Educating and Engaging New Supporters

To reach new supporters and engage a larger community around the issue of underinsurance, we launched an educational and awareness campaign about the adverse impacts of out-of-pocket costs on patients and families, reaching over 100,000 people—many of whom were learning about the PAN Foundation’s mission for the first time.

You Decide: Fair or Unfair?

To propel awareness and education around the issue of underinsurance and access to healthcare, we launched an online quiz in October 2018 that asked people to read the facts about the impact of cost sharing on families and decide—is it fair or unfair?

Each question illustrates how common it is for people to struggle with the financial burden of the medications prescribed for treatment. For example, after learning that 50 percent of cancer survivors did not adhere to their prescription medication due to the cost, quiz takers had to decide whether it was fair or not. We invite you to take the quiz and decide for yourself.

Through the quiz, we started cultivating a community of people around the country with concerns about and interest in helping those impacted by the tremendous financial challenges from accessing medical treatment.

Real Stories

We also invited people to both share their own experiences and read the accounts of others who have faced the financial hardship of a life-threatening, chronic or rare disease on our online message wall. More than 4,000 people shared their personal stories and how PAN impacted their lives. Here is just a sample of the thousands we received:

“I have idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension and one of the drugs prescribed to manage this condition costs about $10,000 per month. Even with Medicare Part D, I would never be able to afford the monthly co-pay without assistance from the PAN Foundation. With great medical care and the PAN Foundation, I can avoid frequent hospitalizations and live a normal life.” —Jackie, a PAN grant recipient living with pulmonary arterial hypertension

“I could not afford the inhalers to treat my asthma even with my company’s insurance. Thank god for PAN! They helped me get the inhalers I need so I can breathe easier and not miss any work. Thank you for all the help you do for those that need it.” —Maria, a full-time caregiver and PAN grant recipient living with asthma

“My job is to make sure patients are able to obtain the oral chemotherapy they desperately need. Usually the first thing they say is, ‘If it's too expensive, I'll just have to go without it.’ With the vital help of PAN Foundation grants, I have seen patient after patient be able to take the chemotherapy medicine. They see their children marry or their grand kids graduate. They celebrate birthdays and anniversaries. They get to live with cancer, not die with cancer. Thank you for making this possible!” —Diane, a pharmacy technician in an oncology practice

We were overwhelmed by the outpouring of stories about these key issues and are grateful for this new coalition of supporters who are truly concerned for the people affected.

Our vision is to bring these issues to life, demonstrate the consequences for everyday people throughout our country, and activate those who are ready to make a difference. In the year ahead, we’ll continue to find new ways to engage and educate the public and develop support for the millions of people who find themselves underinsured and in need of patient assistance.