This is information I initially compiled for a medical group I founded and then revised for others who were struggling financially during the pandemic. The links were current as of the beginning of the pandemic but I have not been able to check them again. It is a lot of information but a ton of helpful resources. I hope this may help you!  
 
If you need to print a copy please copy, paste and save this information into a local document and print from there.  The Montgomery County, Maryland-specific information is at the very bottom, but all of these resources may help MoCo residents.  
This "Financial Resources Guide" contains information mostly for those with low incomes (some resources and link descriptions are credited to the  PNN as well other sources as cited). I do not specifically endorse any of the resources listed.  These are not advertisements or commission links, but resources I've compiled to help those who are struggling to afford things, because I've been there myself.  And because it takes a village and we all need to help each other where we can.  
 
Please use this information as a starting point for yourself. I apologize but I cannot respond to each person who messages me privately asking for additional assistance. 

IN THIS GUIDE:
 
*Prescription Assistance
*Insurance, Bills, Food and Care (tests, dental, even cars!)
*Free/Low-Cost Cell Phones and Plans 
*U.S. Governmental and Montgomery County Programs 
*Disability (and Employment) Assistance
*Applying Successfully for SSDI/SSI help tips
*Dental assistance 
*Additional resources
 
 
PRESCRIPTION ASSISTANCE: 
 
Blink Health https://www.blinkhealth.com/ Save up to 95% on your prescriptions at your local pharmacy. Free to use – no membership fees.
 
Healthfinder is a U.S. government website where you can apply for Medicare and patient assistance programs that offer free or discounted medications.
 
The National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics provides a range of medical, dental, pharmacy, vision and behavioral health services to economically disadvantaged Americans. Their website can also help find a free or charitable clinic near you that provides meals, companionship and safety checks to seniors and others with mobility issues.
 
Needy Meds www.NeedyMeds.com Provides links to many programs for free or low-cost meds, medical care, services and more. See the “Patient Savings” tab at the top left of their site for numerous resources.
 
NeedyMeds, Inc. www.needymeds.org Information on programs to aid healthcare and medication costs.
 
Partnership for Prescription Assistance connects uninsured or underinsured patients to over 475 public and private assistance programs that provide free or low-cost prescription drugs.
 
Prescription Hope, Inc. www.prescriptionhope.com Organization works with physicians and patients to get FDA approved brand name meds @$25/month.
 
Partnership for Prescription Assistance www.pparx.org Single point of access for free and low-cost medication assistance programs and health care clinics.
 
Rare Care (NORD) http://rarediseases.org/for-patients-and-families/help-access-medications/patient-assistance-programs/ Provides medication, financial assistance with insurance premiums and co-pays, diagnostic testing assistance and travel assistance for clinical trials or consultation with disease specialists. You can call them for more information at 1-800-999-6673.
 
Rx Assist http://www.rxassist.org/ Comprehensive database of patient assistance programs for free medications for those who cannot afford them.
 
Rx Hope www.rxhope.com Advocacy and assistance in locating and applying for medication financial assistance.
 
The National Council on Aging (NCOA) www.benefitscheckup.org Assistance paying for prescription drugs, health care, utilities and other basic needs.
 
Together Rx Access http://www.togetherrxacces.com/ Savings for those without prescription drug coverage.
 
Check with the major chains and local pharmacies for $4/30-day supply for generics. You can also contact manufacturers directly, many of whom provide low-cost or free medications to low-income patients. Some manufacturers also have programs for those with insurance to cover co-pays up to 100%.

 
INSURANCE, BILLS, FOOD AND CARE (TESTS, DENTAL, EVEN CARS!):
 
2-1-1/United Way (U.S.) http://211us.org/ Assistance linking to financial resources nationwide for medical and mental health needs.
 
Assist Fund https://theassistancefund.org Provides reimbursement for insurance premiums.
 
1-800-Charity Cars provides donated vehicles for free to a wide array of individuals. The list of those they help includes the "medically needy.”
 
Dental Lifeline Network provides donated dental services. They will connect you with a dentist who will make up a treatment plan for you. (Also see below for dental-specific resources.)
 
Find Free Money www.findfreemoney.com Links to websites to help you save or earn money.
 

FOOD PANTRY LOCATORS: Free food for those with limited income.
 
IN THE U.S. http://www.findafoodpantry.org
OR http://www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-local-foodbank
OR https://ampleharvest.org/find-pantry
 
Grants to Pay for Medical Bills - eHow www.ehow.com/about_5519757_grants-pay-medical-bills How to get help paying medical bills.
 
Healthcare Bluebook helps consumers save money on medical expenses -- everything from drugs to surgery to x-rays -- by giving them access to a nationwide database that estimates a "fair price" for whatever they're paying for.
 
Healthcare.gov www.healthcare.gov U.S. government healthcare information and application.
 
Health Insurance www.easyhealthinsuranceonline.com Discount health insurance quotes.
 
The National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics provides a range of medical, dental, pharmacy, vision and behavioral health services to economically disadvantaged Americans. Their website can also help find a free or charitable clinic near you that provides meals, companionship and safety checks to seniors and others with mobility issues.
 
Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE): PACE is a program available in some states to people with Medicare and Medicaid who need a nursing home level of care.
 
Paying for Medical Bills - eHow www.ehow.com/how_4824878_paying-medical-bills-debt How to get help paying medical bills.
 
The Patient Assistance Network (PAN) https://www.panfoundation.org/index.php/en/ Provides premium reimbursement and co-pay assistance.
 
The Healthwell Foundation https://healthwellfoundation.org Provides premium reimbursement and co-pay assistance.
 
MedicAlert Foundation International www.medicalert.org (United States) Emergency information jewelry and alarm systems. Medic Alert has a program to subsidize the cost of their items for low-income patients.http://www.medicalert.org/donate/sponsored-membership. Medic Alert also has specially-priced items for those with substantial financial need who are living below the poverty line.

 
FREE/LOW-COST CELL PHONES AND PLANS (AND U.S. GOVERNMENTAL PROGRAMS TO CONSIDER):
 
Throughout the U.S. and some territories the government provides cell phone programs to low-income and others already on government assistance. You can compare the various programs (below) but most will offer a FREE Smartphone phone and approximately 500 free minutes each month plus unlimited texting (some limit to 1,000 texts). There is usually a limit of one per household. Actual requirements vary by state, but in general to qualify for Lifeline, subscribers must either have an income that is at or below 135% of the federal Poverty Guidelines (a small number of states are at 150%) or participate in one of these major government assistance programs, which you also may want to consider applying for:
 
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Food Stamps or SNAP)
 
-Medicaid
-National School Lunch -Program's Free Lunch Program
-Federal Public Housing Assistance (Section 8)
-Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
-Low-Income Home Energy -Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
-Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF)
-Head Start (if income eligibility criteria are met)
-Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance
-Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR)
-Tribally-Administered Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TTANF)
-State assistance or other qualifying programs (check your state)
 
Here are some other resources to apply for a free cell phone and plan or to see if you qualify outside the government program listed above:
 
http://www.freegovernmentcellphones.net/
 
Budget Mobile Lifeline http://www.budgetmobile.com/
 
Q-Link Wireless (U.S. Government Program) https://qlinkwireless.com/
 
True Wireless https://gotruewireless.com/
 
Lifeline Smartphone http://lifelinesmartphone.com/
 
Assurance Wireless www.assurancewireless.com/
 
Safelink Wireless https://www.safelinkwireless.com
 
Tag Mobile https://www.tagmobile.com/

 
DISABILITY AND EMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE:
 
Americans with Disabilities Act www.ada.gov Information on U.S. job assistance and accommodations; ADA information line 800-514-0301 (calls are confidential).
 
Disability.gov www.disability.gov Information on disability programs and services nationwide.
 
Job Accommodation Network (JAN) https://askjan.org/soar/other/addisons.html
 
Military Disability Made Easy http://www.militarydisabilitymadeeasy.com/theendocrinesystem.html
 
NOLO Network www.disabilitysecrets.com Social security disability articles and links (Note: this site is produced by a law firm. I am not recommending you choose to use a lawyer or send information through this site to these attorneys but these articles and links are well-written and may be useful in your SSDI/SSI application process.)
 
Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) https://www.ssa.gov/disability/ Governmental information on disability income programs.
 
The Social Security and Disability Resource Center www.ssdrc.com Consumer-owned site, information on Title 11 SSDI and Title 16 SSI disability benefits.
Social Security’s Ticket to Work program provides work opportunities to people on disability.
 
U.S. Disability Tax Credits https://www.irs.gov/individuals/more-information-for-people-with-disabilities for assistance covering the costs related to being disabled.

 
DENTAL ASSISTANCE RESOURCES:
 
These dental resources are credited to medicareinteractive.org. 
 
Medicaid: In some states, Medicaid covers some dental services. You may qualify for Medicaid if you have a very low income and assets. Check with your local Medicaid office to see what dental services are covered in your area.
 
Reduced-Cost or Free Clinics: Free and reduced-cost dental clinics are available in many states. There are a number of places to search for a clinic in your area (such as NeedyMeds, healthcare.gov, freeclinics.com, and hhs.gov).
 
Local hospitals: Call the hospitals in your area to ask if they offer dental clinics, how you can become a patient there, what services they offer, what the fees are and if payment plans are available.
 
Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), also known as Primary Health Care Service Delivery Sites sometimes offer dental care. FQHCs are health care facilities located in regions defined as medically underserved areas. People with Medicare are eligible to receive services from an FQHC. FQHCs provide Medicare-covered medical services as well as some preventive services that Medicare does not cover.
 
Community Health Centers across the country provide free or reduced-cost health services, including dental care. Community Health Centers are funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).
 
Donated Dental Service Programs operate in some states. Dentists in these programs offer free dental services if you have limited income.
 
Dental Schools sometimes provide quality, low-cost dental care. Dental students work with patients under the supervision of experienced, licensed dentists.
 
Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE): PACE is a program available in some states to people with Medicare and Medicaid who need a nursing home level of care.
 
Medicare Advantage (private health) Plans: Some Medicare private health plans offer routine dental coverage as part of their benefits package. If you are in a private health plan (such as an HMO or PPO), call your plan to find out what dental services, if any, it covers. If you are considering joining a Medicare private health plan, make sure it covers the doctors and hospitals you prefer to use and the medications you take at a cost you can afford.


APPLYING SUCCESSFULLY FOR SSDI/SSI (U.S.):
 
**For those in the U.S. applying for or appealing their SSDI or SSI claims, these are the key tips to winning your claim or appeal:
 
"Disability" under Social Security is based on your inability to work.
 
It’s YOUR job to PROVE to them that you can’t work and that it’s because of your medical condition(s). You need your DOCTORS to provide letters and complete their forms clearly stating that you can’t work BECAUSE of your diagnoses and that even if RETRAINED OR DOING SEDENTARY WORK, you will or have been out of work for A YEAR OF MORE.
 
Per the government site (substituting the word “they” below from https://www.ssa.gov), “...in addition to meeting their definition of disability, you must have worked long enough--and recently enough--under Social Security to qualify for disability benefits. The number of work credits you need to qualify for disability benefits depends on your age when you become disabled. You must have earned the required number of work credits within a certain period ending with the time you became disabled.”
 
To decide whether you are disabled, they use a step-by-step process involving five questions:
 
1. Are you working? Making over the minimum ‘work credits’ for the year in which you are applying.
 
2. Is your condition “severe”? Your condition must interfere with basic work-related activities for your claim to be considered.
 
3. Is your condition found in the list of disabling conditions? For each of the major body systems, they maintain a list of medical conditions that are so severe they automatically mean that you are disabled. If your condition is not on the list, they have to decide if it is of equal severity to a medical condition that is on the list. If it is, they will find that you are disabled.
 
4. Can you do the work you did previously? If your condition is severe but not at the same or equal level of severity as a medical condition on the list, then they must determine if it interferes with your ability to do the work you did previously.
 
5. Can you do any other type of work? If you cannot do the work you did in the past, they see if you are able to adjust to other work. They consider your medical conditions and your age, education, past work experience and any transferable skills you may have. If you cannot adjust to other work, your claim will be approved. If you can adjust to other work, your claim will be denied. If you have a medical condition(s) that affects your ability to work on a regular basis, but it is not as severe as any impairment described in the Listing of Impairments, they assess your “residual functional capacity” (RFC). This means they will look at all of the evidence they have and determine what you can still do, despite any limitations caused by your impairment(s) and related symptoms, such as pain and fatigue.”
 
Applying for disability? Start here: https://www.ssa.gov/applyfordisability
 
 
Additional MoCo Financial & Help Resources:
 
Free food: https://www.freefood.org/s/maryland
 
Help with bills/utilities and rent:
https://www.needhelppayingbills.com/html/montgomerty_county_maryland_as.html
 
Housing help/food/medical care:
https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/HHS/ProgramIndex/FinHousingServicesIndex.html
 
Financial help/employment/etc.:
https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/covid19/get-help/financial-assistance.html
 
Emergency financial help:
https://www.infomontgomery.org/search-results/?taxonomyName=Housing%20Expense%20Assistance
 
Rental assistance/eviction help and more:
https://www.rentassistance.us/co/md-montgomery
 
Housing/rental assistance, food, medical care: 
https://www.thehelplist.com/co/md-montgomery
 
Health plans for low income residents:
https://www.thehelplist.com/co/md-montgomery
 
Health services, food, cash assistance: 
https://www.thehelplist.com/co/md-montgomery
 
Child care assistance: 
https://earlychildhood.marylandpublicschools.org/child-care-providers/child-care-scholarship-program
 
Home care needs and other help: 
https://earlychildhood.marylandpublicschools.org/child-care-providers/child-care-scholarship-program
 
The following resources listed below (and much more) can be found hyperlinked within  these Rockville websites (scroll down within these sites; most are for all MoCo residents with limited income/resources): 
 
https://www.rockvillemd.gov/377/Financial-Assistance
 
https://www.icarol.info/ResultDetails.aspx?org=2046&agencynum=171611
 
—Montgomery County Health Connection
—Montgomery County, Office of Home Energy Programs
—Montgomery County Public Health Services
—Montgomery County Public Health Services, TB, Refugee and Migrant Health
—Americans With Disabilities Act Compliance, Montgomery County
—Silver Spring Health Center
—Montgomery County Public Health Services, Germantown Health Center
—Montgomery County Adult Foster Care
—Montgomery County Public Health Services, STD & HIV/AIDS Testing
—ChildLink
—Montgomery County Child Care Subsidy Programs 
—Linkages to Learning
—Montgomery County Office of Eligibility and Support Services, Germantown
—Montgomery County Housing Stabilization Services, Rockville
—Montgomery County Housing Stabilization Services, Silver Spring
—Women's Cancer Control Program, Montgomery County
—Montgomery County Income Support, Silver Spring
—Rental Assistance Program, Montgomery County
—Montgomery County Housing Stabilization Services, Germantown
—Montgomery County DHHS Diversity Outreach
—Montgomery County Colesville Adult Dental Clinic
—Montgomery County Aging & Disability Services
—Montgomery County, Food Supplement Program (Food Stamps)
—Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, Dental Services
—Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, Family Law Self Help Center
—Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, Street Outreach Network
—Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, Children Fleeing Violence Project
—Montgomery County Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Program
—Montgomery County Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Program- SASCA Program
—Montgomery County COVID-19 Rent Relief Program


Here are some extra resources, in no specific order!

http://rxoutreach.org/how-to-enroll-in-rx-outreach/
 
https://www.genome.gov/11008842/
 
https://www.genome.gov/11008842/#al-1
 
https://www.genome.gov/11008842/#al-5
 
 
HOMELESS/HOUSING HELP:
 
https://www.benefits.gov/news/article/402?utm_source=govdelivery&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dr381
 
The following are resources to get free cars or interest-free car loans, or even gas grants if you are low income and meet other criteria. Please be aware that you will need to check each link to be sure it is available where you live and that you qualify. 
 
This organization’s website menu has numerous resources for those with low income. It also has a list of opportunities for low income individuals to receive free cars: https://freefinancialhelp.net/free-cars
 
Within Maryland, also see their TAP program: https://dhs.maryland.gov/weathering-tough-times/transportation-assistance-program-tap
—or TANF (it’s federal but available in each state to provide transportation for needy families): https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ofa/programs/tanf/about
—or— https://www.vehiclesforchange.org/need-a-car-maryland/

 
Also, please check out these resources (FREE CARS and more):
 
CharityCars.org
 
CarMinistry.org
 
Project-44.org/car-ministry
 
FreeCharityCards.org
 
VehiclesForChange.org (the Maryland link is above)
 
FreeCharityCars.org
 
Withcauses.org 
 
Cars4Heroes.org
 
1800CharityCars.org
 
ModestNeeds.org
 
FreeGasUSA.Org
 
Goodwill Wheels to Work:
https://www.goodwill.org/blog/news-updates/goodwill-helps-low-income-families-hit-the-road-for-job-success/
 
Working Cars for Working Families: 
https://www.workingcarsforworkingfamilies.org/
 
Grants.gov is the official site of federal government, which keeps a list of free cars or government grants.
 

Ways to Work:
Loans.org
The Ways to Work agencies provide interest-free loans to qualifying applicants, and they may also give them free used cars also.
 
In Maryland
Address: Ways to Work Inc. 
1212 Wolfe Street
Baltimore, MD 21213. 
Telephone number: 410-534-1366
 
You can contact United Way by dialing 211 for a free or low-priced car or go to their website at www.opportunitycars.com.