PSI

A NEW Co-Pay/Co-Insurance Assistance Program

It’s Superbowl Sunday, but take time to read this important press release: while it’s meant only for Kogenate® FS users, remember that almost all manufacturers of blood-clotting products have some kind of assistance program. I’ll post them as I hear of them, but don’t hesitate to call your manufacturer to find out what they are doing to help you with insurance!
PSI AND BAYER HEALTHCARE INTRODUCE A CO-PAY/CO-INSURANCE  ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
Patient Services, Inc. (PSI) and Bayer HealthCare are pleased to announce the Kogenate® FS
Co-pay/Co-Insurance Assistance Pilot Program. The pilot program is funded by Bayer to help qualified Kogenate® FS patients with their out-of-pocket payments.
What is offered through the
pilot program?
PSI will administer and determine eligibility for the Program to help Kogenate® FS patients afford
their copay/coinsurance expenses.
Patients are qualified to
apply for the pilot program* if they:
· have Hemophilia A.
· meet specific financial criteria for enrollment.
· currently have private health insurance.
. Who is not eligible for
assistance?
·Patients on public health insurance, including (but is not limited to) patients insured through Medicare, Medicaid, TriCare, DOD plans, PCIP programs, and High Risk Plans associated with a PCIP.
· Patients enrolled in Bayer Assistance Programs.
Once approved…
·
Financial assistance may be provided for up to 12 months or as long as funding is available. Funds administered by PSI can only be used towards a patient’s co-pay/co-insurance expenses for Bayer’s Kogenate® FS.
·
Financial assistance will be based on each patient’s specific health plan design and annual income, subject to yearly and per payment maximums.
· As a condition of payment, patients and pharmacies must comply with all contractual obligations made with Third-Party Payers and insurance companies, and must provide notice of any benefits received and the value of this program to all payers as required by law, contract, or otherwise.
For inquiries regarding the Kogenate® FS Co-pay/Co-Insurance Assistance Pilot Program, please contact Bayer’s Factor Solutions at 1-800-288-8374. Please remember that applications will be processed and patients will be enrolled on a first-come, first-served basis. Program may be cancelled or changed at any time without notice.
Interesting Book I Just Read
Ice Balloon: S. A. Andree and the Heroic Age of Arctic Exploration by Alec Wilkinson [Kindle]
The story of S. A. Andrée, the visionary Swedish aeronaut who, in 1897, during the age of Arctic exploration, convinced donors to fund an attempt to be the first to discover the North Pole by flying to it in a hydrogen balloon. The book is an easy read, and covers the history of Arctic exploration, failed attempts to reach the pole, a glimpse into Andrée’s past and makeup, his reasons for being obsessed with attempting this, despite many misgivings by experts. If you are new to readings about polar exploration you will love this adventure book. Learning about balloons, how they are handled and how they stocked it for a long haul trip was fascinating! But… the book is a mixed bag. I have been studying polar exploration for over a decade and have an extensive collection of biographies and books. So for me, this book was a bit fluffy: the writing was good, but there was a lot of filler. Six chapters alone were spent on an unrelated story about the Greeley expedition, I guess just to show how tough it can be in the Arctic? But it was disconnected to the rest of the story, and you’d be better off reading Ghosts of Cape Sabine, which is superb reading about the Greeley expedition (which is now legendary). I am glad Andrée’s story was told, but honestly, there isn’t much to his story. He went up, he came down, and his diaries, terse and factual, left little information on what happened. A lot of the book consists on just quoting directly from the diaries. This books gets mixed reviews on Amazon.com. It’s definitely worth reading, but it could have been better. Two/five stars.

In Praise of PSI

So last Wednesday night I walk into an Irish pub in Haverhill, a city about 20 minutes from my home. “The Peddler’s Daughter” is a wonderful little piece of the old country, in a cozy cellar location, with great food and a lovely Irish atmosphere, run by real Irish people. It’s one of our favorite places to eat. Great fish and chips; homemade ketchup.

About an hour later a young man walks into the pub and heads to the bar, and I feel like i know him. Sure enough, I do. It’s Walter, the young man who tiled my cellar last fall. At that time was part of a work crew from a local contractor, and he surprised me, as he was putting in the tile, when he said, “Does your son have hemophilia, too?” Apparently, he figured it out from the photos I have of Paul Newman and me at Camp Hole in the Wall (can’t miss that autographed picture, front and center as you walk in). We chatted and I learned he has mild hemophilia and lives in Haverhill. I have people from all over the world on my mailing list but not someone who lives 15 minutes away? Well, he and his family were not active in the community. I added him to my mailing list, gave him a free copy of my book and sent him on his way, leaving me to enjoy my new floor.

Two months later Walt stopped by my office with news. “I quit my job,” he said hesitantly. I treated him with the same care and concern I would my own child. “What are you, crazy?” I said. No job, no insurance; no insurance, no factor. What was he thinking? He didn’t like his boss. And with no college education, it would be tough to find another job. I lectured him a bit and then armed him with a mission: call your hematologist; call your home care company and very quickly, call PSI. Tom had never heard of PSI. When I explained to him that it could save his life, I guess he listened.

Off he went and months went by. I didn’t hear from him. And then, in all the bars in all the world, he walks into mine.

“Hi, Walt?” I asked, eyeing him in the dim light.

“Mrs. Kelley!” he exclaimed, recognizing me. Then, “I got a job!”

Poor kid: now he’s treating me like his mother!

I was thrilled for him. Of course, there is a waiting period for those with pre-existing conditions… not to worry. Walt amazed me when he said, “I called PSI like you said and they are covering me until my new insurance kicks in.”

Wow. Here was a kid who never attended a hemophilia meeting, went to camp once, doesn’t know anyone else with hemophilia, quit his job not realizing the dire consequences, couldn’t name his factor brand… and he did it. He got himself back on track. I was so happy! He was too.

Kudos to PSI: you don’t know Walt but you have changed his life. Thank you, Dana, thank you everyone at PSI!

(To learn more about PSI and how they help people with chronic disorders who lose their insurance, go to www.uneedpsi.org)

Passing of a Friend to Hemophilia

It is with great regret that I announce the death of Randi Paltrow, 59, Director of National Relations at Patient Services, Inc. (PSI), last Saturday. As many of you may know, Randi was devoted to the hemophilia community. She served as executive director of the Northern Ohio Chapter before joining friend Dana Kuhn’s organization, PSI. She dedicated herself to the important issues of insurance reform, which is wreaking havoc for many families with bleeding disorders. Although I had known Randi for years, I really got to know her better just this past year, as we spent more time together at several functions. Randi, who is the aunt of actress Gywneth Paltrow, downplayed her celebrity status almost as well as she downplayed her cancer. She was energetic, bursting with ideas, and determined to not let her illness get her down. With her typical can-do attitude, she always made you believe that she would overcome any obstacle. I hope our community adopts that attitude as her legacy, as we say good-bye to a true friend.

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