(435) 292-5548
 Medicare News
Home  ›  Prescription Assistance  ›  Januvia

Diabetes & Blood Sugar

Januvia Assistance Programs & Grants

Assistance information last verified: August 2026

AltaMedicare is an independent Medicare agency in Alpine, Utah, founded by Bret Swope, a licensed Medicare agent. We provide educational, no-pressure help comparing Medicare Advantage, Medigap (Medicare Supplement), and Part D at no cost, serving the entire state of Utah. Call or text (435) 292-5548.

Manufacturer programs, charitable grants and Medicare routes for Januvia (sitagliptin) — each checked on its official source.

Can I get help paying for Januvia?

Partly — and the manufacturer program works differently from the ones on our other diabetes pages. Merck gives Januvia away free, but its eligibility rules are written for people with no insurance and name Medicare as disqualifying coverage. A Medicare beneficiary's route in is Merck's documented financial-and-medical-hardship exception. Meanwhile Medicare has already negotiated Januvia's price, generic sitagliptin exists, and both diabetes charity funds were closed.

  • Merck Patient Assistance Program: provides Januvia free, but you must "not have insurance or other coverage for your prescription medicine" — Merck lists Medicare among the disqualifying examples. Income limits $63,840 (individual), $86,560 (couple), $132,000 (family of four).
  • The exception that matters on Medicare: Merck states that people who do not meet the insurance criteria "may still qualify… if they attest that they have special circumstances of financial and medical hardship, and their income meets the program criteria."
  • Medicare negotiated price: $113.00 per 30-day equivalent supply from January 1, 2026; $116.06 from January 1, 2027. This is already in effect, unlike most negotiated prices described on this site.
  • Generic sitagliptin is labelled with FDA and appears on the same charitable-fund lists as the brand — usually the largest saving with no application attached.
  • Charitable grants: TotalAssist's Type 2 diabetes fund and HealthWell's Type 2 Diabetes fund both list Januvia and both were closed to new applicants. Good Days has no diabetes fund.

1 of the 6 programs we checked for Januvia was accepting applications when verified in August 2026.

About Januvia (sitagliptin)

Januvia is a once-daily tablet for type 2 diabetes. It blocks an enzyme called DPP-4 so the body's own blood-sugar-lowering hormones keep working longer after a meal. It is not insulin and it is not a GLP-1 injection — it is an oral medicine taken with diet and exercise.

Approved uses

  • As an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus
  • Not for patients with type 1 diabetes
  • Not studied in patients with a history of pancreatitis

Manufacturer: Merck

Why Januvia can be expensive on Medicare

Januvia is a long-established brand that Part D plans have generally placed on a brand tier, so a deductible or a non-preferred tier can make early-year fills expensive. Two things now pull the other way, and both are specific to this medication. Generic sitagliptin is labelled with FDA and sits on the same charitable-fund lists as the brand. And Medicare has negotiated Januvia's price: $113.00 for a 30-day equivalent supply took effect on January 1, 2026, with $116.06 applying from January 1, 2027. What you pay is still your plan's cost-sharing, but it is cost-sharing calculated against a negotiated price rather than a list price.

Medicare coverage context

Januvia is a tablet you take yourself, so Medicare covers it under Part D or a Medicare Advantage drug plan. It is one of the first ten drugs CMS negotiated: the maximum fair price is $113.00 per 30-day equivalent supply from January 1, 2026, adjusted to $116.06 from January 1, 2027, and the combination products Janumet and Janumet XR were negotiated separately at $80.00 from January 1, 2027. Part D out-of-pocket costs are capped at $2,100 in 2026, and Extra Help lowers cost-sharing for people with limited income and resources. The manufacturer route is the one to read carefully here: Merck's assistance program is built for people without insurance, and having Medicare is listed as coverage that disqualifies you unless a hardship exception is granted.

Check typical Part D coverage · Estimate your drug costs · Compare Part D drug plans

Januvia assistance options at a glance

Every program we checked, what kind of help it is, whether people with Medicare can use it, and its status when we verified it. A medication being listed by a program is not the same as the program accepting applications.

About the income limits below: Income limits can differ between assistance programs even when both describe their eligibility as the same percentage of the federal poverty level. The dollar limits shown here come from each program's own published income table, and each program decides which year's poverty guidelines that table is built from and when it takes effect. Treat the figures as belonging to the program they are listed under — they are not interchangeable, and only the program can tell you which table it is applying to your application today.

Januvia assistance programs compared
ProgramType of helpPeople with MedicareStatus (August 2026)
Merck Patient Assistance Program Manufacturer patient assistance with conditions Accepting applications
Januvia savings card Commercial copay / savings card not eligible Check current availability
Manufacturer cash price — none found Manufacturer self-pay pricing not stated No program found
TotalAssist — Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) fund Charitable grant may apply Closed to new applicants
HealthWell Foundation — Type 2 Diabetes fund Charitable grant may apply Closed to new applicants
Good Days — no applicable fund Charitable grant not stated No program found
Medicare Extra Help (Part D Low-Income Subsidy) Government program may apply Accepting applications

Manufacturer programs from Merck

A patient assistance program (free or low-cost drug by income) is not the same as a copay card (a commercial discount that usually excludes Medicare). Both are listed so you can see which one applies to you.

Manufacturer patient assistance

Merck Patient Assistance Program

Merck (Merck Patient Assistance Program, Inc.)

Accepting applications Medicare: with conditions

Status: Accepting applications for JANUVIA on August 26, 2026. A single application may cover up to 12 months and up to three Merck medicines; each prescription may not exceed a 90-day supply with a maximum of three refills, and you may reapply as many times as needed.

Merck's program provides participating Merck medicines free of charge to eligible patients, described by Merck as "primarily the uninsured who, without our assistance, could not afford needed Merck medicines". JANUVIA is a participating product.

If you have Medicare: Read this one carefully, because it is the opposite of the rule on our AstraZeneca and Pfizer pages. Merck's second eligibility condition is: "You do not have insurance or other coverage for your prescription medicine. Some examples of other insurance coverage include private insurance, HMOs, Medicaid, Medicare, state pharmacy assistance programs, veterans assistance, or any other social service agency support." Having Medicare therefore counts against you. Merck does publish a way through: "Individuals who don't meet the insurance criteria may still qualify for this program if they attest that they have special circumstances of financial and medical hardship, and their income meets the program criteria." If you have Part D and cannot afford Januvia, that hardship exception is what you are applying under — say so on the call.

What it can cover: Januvia at no cost to approved patients, shipped to your home address unless your prescriber requests otherwise.

Who may qualify

  • A U.S. resident (including U.S. territories; citizenship is not required) with a prescription for Januvia from a U.S.-licensed health care provider
  • No insurance or other coverage for the prescription — Merck names Medicare as an example of disqualifying coverage; see the hardship exception in the Medicare note
  • Household income of $63,840 or less for an individual, $86,560 or less for a couple, or $132,000 or less for a family of four. These are Merck's own figures — another program quoting a similar percentage of the poverty level may publish different dollars
  • Alaska and Hawaii limits differ — call 1-800-727-5400 for those
  • You may not be enrolled in, or encouraged by an insurer or employer to use, an alternative funding program that requires a Merck assistance application as a condition of coverage

What the application asks for

  • The Merck enrolment form, signed by BOTH you and your prescriber
  • Your prescriber writes the prescription in Section 4 of the enrolment form itself — no separate prescription form is needed
  • Household size and income information
  • If you have Medicare: be ready to describe the financial and medical hardship you are attesting to

How to apply

Call 1-800-727-5400 (Monday–Friday, 8 AM–8 PM ET) for a program brochure and enrolment form, or download the form from merckhelps.com. Complete every field, have your prescriber sign it and write the prescription in Section 4, then mail it to Merck Patient Assistance Program, PO Box 1206, Wilkes Barre, PA 18703-1206. Incomplete forms are returned. There is no fee.

Merck Patient Assistance Program — Januvia → 1-800-727-5400

Commercial copay / savings card

Januvia savings card

Merck

Check current availability Medicare: not eligible

Status: Could not be confirmed at the source on August 26, 2026. januvia.com now returns the prescribing-information PDF rather than a consumer site, and no Merck-owned savings-card page could be located. Third-party directories report a card for commercially insured patients; because that is not an official source, no dollar amount, maximum or expiry is published here.

A commercial copay offer for people with private or employer prescription insurance, reported by third-party directories but not verifiable on a Merck-owned page on the checked date.

If you have Medicare: Manufacturer copay cards are closed to Medicare across the board — federal anti-kickback rules prevent them being used with Part D, Medicare Advantage drug coverage, Medicaid, TRICARE or VA benefits. That general rule is why this card is recorded as excluded even though its specific terms could not be read; if you have Medicare, this is not your route regardless of what the current terms say.

Who may qualify

  • Commercial (private or employer-sponsored) prescription insurance
  • Not enrolled in Medicare, Medicaid or another government prescription program
  • Current terms unconfirmed — ask Merck before relying on a figure

How to apply

Commercially insured patients should ask their pharmacist or prescriber for the current Merck offer, or call Merck. Medicare beneficiaries should go to the Merck Patient Assistance Program hardship route, the generic, and Extra Help instead.

Merck patient assistance →

Manufacturer self-pay pricing

Manufacturer cash price — none found

Merck

No program found Medicare: not stated

Status: We found no Merck self-pay or direct-purchase price for Januvia on August 26, 2026.

An honest negative with a real alternative behind it: generic sitagliptin is labelled with FDA, so the cash comparison worth making at the pharmacy counter is brand versus generic, not brand versus a manufacturer price.

If you have Medicare: Not applicable — there is no cash-pay programme for Januvia to have a Medicare rule.

How to apply

Not applicable. Ask a pharmacist what generic sitagliptin costs with and without your plan, and compare that against your Januvia copay.

Merck patient assistance →

Charitable grants for Januvia

No open charitable fund covered Januvia on August 26, 2026. TotalAssist's Type 2 diabetes fund lists it — along with generic sitagliptin and the Janumet combinations — and was closed; HealthWell's Type 2 Diabetes fund was closed as well; Good Days has no diabetes fund at all. That makes the routes with no fund balance attached the important ones here, and Januvia has more of them than most medications on this site: generic sitagliptin, Medicare's negotiated price of $113.00 per 30-day equivalent supply, Extra Help, and Merck's hardship exception. Set alerts on both funds so you hear if they reopen.

Charitable grant

TotalAssist — Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) fund

Patient Advocate Foundation · Type 2 diabetes (T2DM)

Closed to new applicants Medicare: may apply

Status: Closed to new applicants on August 26, 2026. "Januvia (Sitagliptin Phosphate)" is on its approved-medication list, along with generic sitagliptin and the Janumet combinations.

A listing is not an open fund. Januvia is covered by this fund on paper, but it was closed when we checked. TotalAssist has no waitlist or queue, so the notification sign-up is what gets you in when it reopens.

If you have Medicare: The fund requires government-insured coverage — Medicare, Medicaid or TRICARE — that covers your qualifying expenses. Medicare beneficiaries are eligible when it is open.

What it can cover: When open: $1,500 guaranteed award and up to $2,000 maximum for medication copays, coinsurance, deductibles and health-insurance premiums. One grant per condition.

Who may qualify

  • Confirmed type 2 diabetes diagnosis, in treatment, starting within 60 days, or treated in the past 6 months
  • Government-insured coverage (Medicare, Medicaid or TRICARE) that covers your qualifying expenses
  • Household income at or below 500% of the federal poverty level, adjusted for your regional cost-of-living index
  • Confirmed diagnosis matching the fund, and in treatment (or starting within 60 days, or treated in the past 6 months)
  • Legal U.S. resident receiving treatment in the U.S. or a U.S. territory

What the application asks for

  • Contact information and Social Security number (or alien number)
  • Annual household income (for pre-screening; proof of income due within 30 days of approval)
  • Health insurance carrier, plan type, policy ID and group number; Medicare supplement or secondary insurance if you have one
  • Copay or coinsurance amounts
  • Your provider's name and contact information, diagnosis (exact date if within 6 months), prescribed medications and treatment plan

How to apply

Sign up for fund notifications (text, email or automated call) at totalassist.org/notify. When the fund opens: You (the patient) apply online — it takes about 15 minutes and you learn immediately whether you are approved — or call 866-512-3861, Monday–Friday 8:30am–5:30pm ET. Patient Advocate Foundation verifies your diagnosis and treatment plan directly with your provider and verifies income automatically; you have 30 days after approval to provide proof of income.

Get notified when a TotalAssist fund opens → 866-512-3861

Charitable grant

HealthWell Foundation — Type 2 Diabetes fund

HealthWell Foundation · Type 2 Diabetes

Closed to new applicants Medicare: may apply

Status: Listed as closed on HealthWell's disease-funds page on August 26, 2026. HealthWell says replenished funds reopen "as quickly as possible" and offers email or text alerts for each fund.

HealthWell runs a Type 2 Diabetes fund covering oral diabetes medicines. It was closed to new patients when we checked — set an alert rather than assuming it is unavailable for good.

If you have Medicare: HealthWell accepts Medicare as qualifying insurance. Premium assistance through the fund requires Medicare Part B; the copay assistance applies to the prescription itself.

What it can cover: When open: prescription copay assistance for type 2 diabetes medicines, with household income up to 500% of the federal poverty level on HealthWell's own table.

Who may qualify

  • Insurance that pays part of the cost of Januvia — Medicare qualifies; discount cards do not count as insurance
  • Household income up to 500% of the federal poverty level, adjusted for household size and cost of living
  • A type 2 diabetes diagnosis verified by a physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant
  • Treatment in the United States

What the application asks for

  • Some form of health insurance (Medicare qualifies) that covers part of the cost of the drug — discount cards do not count
  • Social Security number (used to prevent duplicate applications)
  • Diagnosis verified by a physician's, nurse practitioner's or physician assistant's signature
  • Treatment in the United States

How to apply

When a fund is open, apply online or by phone; your provider verifies the diagnosis by signature. When a fund is closed, sign up for that fund's real-time alerts — HealthWell says replenished funds reopen "as quickly as possible."

HealthWell disease funds (sign up for alerts) → (800) 675-8416

Charitable grant

Good Days — no applicable fund

Good Days

No program found Medicare: not stated

Status: Good Days' published disease list on August 26, 2026 contained no type 2 diabetes program.

An honest negative, checked so you do not spend time on a third foundation that has no fund for you.

If you have Medicare: Good Days accepts Medicare beneficiaries for the diseases it covers, but it covers no diagnosis that applies to Januvia.

How to apply

Not applicable today. The diseases-covered page shows every fund and whether it is open.

Good Days diseases covered →

How to apply for Januvia assistance

  1. Step 1 — Find the applicable assistance program

    For Januvia on Medicare in August 2026 the order runs: the generic and the negotiated price first, because they need no application; then Extra Help; then Merck's hardship route.

    • Ask your plan and pharmacy what generic sitagliptin costs — no application, no waiting, and it is on the same fund lists as the brand.
    • Check what your plan charges for Januvia now that the negotiated price of $113.00 per 30-day equivalent supply is in effect.
    • Limited income and resources → Medicare Extra Help through Social Security.
    • No coverage at all, or Medicare plus genuine financial and medical hardship → the Merck Patient Assistance Program, applying under the hardship exception.
    • Commercial insurance instead of Medicare → ask about the Merck savings card, which Medicare enrollees cannot use.

  2. Step 2 — Check whether applications are currently open

    Merck's program was open; both diabetes charity funds were closed. Any of these can change without notice.

    • Merck: merckhelps.com lists the participating products — confirm JANUVIA is still among them before you apply.
    • TotalAssist: the Type 2 diabetes fund page shows "Open" or "Closed" and the current award amounts.
    • HealthWell: the Disease Funds page shows the Type 2 Diabetes fund's status; closed funds reopen as money is replenished.

  3. Step 3 — Check eligibility

    Each program applies its own rules and its own income table. Merck's figures below belong to Merck alone — do not carry them to another manufacturer's application.

    • Merck: no insurance or other coverage (Medicare is named as disqualifying), OR attested financial and medical hardship; income at or below $63,840 (individual), $86,560 (couple) or $132,000 (family of four); different limits in Alaska and Hawaii.
    • TotalAssist (when open): government insurance covering Januvia; income at or below 500% FPL adjusted for your regional cost-of-living index; a type 2 diabetes diagnosis in treatment.
    • HealthWell (when open): insurance that pays part of the cost — Medicare qualifies; income up to 500% FPL on HealthWell's table; diagnosis verified by your provider.
    • Extra Help: income below about $23,940 a year for one person or $32,460 for a couple, and countable resources limited to $18,090 or $36,100 in 2026.

  4. Step 4 — Gather your information

    The Merck enrolment form is a paper process, so collect these before you start:

    • Medicare card and your Part D or Medicare Advantage drug-plan card, with policy ID and group number.
    • Household size and annual household income, with proof.
    • Your prescriber's name, office address and phone — they must sign the form and write the prescription inside it.
    • If you are applying under the hardship exception, a clear account of the financial and medical circumstances you are attesting to.
    • Your Januvia strength (25 mg, 50 mg or 100 mg).

  5. Step 5 — Complete the application

    Who fills out what:

    • Merck: you complete the form and your prescriber signs it — BOTH signatures are required — and your prescriber writes the prescription in Section 4 rather than on a separate pad. One form can cover up to three Merck medicines.
    • TotalAssist (when open): you apply online in about 15 minutes or by phone on 866-512-3861; Patient Advocate Foundation verifies the diagnosis with your provider.
    • HealthWell (when open): apply online or by phone; your provider verifies the diagnosis by signature.
    • Extra Help: you (or someone helping you) apply free through Social Security — online, by phone on 1-800-772-1213, or at an office.

  6. Step 6 — Submit and wait for a determination

    What to expect:

    • Merck: mail the completed form to Merck Patient Assistance Program, PO Box 1206, Wilkes Barre, PA 18703-1206. Incomplete or incorrectly completed forms are returned, which costs weeks — check every field before sending.
    • If approved, a single Merck enrolment can last up to 12 months, with each prescription limited to a 90-day supply and up to three refills. You may reapply as many times as needed.
    • Extra Help: Social Security notifies you by mail; your Part D plan then applies the lower copays.
    • TotalAssist (when open): an immediate online decision; proof of income due within 30 days.

  7. Step 7 — If the program is closed or you don't qualify

    Januvia has more no-application routes than most medications on this site — use them:

    • Ask your prescriber about generic sitagliptin. It is FDA-labelled and sits on the same charitable-fund lists as the brand.
    • Check your plan's current cost-sharing against the negotiated price — $113.00 per 30-day equivalent supply in 2026, $116.06 from 2027.
    • Apply for Extra Help even if you assume you earn too much; its limits are higher than most people expect and applying is free.
    • Sign up for TotalAssist and HealthWell alerts so you hear when a diabetes fund reopens.
    • Use the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan to spread this year's out-of-pocket costs across monthly payments.
    • Call AltaMedicare — we will work through every route above with you, free.

What you'll need

Only items the programs above actually ask for. Gather these before you start.

  • Medicare card and your Part D or Medicare Advantage drug-plan card — plan name, member ID and group number
  • Prescription details — medication name, strength and dose; prescriber name, office phone and address
  • Diagnosis and date of diagnosis — TotalAssist needs the exact date if diagnosed within the past 6 months
  • Household size and annual household income — and proof — tax return, Social Security or pension statements, or pay stubs
  • Merck enrolment form signed by BOTH you and your prescriber — the prescription is written inside the form, in Section 4
  • A written account of financial and medical hardship — only if you have Medicare and are applying under Merck's exception

If assistance is unavailable

A closed fund or a denial is not the end of the road. Check these next:

  1. Because Merck's program is written for people without coverage, the first thing to check on Medicare is not an application at all — ask what your plan charges for generic sitagliptin, and what it charges for Januvia at its negotiated price.
  2. Sign up for TotalAssist fund notifications so you hear the moment a Januvia fund reopens — there is no waitlist or queue, so speed matters. TotalAssist notifications
  3. Sign up for HealthWell fund alerts for the same reason; HealthWell says closed funds reopen as funding is replenished. HealthWell disease funds
  4. Check Medicare Extra Help — it does not depend on a fund balance and lowers the cost of every covered drug, not just this one. Medicare Extra Help explained
  5. Ask your doctor's office — many practices have staff who handle assistance applications routinely and can request a formulary exception or a lower-cost alternative.
  6. Use the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan to spread this year's out-of-pocket costs across monthly payments (it does not lower the total). Medicare.gov
  7. Compare Part D and Medicare Advantage drug plans during the fall enrollment period — the tier and cost-sharing for Januvia differ from plan to plan. Compare Part D plan options

Could Medicare Extra Help reduce your Januvia costs?

Extra Help is not a grant for Januvia. It is a Medicare program that lowers what qualifying beneficiaries pay for their Part D premium, deductible and every covered prescription — so it is worth checking even when a charitable fund is closed, because it does not depend on fund balances.

Extra Help and the Merck program pull in different directions here, so it is worth being clear. Merck's program is designed for people with no coverage at all; Extra Help is designed for people who have Part D and limited income. If you have Part D, apply for Extra Help — it lowers the copay on every covered drug, not just Januvia, and with full Extra Help a covered brand-name drug costs about $12.65 in 2026. Merck's hardship exception is worth pursuing in parallel, not instead.

In 2026, people with full Extra Help generally pay no more than $12.65 for a covered brand-name drug. Income must be below about $23,940 a year for one person ($32,460 for a couple) and countable resources under $18,090 ($36,100 for a couple). Apply free through Social Security — online, by phone at 1-800-772-1213, or in person — and never pay anyone to apply for you.

Extra Help explained · Medicare Savings Programs · Estimate your drug costs · Free prescription cost review

Government program

Medicare Extra Help (Part D Low-Income Subsidy)

Medicare / Social Security Administration

Accepting applications Medicare: may apply

Status: Year-round federal program (figures for 2026)

Not a grant for one drug — a Medicare program that lowers what qualifying beneficiaries pay for their Part D premium, deductible and every covered prescription.

If you have Medicare: For people with Medicare Part D or a Medicare Advantage drug plan who have limited income and resources.

What it can cover: Part D premium and deductible (often to $0) and reduced copays — generally no more than $12.65 for a covered brand-name drug in 2026 with full Extra Help.

Who may qualify

  • Income below 150% of the federal poverty level — about $23,940 a year for one person or $32,460 for a married couple in 2026.
  • Countable resources (savings, investments — not your home or car) limited to $18,090 for an individual or $36,100 for a married couple living together in 2026 (Medicare.gov figures, which include a burial-expense allowance).
  • Automatic if you have Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), or a Medicare Savings Program.

What the application asks for

  • Social Security number and Medicare number
  • Income (Social Security, pensions, wages) for you and a spouse you live with
  • Value of savings, investments and other countable resources

How to apply

You (or someone helping you) apply free through Social Security — online, by phone, or at a Social Security office. There is never a fee to apply.

Apply for Extra Help at SSA.gov → 1-800-772-1213

Key terms on this page

Patient assistance program (PAP)
A manufacturer program that provides its medication free or at low cost to people who meet income and insurance rules. Many PAPs accept Medicare Part D enrollees; each sets its own criteria.
Copay card / savings card
A manufacturer discount for commercially insured patients. Federal anti-kickback rules mean these cards generally cannot be used with Medicare, Medicaid or other government insurance.
Charitable copay grant
Money from a nonprofit foundation (for example HealthWell or Patient Advocate Foundation) that pays eligible copays or coinsurance for a specific diagnosis. A drug can be listed while the fund is closed to new applicants.
Federal poverty level (FPL)
A federal income measure that assistance programs use as a yardstick — "300% of FPL", "500% of FPL". The percentage is a rule, but the dollar figure behind it comes from a table each program publishes itself, built on a chosen year of the HHS poverty guidelines. Two programs can quote the same percentage in the same year and still list different dollar limits; compare each program against its own table, not against another program.
Medicare Extra Help
The Part D Low-Income Subsidy: a Medicare program that lowers or eliminates Part D premiums, deductibles and copays for beneficiaries with limited income and resources. You apply through Social Security.
Maximum Fair Price (MFP)
The price Medicare negotiated for a selected drug under the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program. It applies to Part D plans, not to the pharmacy cash price, and it lowers what plans and enrollees pay for that drug.

Related medication assistance guides

Farxiga Assistance & Grants dapagliflozin Jardiance Assistance & Grants empagliflozin Trulicity Assistance & Grants dulaglutide All prescription assistance Directory & program finder
Common Questions

Januvia assistance FAQ

Does Medicare cover Januvia?
Yes — Medicare Part D and Medicare Advantage drug plans cover Januvia, and it is one of the drugs whose price Medicare has negotiated. The maximum fair price is $113.00 for a 30-day equivalent supply from January 1, 2026, rising to $116.06 from January 1, 2027. You still pay your plan's cost-sharing, but it is calculated against that price. Part D out-of-pocket costs are capped at $2,100 in 2026, and Medicare Extra Help can bring a covered brand-name copay to about $12.65.
Is there a Januvia patient assistance program for people on Medicare?
Merck runs one, but its rules are unusual and worth reading closely. The Merck Patient Assistance Program provides Januvia free — and its eligibility requires that you "do not have insurance or other coverage for your prescription medicine", with Medicare listed among the examples of disqualifying coverage. Merck does publish an exception: people who do not meet the insurance criteria "may still qualify… if they attest that they have special circumstances of financial and medical hardship, and their income meets the program criteria." If you have Part D, that exception is your route. Call 1-800-727-5400.
What are the Merck income limits?
Merck publishes $63,840 or less for an individual, $86,560 or less for a couple, and $132,000 or less for a family of four, with different limits in Alaska and Hawaii (call 1-800-727-5400 for those). These figures belong to Merck's own table. Other manufacturers publish different dollar limits even when they describe eligibility in similar terms, because each builds its table from a poverty-guideline year of its own choosing — never carry one program's numbers to another's application.
Is there a charitable grant for Januvia right now?
Not when we checked on August 26, 2026. TotalAssist's Type 2 diabetes fund lists Januvia and generic sitagliptin but was closed to new applicants, and HealthWell's Type 2 Diabetes fund was closed too. Good Days has no diabetes fund. Sign up for alerts on both; TotalAssist has no waitlist, so the notification is what gets you in.
Is there a generic for Januvia?
Yes. Generic sitagliptin tablets are labelled with FDA alongside Merck's Januvia, and TotalAssist lists generic sitagliptin on the same fund as the brand. There are also separately branded sitagliptin products (Zituvio, Brynovin) and generic sitagliptin-metformin combinations. Ask your prescriber and your plan what the generic costs on your formulary — for many people that is the largest saving available, and it needs no application.
Can I use a Januvia savings card with Medicare?
No. Manufacturer copay cards cannot be used with Part D, Medicare Advantage drug coverage, Medicaid, TRICARE or VA benefits — federal anti-kickback rules are why. We could not verify the current Januvia card at all: januvia.com now serves the prescribing-information PDF rather than a consumer site, and no Merck-owned savings page could be found, so no terms or dollar figures are published here.
What happens if the fund is closed?
TotalAssist offers text, email or automated-call notifications when a fund opens, with no waitlist or queue; HealthWell offers alerts on each fund page. While you wait, the routes that do not depend on a fund balance are the generic, the negotiated price, Extra Help, Merck's hardship exception, and the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan. See all prescription assistance options.

Sources

Related resources

Assistance information last verified August 2026. Program details — fund status, eligibility, prices, phone numbers — change often; confirm with each program before applying. AltaMedicare does not administer, fund or approve any assistance program. Not medical advice.

Having trouble figuring out your prescription costs?

Bret can help you understand your Medicare prescription coverage and where to look for Januvia assistance — free, no pressure. We don't award grants or decide eligibility; the programs above do. We help you find and apply to the right ones.

Text Bret About Januvia Call (435) 292-5548