The Social Security Administration provides healthcare information to over 3 million disability applicants each year. Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner announced that the agency provides healthcare information through website links to individuals who apply each year for Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) disability benefits.
The website links take disability applicants to two HHS websites such as www.healthfinder.gov where information and tools are provided to help the applicants better understand and cope with their conditions.
This website provides detailed information on specific diseases. For example, if applicants have a problem with breast cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, or other diseases, they can go to the site to find information on diagnosing the disease, symptoms, treatments, ongoing research, and local resources to help them with the medical issues.
The other website www.healthfinder.gov/rxdrug can help applicants pay for prescription drugs. The web site links people to the “Partnership for Prescription Assistance” (PPA) program www.pparx.org directing people to information on how to reduce costs, and how to get free prescription drugs offered sometimes by drug companies, from 1,300 national, state and local governments, and other local organizations.
The PPA program offers more than 2,500 brand name and generic medications for adults and also provides a wide range of medications that focus on children. PPA also assists patients with chronic diseases so that they can learn about new types of medications that may be of help.
