HealthWell Foundation

I can't thank Healthwell enough. I had a cancerous left kidney removed in October, 2010. While all existing cancer was removed and it was a non-aggressive form, cancerous cells could still form where the kidney had been removed and travel in my bloodstream to other parts of my body - known as renal cell migration. Our primary care physician referred me to a surgeon with Western Maryland Health Systems. My regular follow-up with the surgeon who removed the kidney only included an outward physical check up every six months and, at that time, I did not know about the possibility of renal call migration. I had such a migration and, upon having a terrible convulsion in November, 2014, I discovered that I had a one inch cancerous tumor just in back of my right frontal motor cortex in my brain! My primary care physician had me transported to West Virginia University affiliated Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, West Virginia. I had this removed and was very fortunate to come out of this with cognition, vision, and speech intact, though I don't have quite the same function in my right side. Ruby is excellent. I now have the surgeon who removed the tumor checking me with an M.R.I. for the brain area and an oncologist checking me with a C.A.T. scan every four months and am also on Sutent, an oral capsule that prevents renal cell migration. I highly recommend Ruby and the Mary Randolph Cancer Center for anyone involved with cancer in this area. The Sutent has been very effective and has prevented migration to date. Unfortunately, it is also extremely expensive. This is where Healthwell has come in. Healthwell has covered the extremely high copay expense for the last year and has accepted me this year. I cannot thank them enough. The people there are very caring and understanding. This takes much stress off of me and my wife and our daughter. A little about myself. I am an retired educator with Garrett County, Maryland, public schools. I worked in pupil services for 39 years. I also served as accompanist for our Church choir for 24 years until a parishioner who teaches music in our school system came in to relieve me in 2000. I still sing in the choir. I also volunteer as treasurer with our Extension office, that coordinates 4-H programs in our county. I substitute teach when able. I've had to reduce activities as my wife has developed kidney failure and has been in dialysis three days a week for almost two years at this point, and also has developed some other conditions as well. I really appreciate Healthwell. They have been a lifesaver literally. I've been able to be helpful to my wife and have lived long enough to see grand and great grandchildren. A big "Thank You" to Healthwell Foundation!

Almost ten years ago, my husband was diagnosed with Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a progressive scarring of the lungs of unknown cause. Every year the scarring increased. His doctor suggested he take part in a drug trial that could lead to a medication that would help, and he was a part of that trial for its' final three years. After the drug was approved and went on the market, it was suggested we apply for a grant to help us afford it. We applied to HealthWell Foundation and have been so grateful to them for their kindness and assistance that made continuing on this medication possible. The doctor tells us that my husband's lung function is stable and he is still able to live a rewarding and fulfilling life.

My husband & had both spoke to Veronica and we were extremely impressed with her. We found her to be extreme patient as well pleasant .

Today, Nov. 1, 2018 I was able to renew my grant for prescription financial aid for my second year. My experience both times now has been a wonderful, pleasant professional experience. This Foundation is a life saver. I have IPF ( Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis ) and while it is basically uncurable and irreversible I am on a prescription that is designed to slowdown the damage growing in my lungs. Unfortunately, the cost of this is very expensive as it is relatively new to the market in just the last few years.
Healthwell and this pill is giving me more time on Earth with my family.

My name is Carl Miller and I live in Galesburg, Illinois. I have pulmonary fibrosis and take a prescription medication that is very expensive. This is the second year I have received a grant to help with the expense from HealthWell. If I did not receive this grant, I would not be able to afford the medication and probably would not be alive. Working with HealthWell has been easy and with no problems processing payments.
Thank you HealthWell!

I am touched and overwhelmed by the generosity shown to me by the Healthwell Foundation. I am in need of Prolia for my osteoporosis and Healthwell Foundation has generously agreed to cover the cost of that shot for me both times within one year. Everyone I have ever spoken to when I called has been exceedingly helpful and I continue to be ever grateful!

I had to call this foundation two times. Both times the ladies I talked to were extremely nice. My husband always made the phone calls that required decisions and such. Now he can’t and I had to call this foundation for him. I was totally nervous about it. But both ladies were so kind and understanding that I was able to relax and actually felt good about calling. They were very helpful and encouraging. This is and excellent place to call if need assistance with paying for expensive medication. Not once did I feel that they were judging me or felt condemned for calling. Their attitude was if your eligible then you should have it. Thank you HealthWell and thank you ladies!

I had to call this foundation two times. Both times the ladies I talked to were extremely nice. My husband always made the phone calls that required decisions and such. Now he can’t and I had to call this foundation for him. I was totally nervous about it. But both ladies were so kind and understanding that I was able to relax and actually felt good about calling. They were very helpful and encouraging. This is and excellent place to call if need assistance with paying for expensive medication. Not once did I feel that they were judging me or felt condemned for calling. Their attitude was if your eligible then you should have it. Thank you HealthWell and thank you ladies!

Thank you HealthWell for lightening the burden of managing my chronic disease by providing me with the HealthWell grant. For the past three years the HealthWell grant has provided me with the financial help I need to pay for health insurance and other health costs associated with managing a chronic health condition requiring hundreds of doctors visits, dozens of surgeries, and repeat hospitalizations. This grant has been especially invaluable to me as a young adult (now 27) who, due to my serious health condition has so far only been able to work part time. I had the privilege of meeting the Health Well team in person a few years ago while attending the CBI conference as a patient speaker. I was deeply touched by their compassion and devotion to helping patients with chronic conditions receive the treatment they need when health insurance is not enough. HealthWell has made such a difference!

Sincerely,

Laura

I have used Healthwell for years and they are a wonderful organization. As a cystic fibrosis patient who has to take extra vitamins and supplements and has high co-pays for some medications, they have been a lifesaver. Always pleasant and professional and I receive reimbursement checks very quickly.

I have always had a pleasant experience with this foundation. They are organized and know what they are doing. Their process is not confusing, plus they are professional and as polite as can be!! No complaints. ☺

Our insurance does not cover all the expense of a cancer drug, Sutent, which is an exorbitant $17,000 for 28 pills (one months supply). No one except the top 1% can afford to pay for this life-saving drug! We are so thankful for the HealthWell Foundation for their grant which provides us the ability to treat my husbands renal cancer for a year. Their process for requesting this grant was simple and compassionate. A wonderful organization!

Thank you Healthwell Foundation!
Through your assistance I am able to continue my medical treatment for Systemic Lupus!
May God Bless all your donors!

I have worked with Healthwell for 8 years and I am verify impressed with how the organization works with providers to make the enrollment and billing process simple and easy. Healthwell has welcomed feedback from providers on making their portal more user friendly and I have found that Healthwell is quite unique with the services offered for providers making this stress-free for our members.

I have been dealing with the devastating financial burdens that chronic disease can put on an individual in this country for 15 years and this is the first time I have been able to recieve financial assistance other than governmental agencies. The people at this organization are extremely helpful, they have always been polite and patient throughout the application process. Although it doesn't end my financial difficulties it is a great help towards meeting my financial responsibilities. I am extremely grateful for their help!!

I am happy to share my ‘story’ of involvement with the HealthWell Foundation.
During my regular six month general wellness check with my primary physician (September, 2017), the labs that preceded that check-up showed some irregularities. My liver enzymes were sky high. I participate in a patient portal from my doctor’s office so I saw the lab results before I saw him.
Yes, we enjoy our wine with dinner and sometimes a ‘happy hour’ drink, so I immediately thought I had been drinking too much alcohol. When I went to the doctor, I told him I wanted to abstain from alcohol for a period of time and have the labs redone. Five weeks later the liver enzymes were even higher. I had not consumed a drop of alcohol during those five weeks.
My doctor ran some other labs and it showed a diagnosis of Hepatitis C virus. Yes, I’ve seen the commercials and I am clearly a ‘baby boomer’. I was born in 1947. I’m sure a lot of people would say this but I honestly never used intravenous narcotics, I have never received a transfusion or had any transplant surgery. I don’t recall ever being in any blood to blood risky situation. My primary doctor and the GI (Gastro-Intestinal) specialist both told me that is often the case. We just don’t know when or how. But! There is was (I love using the past tense!).
I had an ultrasound and fortunately, through the great work of my doctor, it was early enough that there was no organ damage.
I made an appointment with the GI specialist and the process began.
I was assured that with a new medicine, Epclusa, the cure rate with one pill per day was 96%-99%. The treatment consisted of three months of the one pill per day. It could cause some side effects, but I had none. There are many caveats about consistency issues, etc. and possible other interactions and I followed them faithfully. Twelve weeks later, labs showed no HCV detected. I had to wait another three months to be sure. I was released from treatment because I was cured.
So, where does HealthWell come in? The twelve month treatment cost would have been over $70,000. For a fixed income person and a retired educator, it was absolutely prohibitive. The staff at the specialist’s office intervened with my insurance plan (a Plan D I have with a Medicare supplement), it would have brought the cost down to around $12,000. That was still a very difficult thing for us. Along came HealthWell, working with the pharmacy involved, and a grant from them reduced my personal co-pay to $0!
I gratefully and sincerely consider the Foundation part of my lifesaving cure. I will be forever grateful to them.

Leonard E. Sagenbrecht
Omaha, NE

Healthwell Foundation has been such an amazing organization to work with for the last 3 years. As a ‘middle-class’ single mom, I do not qualify for any public assistance to help pay for my daughters Type 1 Diabetes supplies (Dexcom CGM). Healthwell Foundation has bridged the gap between what I can afford and what my insurance carrier will pay. Once I provided the diabetes supply company a copy of my approval letter, they notated my account and all I must do now is submit my EOB and invoice to Healthwell Foundation and Healthwell Foundation takes care of the rest. I missed the deadline to submit my income verification and they still processed my renewal. I’ve never been one to ask for help from anyone, even my family. I work hard and try to do things on my own. But, Healthwell Foundation has become like family. It’s coming up on my daughter, Karis’ 3 year ‘diaversary’ and she has been able to live a much more ‘normal’ life thanks to HWF. She doesn’t have holes in her fingers from needle pokes. I can travel for work and not worry about how her diabetes is doing because with Dexcom, I get notified on my phone the same as Karis gets notified with her phone and watch. It takes a village to raise a child and I am grateful that HWF is in my village. I can’t do it on my own, but I can do it with HWF there to help lighten the load a little bit.

Nothing but a battle to get co-pays paid. Payments are either paid very quickly or very late. I had to really keep up on it which stressed me out even more making my hives flare up. I either had to call or email complaining to get the payments made. I have saved all my emails that I sent. It just seems to me if they did not want to pay for me why approve me?

Our healthcare system is broken, yet people still get sick and millions upon millions of people need help when they do. From the neediest of the neediest to even the upper middle class can sometimes not afford to get sick, yet they do, often enough at the worst possible times, it seems. Having someone to turn to when we can't afford our prescriptions is an incredible blessing, and that's precisely where Healthwell steps in. They provide substantial support to pay for those prescriptions when our insurance runs out, when the insurance company won't approve a particular medicine, or when the sick just can't afford another dollar's expense in their already strained budgets.

I see this happening up close and personal. How? Because my wife is on the Board of this non-profit, and has been since its very beginning. No, it's not perfect, but what is? Still, when you're in need, isn't it great to have a possible solution that can help you get better?