I just became insured through my job- prescriptions $587/month insured

[undeterred]

Most of the meds I use are a $10 copay. But the migraine drugs- imitrex injections and tablets- there is barely even a discount from what it would cost with no insurance. These drugs are still under patent and therefore there is no generic. And when I actually have a full blown migraine, there is nothing else that works like an injection.

The patent system is ridiculous. The greed of Glaxo-Wellcome in exploiting the patients who use this drug just blows my mind. And the uselessness of health insurance - who wants to spend $587 out of pocket every month for one persons medications? I can't afford to get the migraine drugs, so I left them at the pharmacy. I'll have to see what their formulary allows and probably make a doctors appointment to get new prescriptions for medications that don't work as well as the ones I have been on.

Our health care system exists to make a few very rich people richer.

[flvegan]

1. Is there a deductible that you have to meet before it kicks in

a better copay on some of those?

That's crazy. Simply crazy.

[undeterred]

2. well they applied the copay to some of the drugs

and the rest were "discounted" - as if $18 off a $220 prescription can be called a discount.

[flvegan]

4. I hear you. That's total bs. I know that some plans

will only cover 20% until you pay a certain amount. That's why I asked. How the f* do some folks get by today?

[union_maid]

5. My husband is fully insured, too

He has diabetes and is on meds for that, blood clots, cholesterol and blood pressure. He only has one kidney so the doctors want to be very sure that his blood levels stay in the normal range. His medications cost us several hundred dollars a month and the co-pay just went up again. Mine will go up in the fall, when we have to switch from the insurance I have, which has a low co-pay. The insurance company was absorbed and that deal will be unavailable, even though the organization I work for pays plenty for our insurance.

[Donnachaidh]

3. have you tried any generic drugs for the migraines?

my dh had migraines and was getting nailed for those imitrex costs, too. We finally had to start searching out why he was having them, and it turned out to be MSG was the main culprit. We've been vigilant about the food we buy, and he hasn't had a bad headache in over two years (knock wood).

We have a friend who has a hemophiliac child. The cost for one dose is $1000. He has to self-treat DAILY. Of course, they cannot get insurance. His yearly meds bill exceeds $365K.

[undeterred]

8. There are no generics for imitrex- its still under patent

and they've recently reformulated it so they can stretch out the profit years a little longer.

I've had the migraines for 25 years and while there are some things which I know cause them, I am going to get a few migraines each month no matter what I do.

There are other "tryptan" drugs which I can use, though I don't yet know which ones are covered and if they will work.

I know its worse for people with expensive chronic conditions like MS or hemophilia or AIDs, and my heart goes out to them. Our medical conditions should not be the center of our lives.

[Donnachaidh]

10. Not trying to belittle your migraines in my post

I do agree with you on the costs. My heart goes out to you. It's a horrible thing to go through.

And I really get annoyed with these *prescription help* programs put up by the Pharm companies. It's a write off for them, and you probably have to meet eligibility requirements.

If they really wanted to help - they'd drop the damned prices. Period.

[undeterred]

12. well, glaxo has sent me $10 coupons for drugs which cost $150 or $220

Why don't they just reduce the price.

I'm sure I make way too much money to qualify for the assistance programs. But I'd have to be making a REAL lot more money before $587 a month for meds didn't hurt.

[elehhhhna]

17. Don't forget to ask the Doc & nurses for samples.

[undeterred]

19. yeah, I always bring the BIG Purse for that drs appt

and he gives me all I can carry!

[Poppyseedman]

6. Link for Prescription Assistance Programs

http://us.gsk.com/health/prescription_progs.htm

[JackintheGreen]

7. Union, YES!

It sounds too glib, but a strong union would've taken care of that. Mine has.

[undeterred]

9. Computer techies aren't unionized

One of my co-workers is married to a teacher in a good union, and they pay zero to insure him, his wife, and their child.

[Lars39]

11. They could be...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=3651476

[JackintheGreen]

27. Proves my point

Teachers, by definition, are not in a good union. I was a teacher for years. And the teachers' union is the only union I despise. A good union WOULD have insurance coverage in their contract. Period.

And computer techs SHOULD be unionized. And they COULD be unionized.

Strong unions may encourage corruption at the top, but they still make it really hard to fuck with those at the lower echelons.

And if I hadn't mentioned it before, teachers' unions suck.

[jimshoes]

13. I feel your pain

literally. I am also taking Imitrex for migraine. Thankfully my wife's company lets her put me on her insurance. I'm gettin 3 month supply for $75.00 (That's only 27 pills BTW, but you're most likely aware of that) When we were in between insurance providers my cost was $189.00 for 9 pills. Needles to say I went without them for a while and made due with tylenol w/codiene. Ask your doctor about Relpax, which seemed to work as good as imitrex. He might be able to give you a couple of trial samples.

[elehhhhna]

18. I can't take Imitrex. Fioricet w/ codiene works well for mw=e,

along w. a bag of frozen veg on my head for the peak.

[Onlooker]

14. Imutrex pricing it's absurd

It's something like $23/pill and not only that, you take them when you think you're getting a migraine. If you take them during a migraine, they may not work. So, not only are they pricey, sometimes you take them when you may not even need them.

My partner gets migraines, and I think his insurance allows for up to 9 Imutrex a month (which is enough for him). But, for people whose insurance doesn't cover it, it's so unfair. From my partners experience I've come to believe that it's the only drug that helps. Believe me, before Imutrex he tried many others.

You might ask your human resource department to try to negotiate something, especially since migraines are really something that makes people miss work.

[undeterred]

15. I waited 6 months to be hired as an employee

HR sits you down and tell you about the insurance plans and everything is hunky dory. Well I wonder if it would have been any different if I picked the other plan. This sucks.

[Misskittycat]

16. Check out Costco. Great prices; no membership needed

to go in and get prescriptions only. It's been a lifesaver for me.

[SPKrazy]

20. Sometimes If You Can Document (or rather your physician does)

that other meds won't work, then the prescription plan will pay for something that isn't in the formulary

also, some plans give the pharmacist the option of over-riding the charge somehow (mine does for Protonix which is like Nexium, but all of the meds like that give me a whopper of a headache except Protonix) and they typed in something like I refused to use a formulary med and they charged me 30% of the price (which is what they charge for a non-generic drug in my plan's formulary) instead of 50% of the cost for a non-formulary drug.

If these things don't work, complain to your employer who is probably paying a lot of money to participate in a plan (you are too, but generally employers pay a significant part)that isn't helping their employees maintain their health adequately.

[LeftyMom]

25. I had to do that to get my birth control method covered

It was less of a production than I thought it would be, my HCP took care of it and all I had to do was go to the pharmacy.

Of course, that was back when I had health insurance. Don't even ask what it costs out of pocket. :(

[knitter4democracy]

21. A couple of things my hubby tells his patients

First of all, call around. Pharmacies often charge different amounts on drugs at different times of the day, different days of the weeks, etc. It can shave a decent amount on a large total.

Secondly, ask your doc about other options for the other meds (not the Imitrex, which you really need and supposedly will be going off patent sometime soon). Mine keeps track of general prices so he can start with the cheaper option, which he then documents--they tried the cheaper version, which didn't work. Sometimes that documentation will help convince the company to pay for something they wouldn't normally (doesn't always work, though).

Definitely keep on the migraine meds, though. My best friend needs those, and she was trying to cut back a couple of weeks ago only to really pay for it. I'm so sorry you're in pain. I've had chronic pain (most went away with the surgery this spring), and I thought I was going to go crazy.

[Ms. Toad]

22. A couple more options

Sometimes drug companies provide medications for free or a very reduced cost under a compassion program (don't recall exactly what it is called). Normally it is used for critical medications - and as someone else who suffers from migraines I am aware that a lot of people don't necessarily consider their treatment critical.

Physician samples can also be very helpful - we've gotten fairly large supplies when my daughter's meds were unavailable because the company was phasing out the dosage she normally takes.

[OhioChick]

23. Go to

your HR dept. and ask for an appeal form.......or if you have access to your healthcare site, print one, fill it out and send it to them. Briefly explain that you've taken this drug for X amount of time and that it's the only one that works for you. Surprisingly enough, I was in a similar predicament as you and this process worked for me. They allowed the drug at the co-pay price. It took about 3 months to get approval, but it's saved me an awful lot of money.

I feel for you on the migraine issue. My child and I are both sufferers, as well. :crazy:

[area51]

24. Our healthcare system

I'm so sorry you're suffering; there is no need for it. I'm sure Kucinich is right when he says we're paying enough in taxes to get universal healthcare right now. There's no reason the govt. can't bargain for better prices w/the drug cos. :mad:

[undeterred]

26. the Canadians and Australians pay less for our meds

than we do...