I am going to disappoint you. I know why you’re here. Escapism. I am the 21st century screwball comedy, the inept and ridiculous well-to-do.
As I say, I am about to disappoint.
You know how I’ve been getting that great deal on my MS medication? My MS medication which costs – and again I must say, this is not a typo – $4,000 (four thousand dollars) a month? For which I pay $0 (zero dollars) a month?
When I renewed my prescription, the insurance company rejected my submission for financial aid.
YOU MAKE TOO MUCH MONEY FOR FINANCIAL AID
All caps, bold letters.
No, wait, let me see what they actually said.
OVER INCOME GUIDELINES
I say, good for you, massive drug corporation, you have FOUND ME OUT. I have been scamming you like a welfare queen. I should not be getting financial aid.
That does make total sense to me, and I’m even a Democrat.
But somehow I think a little of this is on the drug company for charging four thousand dollars a month. The questionnaire asked our monthly gross income, and since it was, yes, envy me, over four thousand dollars, I was denied aid.
I do pay for insurance, but my insurance company evidently just keeps laughing at that 4K total. “Per year? What? Per month? Ha! Ahahhaa.” So, the 4K will all be on us. (I say us, because I don’t bring home 4K a month. Damn husband, kicking me up into the upper middle classes.)
So, here are plans B C and D. (And E and F.) Update: and G!
Plan B: Call the company, which is in Germany, and see if they know the difference between Gross and Net. They asked about our Gross Income per Month. Perhaps they meant net. Net is sick, since Gary is socking it away for retirement.
Plan C: Negotiate a lower price. Like, say $1K a month. I suppose I should counter their 4K with 20 bucks, and then work up to 1K.
Plan D: Take drugs every other day. I keep having tests that show that I have zero lymphocytes, but the neutrophils have stepped up.
Plan E: Go without drugs. Like a schizophrenic, I feel so well from the drugs that I think, “I don’t need drugs!” Then the voices tell me to feed Gary to the groundhog in small tasty bits. I do feel awfully well, though. I know I’m not.
Plan F: The last time I was at the neurologist, he mentioned there might be an official long term clinical trial pending, which I can hope would again pay for the drugs in exchange for my time. Spartacus rises again!
UPDATE: Plan G: I just looked it up and found there are documents with the words “United Healthcare” and “Gilenya ” and “Formulary” in the same document. This must be new as of the new year.
Damn! Been so long since I’ve had a money worry. Why didn’t I sock away $48K for a rainy day?
14 responses to “In Which I Have Money Worries”
I wanted to write something funny and snarky, but all I keep coming back to is “EFFFFFFFFFFFFFING EFF MS”. Seriously. Oh, and the drug companies. Effing eff them, too,
Welcome to the world in which most MS sufferers live. It sure ain’t funny.
First off, I want to say that I think we come not so much for escapism, but more for the hilarious way you tackle life’s absurdities and challenges – so, really, to be reminded to laugh, for crap’s sake.
So sorry for the prescription mess, so sad that so many people face this ridiculous challenge. I’d like to echo Megan in saying FUCK MS, that bastardly shit-toad life-sucking piece of crap.
I like your negotiation ideas, and the every-other day idea (can the pharmacist give you any idea of drug clearance, like is this a med that sort of “builds up” in your system?). Also, if your insurance doesn’t cover due to it’s being off-formulary, have you and your MD applied a full-court press in asking for it (like going through all the formulary meds, showing they don’t work, etc)? I’d still keep pressing the manufacturer, too – maybe send them a more detailed list of your income and expenses? They should at least give you a discount!
Hope it all gets worked out soon…
I hate insurance companies. I hate Pharma companies. That must mean I hate most of New Jersey. Which – hey! – I do!
I hope you’re able to work something out. Because this sucks.
$48K is too damned much money and it’s outrageous that sick people have to pony up such an amount to save their lives. Universal health care now.
Walgreens Discount Card…….
Megan – I hate the EFFING MS, but the drug companies, well, they aren’t a charity. But 4K? Really?Zayrina – I know! I think I’m really seeing it, especially since Gary’s meds for his migraine WITH INSURANCE cost three hundred buck a month. Then again, what would I pay to not have a migraine? Or not have MS? It’s a question. It’s a question for another blog post.Mare – I worked on the drug company and the doctor and the insurance company today, and after some success ($1,000 a month, not 4) the Nurse navigator said, “Give me two weeks to investigate this and I’ll call you back.” So now I’m taking it easy.Becs – I’m not doing squat now to work this out. It’s up to the nurse navigator.Marcia – On the other hand, I don;t see Canada either coming up with new MS drugs or even covering adequately the current drugs. I know you don’t just get the MS drugs in Canada for free, but the gov’t might reimburse you. For all of it? I don’t know. Benchmark – Yep, but Walgreens sells it at the specialty pharmacy, not the reasonable one.
Fuck that shit. $48K? Gah.
$48K. I’ll bet you made more than that at Soap Suds Enema.
I was in the same situation last year, although I was on one of the “cheap” MS drugs which only cost $2k/month. I did the schizophrenic thing with the blessing of my neuro, and will go back in May for the MRI. Fuck the American drug companies, who bought the patents rather than developing the drugs, and are all about charging all the market can bear.
My chemist husband sez why not get the formula and mix up a batch yourself? Not serious, but look how dependent we have become on these mega-med corps that monopolize the drug market.
Magpie – And it’s just a pill. Not even a fancy shot made from dwarf chinese hamster ovaries.Marcia – I’m not going down that road.Jammies – I wish you well with the MRI. I fell apart the one time when I had no drugs at all. Felt too helpless. Hattie – There must be something else I can do to kill off my luekocytes. Seems like a watered down dose of chemo might work.
Your majesty,
I heard. Somewhere. That there’s already been a price increase and it’s now like an even $50k per year. Jesus.
They have a very generous assistance program for those of us who are uninsured. I know because I’m getting that benefit, believe you me.
I was in the Freedoms II trial and my study center is going to do the extended trial. As of last week they were just waiting to receive the consent forms from Novartis.
AnneP – No way. 50K? No one is buying it at 40k, are they? And yes, I found out about that very generous program after I talked to the nurse navigator. That is pretty wonderful.