List of statewide grants (link to GranteeList_MAP.pdf)
Map of statewide coverage (link to GranteeMap_MAP.gif)
The Problem
Uninsured North Carolinians, or even those who qualify for Part D Medicare coverage, often find that they cannot afford the medications required to treat their chronic health problems. Those who are taking multiple medications are at risk for adverse reactions from mixing drugs because their care is not coordinated.
HWTF Solution (program description)
Recognizing that access to prescription drugs was a critical need for all low-income North Carolinians, HWTF added value to Senior Care in 2002 by funding community-based organizations to use customized software (MARP) to access free drug programs offered by pharmaceutical manufacturing companies. This effort, the Medication Assistance Program (MAP), has reached large numbers of underserved and uninsured North Carolinians through community and faith based efforts.
The NC Institute of Medicine’s 2005 Healthcare Safety Net Report called MAP a “significant safety net for the uninsured in North Carolina”. MAP has become a critical part of the safety net for the uninsured, especially in recent economic times as the rate of unemployment and the number of uninsured have increased. HWTF has continued to fund the MAP program since 2002 and is currently in its sixth phase of funding which was awarded in December 2009.
Key Accomplishments (outcomes to-date)
In the 2009 legislative session, HWTF was mandated by the General Assembly to continue funding MAP through FY 2010-11. As a result, the Commission voted to allocate additional funds to recertify and extend MAP Phase IV grants, originally set to expire in June 2009, for an additional 2 years through June, 2011. Existing MAP Phase V grants are set to expire in December 2009 and HWTF awarded a sixth phase of 18-month grants in December 2009 to run from January, 2010 through to June, 2011.
MAP grants focus on helping those under the age of 65, as well as those Medicare Part D eligibles in the “donut” hole who cannot afford their medications. From January 2003 to June 2009, MAP grantee sites have provided $224,108,834 million in free and low-cost medications to uninsured and underserved patients, which has resulted in an 11 to 1 rate of return. Each $1 granted by HWTF resulted in $11 of free medication.
The NC DHHS Office of Rural Health and Community Care (ORH) receives recurring funding from the General Assembly to provide MARP and technical assistance to HWTF’s MAP grantees.