Kirby said. “Again, we enroll those people in pharmaceutical patient assistance programs. If eligible, they are entitled to receive the medication at no cost through the manufacturer of the drug.”
Kirby said people are very grateful for the help. “Many break out in tears when I tell them we will pay for their prescriptions,” she said. “Some people we’ve assisted give back once they have been approved for their disability or become employed. Some have volunteered for us.
“But, for some, there is no other help. There are those that we help most every month with co-pays. Disabled adults on Medicaid can only fill six prescriptions monthly, and many take much more than that. They have to depend on PHP or go without their medication. When people have to choose between rent, food, electricity or clothing for their children, medication is put on the back burner. We also help people pay for diabetic testing supplies.”
The program is very easy to access. Kirby can be contacted at Mercy Hospital-Berryville, (870) 423-5145. She will complete a brief screening on the phone and call the patient’s pharmacy. “If we determine they may be eligible for other help, we will help them apply for assistance,” she said. “If you are in need of help with your prescriptions, call me or call Johnnie at (870) 423-6661.”
Sue Hopkins, a founder of PHP and one of the original social workers involved with the program, said after the Covid emergency was declared over on April 1, those on Medicaid received paperwork to have their Medicaid status reevaluated. Some people may still be eligible but have run into bureaucratic roadblocks.
“There can be barriers to getting Medicaid reviews,” Hopkins said. “Some people have no access to computers, fax machines or just the technical abilities to complete forms online. And even paper applications can be daunting tasks. With the people I am familiar with, they would get confusing and contradicting paperwork in the mail. Reapplying meant providing proof of income and complying with deadlines. One client I helped needed us to make four phone calls to confirm confusing statements she received from DHS.”
Hopkins has found the staff at DHS in Carroll County very helpful. She said it is important for patients to keep talking with the county office workers because they have extended deadlines and encouraged timely paperwork. But Hopkins said many people need an advocate to help them make their way through the complex paperwork requirements and deadlines.
“I have found that even those on senior forms of Medicaid such as QMB were being kicked off the Medicaid eligibility even though their enrollments are supposed to be evaluated only one time a year,” Hopkins said. “PHP has worked aggressively to be user friendly. We have often helped people buy their medicine in their own pharmacy on the same day that they call us. We help with co-pays, deductibles and have paid a thousand dollars a month for a few of our clients. All requests are honored and considered.”
PHP can help out in every pharmacy in Carroll County. There are no application forms to fill out and no set income guidelines. The program can be used multiple times.
“We help many seniors pay their deductibles or co-pays or we pay for entire prescription costs when a person is in the doughnut hole with Medicare,” Hopkins said. “Some of the blood thinners, asthma medicines and diabetic meds cost $500 plus each, and one out of four Medicare recipients are on four or more meds a month, according to KFF Health News.”
Hopkins sees people having to make difficult choices.
“Many are cutting their pills in half or are taking their prescriptions every other day instead of daily,” Hopkins said. “That is not a good idea. Folks in Carroll County are very fortunate that prescription help is available here. This is a program only available to residents in our county. We are caring and confidential. We are the real deal. There are no strings attached.”
To support the program, you can send a check to PHP, P.O. Box 243, Eureka Springs AR 72632. The team also raises money with items for sale at Eureka Uniques and Antiques (formerly Hobbies and Homesteads). The non-profit is under the umbrella of Our Healthy Communities in Rogers.
President Joe Biden is giving states a year to check whether millions of low-income Americans are still eligible to receive health insurance through the government’s Medicaid program. But Arkansas is moving much more quickly. The state has received national attention for aggressive action to remove people from the Medicaid program.
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders has been quoted saying the Arkansas Medicaid agency is sending letters to tens of thousands Medicaid recipients asking for proof of income and a host of other details to show they are still eligible for the insurance program in order to remove people from government dependency.
The Peter G. Peterson Foundation reports that the U.S. spends twice as much on prescription drugs as other comparatively wealthy nations, on average. “In 2019, the latest year for which data are available, private insurers and government health programs spent $963 per capita on prescription drugs while comparable countries spent an average of $466,” PGPF reports.