The team at Novo Nordisk has created a program to help people access insulin during the pandemic. According to the press release, “People with diabetes using Novo Nordisk Inc. insulin who have lost health insurance coverage because of a change in job status due to the COVID-19 pandemic may now be eligible for enrollment in our Diabetes Patient Assistance Program (PAP) and receive insulin free of charge for 90 days.”
In order to access this program, people with diabetes are not required to provide documented proof of income, but must provide documentation showing loss of healthcare benefits, such as a job termination notice or job status change, or proof that benefits are being offered. From the press release: “In addition, if Medicaid benefits are denied, assistance for eligible patients can be extended past the 90-day-window until the end of the year. People applying for this program must have a valid prescription for a Novo Nordisk insulin and meet certain eligibility criteria, which can be found on NovoCare.com or by calling 1.844.NOVO4ME (668.6463).”
“The pandemic is taking a serious toll on the nation’s health and economy. Millions of people are losing jobs and health coverage, and that’s especially tragic if you have a chronic disease like diabetes. We already have a lot of programs to help people afford insulin but the impact of COVID-19 goes beyond that. We know people need more help right now and we want to do something that could make an immediate difference. We also want to dial-up our efforts to make people aware of the help that is available,” said Doug Langa, Executive Vice President, North America Operations and President of Novo Nordisk Inc. “Patients have enough issues to worry about at this moment. We don’t want being able to pay for their insulin to be one of them.”
“Removing barriers is so important right now. The US healthcare system has been long overdue for intervention and this crisis brings things so clearly into focus. Navigating our healthcare system is hard enough as it is for people with diabetes, in addition to living in this pandemic and managing a serious chronic disease,” added Kelly Close, President and Founder, Close Concerns, and Founder and Chair of the Board of The diaTribe Foundation. “What Novo Nordisk is doing is absolutely critical and The diaTribe Foundation applauds this series of moves to help people with diabetes do as well as possible.”
For more information, you can read through the full press release from Novo Nordisk, and stay up-to-date on information regarding insulin access resources.
