LUNG FOR LIFE
Improving early detection, access, and care for idiopathic lung diseases
What We Do
Lung for Life works to improve access, coverage, and system navigation for people living with idiopathic and under-recognized lung diseases. We focus on the ways healthcare policy, insurance design, and care delivery shape patients’ real ability to receive timely and appropriate care.
Access to Specialty Lung Care
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We highlight barriers patients face when seeking timely diagnosis and specialty pulmonary care, including referral requirements, geographic limitations, and limited availability of experienced centers for idiopathic lung diseases.
Coverage & Insurance Barriers
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We examine how insurance rules, coverage exclusions, and utilization management shape whether patients can receive recommended care. Our work clarifies how coverage decisions impact people with complex and idiopathic lung conditions.
Policy, Treatment, and Clinical Trial Updates
We share updates on new treatments, clinical trial opportunities, and policy changes that shape access to care for idiopathic and under-recognized lung diseases
Health System Navigation & Clear Language
We help patients and caregivers navigate healthcare systems for idiopathic lung diseases by explaining complex terms and processes that often stand in the way of care.
OUR VISION
Lung for Life envisions a healthcare system where people with idiopathic lung diseases are diagnosed earlier and can access timely, appropriate care without unnecessary system barriers. The organization was founded after losing a family member to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis following a delayed diagnosis, an experience that revealed how difficult it can be for families to navigate early detection, specialty access, and coverage. This perspective shapes our focus on how referral pathways, insurance rules, and care delivery models influence diagnosis and outcomes for patients and caregivers.
What is Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
What is IPF?
Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis(IPF) is a disease that causes scarring in the lungs. As the word "Idiopathic" suggests, there is no known cause for IPF. However, the scarring results in stiffness in the lungs, thus making it very hard to breathe.
How many cases of IPF have been recorded?
IPF is very rare. Currently, it's been estimated that every 13-20 per 100,000 people are affected by IPF in the United States. One hundred thousand people live with IPF in the U.S., with 30,000-40,000 people diagnosed with IPF each year.
Who's mainly affected?
Recent studies have shown that IPF is most common in people between ages 50-70. Although cases used to be more common in men, the number of cases in women is on the rise.
How does IPF affect those who've had COVID-19
Around 44.9 % of those who've had COVID-19 have developed early Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. With COVID-19's unreliability, IPF research must move to the forefront of lung disease research.
CONTACT
Lung For Life
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