Bridge Programs: Your Medicine While Insurance Decides
A new prescription can stall while your insurer reviews it. Some drug makers cover that gap with free starting doses. Here is how these programs work, who can use them, and what to do while you wait.
By mendmeds · Published · 5 min read
The short version
- A bridge or quick-start program is a drug maker’s offer to supply your medicine, usually free, while your insurance decides whether to cover it.
- As of November 2026, mendmeds tracks 10 bridge programs across 10 medications; 9 are only for people with private insurance, and none accept Medicare or Medicaid.
- What they cover ranges from a single dose to free medicine until coverage comes through, and each has conditions, such as a prior authorization that is pending or denied.
- If your insurer denies the drug, most private plans let you file an internal appeal within 180 days and then ask for an independent external review.
Why there is a gap
Many plans require prior authorization for specialty and brand-name drugs: before the plan pays, your prescriber has to send it information and get approval. Until the plan decides, the pharmacy may not fill the prescription at a price you can pay. Bridge programs exist to cover that wait.
What bridge programs give you
| Medication | Program | What it provides, as the maker states it | For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Briumvi | BRIUMVI Quick Start Program (bridge / first doses) | Patients experiencing a delay in insurance coverage may be eligible to receive their first two doses (Day 1 and Day 15) at no cost while benefit verification is in progress. | No insurance or private insurance |
| Cosentyx | COSENTYX COVERED Until You’re COVERED Program (Bridge) | free Cosentyx (SC) while coverage pursued, up to 2 years | Private insurance |
| Ekterly | KalVista Cares QuickStart Program (Ekterly) | a temporary supply while your insurance coverage is being decided; KalVista does not publish how many doses this covers, how long it lasts, or what you pay | Private insurance |
| Imaavy | IMAAVY withMe Access Program | no cost for the medicine for up to 3 years or until commercial insurance covers it | Private insurance |
| Kesimpta | Kesimpta Bridge - Free product while coverage pursued | free Kesimpta for up to 12 months while seeking coverage | Private insurance |
| Nurtec ODT | Nurtec ODT Copay Savings Program | one-time access to up to 16 tablets at no cost while benefits are verified | Private insurance |
| Praluent | MyPraluent Bridge - Free Drug While Coverage Pursued | free medicine for up to 90 days if insurance denies coverage | Private insurance |
| Tyruko | TYRUKO Quick Start and Bridge Programs | Not recorded - see the program | Private insurance |
| Yesintek | YESINTEK Quick Start / Bridge Program (My Biocon Biologics) | one-time, one-month supply of Yesintek at no cost while coverage is delayed | Private insurance |
| Zavzpret | Zavzpret Free Trial / Benefits-Verification Bridge Offer | no cost while benefits are being verified, up to one prescription fill (combined maximum of 6 devices total) | Private insurance |
Each medication’s page links the maker’s own terms and the date we checked them.
Every one comes with conditions. The ones that recur in the programs we track: a prior authorization that is pending or was denied, a coverage decision that has taken longer than a set number of business days, a new prescription, and enrollment in the maker’s patient support program.
Who can use them
9 of the 10 are only for people with private insurance; Briumvi also takes people without insurance. None accepts Medicare or Medicaid, which matches how copay cards work.
- No insurance: a bridge rarely applies. Look at the maker’s patient assistance program instead; how patient assistance programs work explains who qualifies.
- Medicare: the route is a coverage decision or exception from your Part D plan; Medicare explains how to ask for one.
- Private insurance: read on.
How to ask for one
- Ask when the prescription is written. Your prescriber’s office or specialty pharmacy often starts the insurance paperwork and can enroll you in the maker’s support program at the same time.
- Ask the maker’s support program whether a quick-start or bridge supply is available while your coverage is reviewed. Your medication’s page links the program.
- Keep the dates and the letters: when the prior authorization was sent, and any denial. Several programs ask how long the decision has taken or for proof of the denial.
If the insurer says no
A denial is not the end. Under federal rules for most private plans, you can file an internal appeal within 180 days of the denial notice, whether the plan comes from your job or you bought it yourself. For a drug you have not started yet, the plan must decide within 30 days, and faster if waiting could seriously harm your health.
If the plan still says no, you can ask for an external review by an independent reviewer. The plan must accept the reviewer’s decision, and the review may cost up to $25. Your denial letter explains how to ask for both, and your state’s Consumer Assistance Program can help.
Ask your prescriber for a letter explaining why you need this drug rather than the alternatives your plan prefers. If the drug is off the plan’s list or has to wait for another drug, formulary and step therapy exceptions explains what to ask for. Some bridge programs, such as those for Cosentyx, Kesimpta and Praluent, keep supplying the medicine while you pursue coverage after a denial.
Common questions
What is a bridge program for medication?
It is a drug maker’s offer to supply your medicine, usually free, while your insurance decides whether to cover it. Most are for people with private insurance and come with conditions, such as a pending or denied prior authorization.
Can I get a bridge supply if I have Medicare?
Not from the programs we track: none accepts Medicare. On Medicare, ask your Part D plan for a coverage decision or an exception instead.
How long do I have to appeal a denied prescription?
For most private plans, 180 days from the denial notice for an internal appeal. If the plan upholds the denial, you can then ask for an external review.
What happens if my appeal is denied?
You can ask for an external review by an independent reviewer, and the plan must accept that decision. Your denial letter explains how, and the review may cost up to $25.
Want the numbers for your own prescription? Pick your drug and see which programs it offers, what each one requires, and the source we checked.
Sources
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This article is general information, not medical, legal or financial advice. Program rules change, so check the program’s own page before you apply.