Hepatitis B Patients Benefit from New Co-Payment Assistance Fund

HAMPTON, Va., Jan. 8, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Patient Advocate Foundation (PAF) is pleased to announce the addition of a new assistance fund to their Co-Pay Relief program dedicated to assisting insured Hepatitis B patients with out of pocket pharmaceutical expenses. PAF's Co-Pay Relief program has been providing direct financial support for pharmaceutical co-payments to qualified, insured patients since 2004.

Approved patients will receive up to $4,000 in assistance per year, representing groundbreaking financial relief for Hepatitis B patients. The new grant joins Co-Pay Relief's Hepatitis C fund, building on PAF's existing support platform for patients affected by critical liver infections.

"Research shows us that if a patient feels they can't afford their prescribed medication they won't attempt to retrieve it, despite the potential health risks incurred. Every day we are working with patients to try and prevent this from happening. We hope that with this new fund, qualified Hepatitis B patients will reach out to us for financial assistance at the point they need help." stated CEO Alan Balch, Ph.D. of Patient Advocate Foundation.

The Hepatitis B silo will launch and begin accepting patient applications on January 8, 2015. Individuals are required to meet financial and medical criteria prior to acceptance into the program. Interested Hepatitis B patients, their caregivers, or their providers may contact a PAF Co-Pay Relief specialist at 1-866-512-3861 or visit http://www.copays.org/diseases/hepatitis-b for help with their application or to learn more about the program. Live Spanish language assistance is also available.

Since PAF's Co-Pay Relief program was founded more than a decade ago, it has provided more than $190 million in financial assistance to more than 95,000 patients who would have been otherwise unable to afford their pharmaceutical co-payments.

About the Patient Advocate Foundation (PAF) Co-Pay Relief Program (CPR)

The Co-Pay Relief Program, a division of Patient Advocate Foundation and provides direct financial support for pharmaceutical co-payments to insured patients who financially and medically qualify.

The program offers innovative technology tools for patients, providers and pharmacy representatives including 24 hour web based application portals, electronic signature, document upload and bar code fax routing capabilities, increasing the speed with which an approval can be granted and expenditure can be paid. Keeping with Patient Advocate Foundation's emphasis on excellent patient service, the program also offers individualized service to all patients through the use of call counselors who personally guide each patient through the enrollment process.

For more information or to contact Patient Advocate Foundation's Co-Pay Relief program visit www.copays.org or call 1-866-512-3861.