Used an alternative funding program? Tell us your story
The Partnership for Safe Medicines is researching alternative funding programs. If you are a patient or an administrator, we’d like to confidentially interview you to understand how you have encountered these programs, how they work, and what your experience was. If you’re ready to interview, or at least speak to us confidentially, email us at editors@safemedicines.org.
For patients
Does your work health insurance coverage refer you to a PBM or other health administrator that says your medicine is denied unless you get it through an alternative funding program? Sometimes that means they order it for you from a foreign unlicensed pharmacy, and sometimes that means you have to apply for public aid from a charity.
All of this can create treatment delays and safety issues. If you have concerns, we’d love to interview you confidentially to understand how these programs are affecting patients.
For ERISA administrators
Does your ERISA program use, or is consider an alternative funding program? If it involves foreign sourcing, did they make you aware of the financial and legal liabilities? Were you indemnified from these risks, as well as potential medical adverse events for your employees? Was the risk to your ERISA fiduciary duty discussed or indemnified?
If you’re an ERISA administrator or work in HR for a company with an ERISA plan and you have concerns about proposals or plans, please reach out to us so we can learn more about how these plans work.
If you’re ready to speak to us confidentially, email us at editors@safemedicines.org.
Previous interviews
Key resources/questions for ERISA administrators
"I was told that if our employees used personal importation it was legal, or at least never prosecuted. Is that true?"
It is never legal to import medicine from an unlicensed foreign entity, only manufacturers are allowed to import medicine. The more important misstatement is that this is personal importation. When you are paying the costs of a medicine to be imported for your employee, this is no longer personal importation. You are now financially involved, and legally responsible, for illegally importing non-FDA-approved prescription drug products.