Sickle Cell Disease

Status

Closed
Closed Funds

This fund is temporarily closed to new patients due to lack of sufficient funding. Please continue to visit our Disease Funds page often, as replenished funds reopen as quickly as possible. If you currently have a grant with HealthWell, your grant will remain active for the entire 12 month grant cycle or until you have exhausted your allocated grant amount, whichever comes first. You can continue to use your pharmacy card or submit requests for reimbursements during your designated grant cycle.

Fund Type

Copay/Premium

Maximum Award Level

$10,000

Pharmacy Card Fund

Yes

Minimum Copay
Reimbursement Amount

Minimum Copay Reimbursement Amount

We encourage you to please use your HealthWell pharmacy card for any applicable charges as possible.

None

Minimum Premium
Reimbursement Amount

Minimum Premium Reimbursement Amount

We encourage you to please submit monthly reimbursement claims (even if your premium is paid on a bi-weekly basis).

None

Household Income Limit

500% of the Federal Poverty Level
(adjusted for household size and high
cost of living areas)

Fund Alerts

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Treatments Covered

  • Adakveo
  • Casgevy
  • Deferasirox
  • Desferal
  • Droxia
  • Endari
  • Ery-tab
  • Erygel
  • Exjade
  • Ferriprox
  • Folacin-800 (no Otc)
  • Hydrea
  • Inomax
  • Jadenu
  • Lyfgenia
  • Oxbryta
  • Pentoxifylline
  • Piracetam
  • Siklos
  • Vitamin B9 (no Otc)

Fund Definition

Assistance with the prescription drugs and biologics used in the treatment or management of Sickle Cell Disease.

Grant Utilization

HealthWell estimates that patients use an average of $3,780 during their 12-month grant period for this disease area.

Consider Premium Assistance

Under this fund, HealthWell can assist with premium costs. Medicare supplemental policies can help with cost shares related to many aspects of your health care. Using a HealthWell grant to cover premiums may be a better option than treatment-specific cost shares.

Do I Qualify?

HealthWell bases eligibility on an individual’s medical, financial and insurance situation. To qualify for HealthWell’s assistance, applicants must meet the following eligibility requirements:

  • Please make sure that HealthWell currently has a fund for your diagnosis/indication and that your medication is covered under that fund by visiting our Diseases and Medications listing. If we do not have a fund that currently covers your diagnosis, please check back as we frequently open and reopen programs as funding becomes available. The Foundation is able to help patients receiving treatment for indications for which we currently have an open fund. We can only assist with medications that have been prescribed to treat the disease/covered diagnosis. You will be asked to provide the Foundation with the patient’s diagnosis, which must be verified by a physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant’s signature. The patient must receive treatment in the United States.

  • To qualify for assistance from HealthWell, you must have some form of health insurance (private insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, TriCare, etc.) that covers part of the cost of your treatment. The Foundation will refer patients without prescription insurance to other programs, such as manufacturer patient assistance programs.

  • HealthWell assists individuals with incomes up to 300-500% of the Federal Poverty Level. The Foundation also considers the number in a household and cost of living in a particular city or state. If you believe you qualify for assistance, you may begin the application process here.
  • If you are receiving treatment in the U.S. and have met the eligibility criteria as listed, you are ready to apply! Please note that you will be asked to provide a Social Security Number in order to create a grant. This information is gathered to eliminate duplicate applications and is kept secure and confidential.

About Sickle Cell Disease

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited blood disorder that affects red blood cells. People with sickle cell disease have an abnormal type of hemoglobin, the red blood cells that contain mostly hemoglobin S, according to the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America (SCDAA). These red blood cells can become sickle-shaped (crescent shaped) and have difficulty passing through small blood vessels. Sickle-shaped cells block small blood vessels resulting in less blood flow in that part of the body. Tissue that does not receive a normal blood flow eventually becomes damaged, causing complications of the disease. Sickle cells are destroyed rapidly in the body causing complications, including anemia, jaundice and formation of gallstones.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 100,000 individuals in the U.S. have sickle cell disease. It is estimated that sickle cell disease affects 1 out of every 365 black or African-American births, and 1 out of every 16,300 Hispanic-American births. There is currently no universal cure for sickle cell disease. Sources: Sickle Cell Disease Association of America and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Additional Educational Resources

You may also visit our Resource List to view other copayment organizations that may provide assistance.