He declined to confirm the average value of the checks or name the drugmakers that issue checks via ConnectiveRx. Harry Totonis, chief executive of ConnectiveRx, a pharmaceutical services company, said sending checks to patients is “not a commonly used practice” and happens “a fraction of 1 percent” of the time. While Amgen’s primary assistance is through copay cards, “in some instances, based on patient preference, Amgen will provide direct reimbursement” after a patient has already paid for the medicine, Amgen’s Kristen Neese, director of corporate affairs, said in an emailed statement. When the cards fail to work, for whatever reason, Amgen can send direct reimbursement. The federal anti-kickback and Stark laws were meant to prevent bribery of patients and doctors and do not apply to private commercial insurance plans.ĪbbVie, which makes the blockbuster arthritis drug Humira, will send a check if patients can prove their copay card doesn’t work for a variety of reasons, said Adelle Infante, director of external communications for the company.Īmgen, the maker of Burgess’ arthritis medicine, provides up to $12,000 of copay assistance each year to commercially insured Enbrel patients who need help meeting out-of-pocket expenses, often regardless of the patient’s financial status. “You can accept cash from anybody as long as it’s not a government program,” Schiffbauer said, noting there may be income tax obligations for the patient. The practice of sending checks is legal as long as the patients are not enrolled in government-funded insurance such as Medicare and Medicaid, said William Schiffbauer, a Washington, D.C.-based health insurance attorney.
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