sometimesdilly
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9982
posted
For those with insurance- i'm not talking paying out of pocket here, or even co-pays--but if you had to pay the full price of your PRESCRIPTION meds each month, how much would that be?
Just curious how much a few dollars of preventive antibiotics upfront would have saved our insurance companies.
(Please don't list names of meds)
for my family (all oral meds)
Lymie one (me): 5 meds: $3,434
plus Lymie 2 (son)- 2 meds: $1,900
------------------------ total: $5,334 PER MONTH ----------------------
and you?
Posts: 2507 | From lost in the maze | Registered: Aug 2006
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posted
Malarone 2 x 3 daily Levaquin 750mg daily doxy 400 mg 2 x 200mg daily Andrographis Resvesterol Extra Mangosteen juice Red Root Boneset Teasel Chorella Propax With NT factor Vitamins, magnesium, vit d, omega 3, vit c out of pocket $2400/mo
I get my meds at a discount, but not a big one =/ its a pain, but what can you do. Either pay the money or live with unbearable pain.
add to this I get liver enzyme levels tested every 2 weeks, and see my doc who doesn't take insurance.
Add a bad stock market and the last 2 years have been a financial disaster.
Posts: 158 | From Santa Monica | Registered: May 2007
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adamm
Unregistered
posted
Okay--I've been on a certain kick for a while (pretty much for the entire
duration of my current herx), so I guess I can lay off for now. I
really couldn't forgive myself if, with my controversial
statements, I contributed to deterring from using this board
posted
Hubby's insurance pays 60% of prescription cost but the maximum they will pay is 5000 per year.
Hubby has already maxed out insurance prescription coverage this year. Until the end of the year his meds will cost us $1630 per month (insurance will pay zero) -- for 5 oral antibiotics and 3 other meds.
Bea Seibert
Posts: 7306 | From Martinsville,VA,USA | Registered: Oct 2004
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sometimesdilly
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9982
posted
(Bea- OUCH!!! 5,000 max a year is dreadful, and your out-of-pocket per month is unimaginable.) -----
i know costs vary a great deal for each of us depending on what our meds of the month are, but geez.. what a huge cost range so far...
mazou.. rounded off to 300 a day for 30 days- 9,000 a month?? can that be right?
Posts: 2507 | From lost in the maze | Registered: Aug 2006
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randibear
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 11290
posted
OMG, byron, 6k a month..
that's what mike and i live on completely.
how do you people do this i don't know....
i admire your courage
-------------------- do not look back when the only course is forward Posts: 12262 | From texas | Registered: Mar 2007
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seekhelp
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 15067
posted
I can't fathom how you all can afford $5-$6k per month out-of-pocket. I pray it doesn't get to that point. I had a good job and that's so far out of range for me I can't think of it! Scary. Posts: 7545 | From The 5th Dimension - The Twilight Zone | Registered: Mar 2008
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seekhelp
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 15067
posted
What I wish is that LLMDs would offer a money-back guarantee or a portion of compensation at risk if their treatment plan doesn't yield results. I know it'll never happen. It's not like other medical specialties do. Just my opinion.
When you're billing $700 for a visit, recommending VERY costly meds, and Dxing clinically, it seems as if an element of risk should be on both parties. It just saddens me to see people lose everything. If you regain your health, nothing is more important.
It's the stories of 1-2 yrs+ of treatment w/o change that is hard to accept.
Posts: 7545 | From The 5th Dimension - The Twilight Zone | Registered: Mar 2008
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sometimesdilly
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9982
posted
not a rhetorical question- can anyone afford having this disease?
even with insurance, we've spent every penny of the equity loans on our house treating Lyme- and thank God we had a house to borrow against.
our insurance covers the bulk of scripts for now- thank God again, otherwise we could not afford treatment for one, much less two of us.
insurance has not covered the thousands and thousands of dollars we've had to spend- like so many others- traveling multiple states away to find adequate treatment.
Or the 1,000 deductible per family member insured each October. Or the the thousands spent on multiple tests at multiple labs and facilites for peering here and here.
or the cost of losing a wage earner-- in my case, not being able to work for for the past 6 years.
insurance companies clearly bear the lightest financial burden of any other party.
perhaps that is why it is ok on their end to pay, best case, for a handfuls of scripts?
Posts: 2507 | From lost in the maze | Registered: Aug 2006
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randibear
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 11290
posted
i know it's illegal but all i'm saying is that it's a real shame for some of us to throw meds down the toliet when somebody else can use them.
my pcp recently gave me ultram even tho i told him repeatedly i can't take prescription pain killers, but hey i got it filled and tried it again.
sure enough started vomiting up my insides about 4 hours later.
now i'm left with a month supply and i have to toss it, same with levaquin, cipro, amoxy, and others....
what a crying shame.....
-------------------- do not look back when the only course is forward Posts: 12262 | From texas | Registered: Mar 2007
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bettyg
Unregistered
posted
i'm very luck!
13 meds - $536.00 month
note: when i've paid $250 OUT OF POCKET; i don't pay anything for RX meds rest of year! so for 6-7 months this year they are FREE!
randi, they are encouraging us NOT TO FLUSH OUR EXTRA MEDS DOWN STOOLS; IT GETS INTO OUR DRINKING WATER!
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Rianna
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 11038
posted
Rocephin 2gms a day 8 Euro/Day Bicillin 1 shot 1.2MU 7 Euro/Shot Malarone 3 a day 2 Euro a pill
sometimesdilly
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9982
posted
Rianna-
oh to live in the UK or anywhere else in the west with civilized health care...
shandy- imo, llmds are the very least of Lyme expenses, worth every penny, and for the amount of time they take with us, far less expensive per visit than than a GP, much less a specialist.
again, in our case, if my insurance company had shelled out a measly few hundred dollars at the most of abx upfront they would have saved themselves thousands per month in meds alone, over 3 years, with no end in sight.
what an upside down inside out state if affairs.
dill
Posts: 2507 | From lost in the maze | Registered: Aug 2006
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Tracy9
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7521
posted
Dilly said:
"Not a rhetorical question- can anyone afford having this disease?"
Clearly there are a few financially fortunate people here who can afford their treatment. For most of us, that is not the case.
My husband and I,who are both chronically ill, went from a two income family making about $250,000 a year to getting $540 in welfare and $423 in food stamps.
It's kind of a joke, as our mortgage payment is $4,000 a month.
We won't have many other bills since we are filing bankruptcy. OUr car was repossessed. We dont' spend much on food because we are way too sick to cook and the kids get themselves cereal or peanut butter sandwiches every night.
My children probably don't even realize that most parents cook dinner for their families.
My mother in law, bless her heart, has taken over paying for our LLD appts, or we'd really be screwed.
We are in foreclosure right now for our house. We are trying to work it out, but they want proof of income we can keep paying. We think we can work it out, but we can't prove it.
But it is a bit of an experience to reach this point where you just let go. I don't care what I owe to who, I am too sick to stress about it. I just want to get better.
I will have to deal with the IRS though soon; haven't filed taxes in three years and I know we owe them money, which we most certainly don't have.
Yes, Lyme disease has financially crippled our family, very literally. WE have spent all our savings, every penny of our kids college savings, and cashed in our 401ks. Now we are selling everything we can think of on Ebay.
Suddenly all the "stuff" that was so great to have is meaningless, except for what I can get for it on Ebay and how that money is going to cover some gas in the tank, or oil in the furnace.
13 years Lyme & Co.; Small Fiber Neuropathy; Myasthenia Gravis, Adrenal Insufficiency. On chemo for 2 1/2 years as experimental treatment for MG. Posts: 4480 | From Northeastern Connecticut | Registered: Jun 2005
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Rianna
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 11038
posted
[QUOTE]Originally posted by sometimesdilly: [QB] Rianna - oh to live in the UK or anywhere else in the west with civilized health care...
The UK are TERRIBLE they do not reconise or treat Lyme - I have to get my meds from Spain and have to travel to the USA to consult with a LLMD
posted
I think we have the answer as to why Insurance does not want to recognize Lyme as a chronic disease. If they did, they would have to pay for all of this.
The way of the economy today is deny deny deny. If you deny things often enough maybe they will just go away.
Maybe we'll just die. That's what they want. Insurance companies aren't there to help us, they are there to make money. And from the look of things lots of money.
The only reason I keep my insurance is in case I get in a car accident, or I need some sort of major surgery.
Best of luck people, with the downturn of the economy, and the real possibility of the next depression upon us, we are going to need all the help we can get.
Posts: 158 | From Santa Monica | Registered: May 2007
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groovy2
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6304
posted
Hi All
Im not sure what I pay per month - I decided long ago that I would not think about it anymore because it just made me sicker-
The Best thing I did do was go to MedSavers Pharmacy here in Austin -
It is BY FAR the Best run Pharmacy that I have ever used and is Also the cheapest -
MedSavers has saved me $$$$ Thousands $$$$
The owner Chris Johnson an his staff are Great people and treat Everyone with respect - and Great care -
MedSavers has been written about in national magazines and TV programs -Its that Good -
Anyone in Texas can use MedSavers- They will Mail you your meds to anywhere in Texas and I think they charge $3 to do this-
To give you a example of the pricing at MedSavers -
The pharmacy I used before I payed $130 for 100 doxicycline pills-
At Medsavers I pay $20 for the Exact same Doxi- Same Manufacture -same Everything except the price and I get MUCH Better service and care from MedSavers--
Also as MedSavers bussiness has grown Chris passes along the savings on med costs that he gets because of the larger quanities of meds he buys as his business grows -
posted
It's costing us about $5,000/month out of pocket to treat the two of us. And no, we do not have an extra $5,000/mo in cash flow to pay for the treatments. This has already used up much of our savings and I'm now considering using a home equity line of credit.
Posts: 31 | From Leesburg, VA | Registered: Apr 2008
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joalo
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 12752
posted
It costs me abour $800 a month for meds, vitamins and herbs.
Throw in another $300 every six weeks for my llmd appointment.
This amount (Aprox) times the 30 months I've been treating. Outrageous!
-------------------- Sick since January 1985. Misdiagnosed for 20 years. Tested CDC positive October 2005. Treating since April 2006. Posts: 3228 | From Somewhere west of the Mississippi | Registered: Aug 2007
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lymeHerx001
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6215
posted
clueless, plus I have vertigo now so I have trouble thinking.
Posts: 2905 | From New England | Registered: Sep 2004
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posted
All of my prescriptions besides mepron and bicillin are 3 dollars. Mepron and bicillin are 10. LLMD and herbs are 500/month
Posts: 370 | From NJ | Registered: Dec 2007
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seekhelp
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 15067
posted
WOW! I suppose you or your fsmily work for the government / school districts! Those days are long gone otherwise.
quote:Originally posted by trish4: All of my prescriptions besides mepron and bicillin are 3 dollars. Mepron and bicillin are 10. LLMD and herbs are 500/month
Posts: 7545 | From The 5th Dimension - The Twilight Zone | Registered: Mar 2008
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The harder you work the luckier you get! Posts: 965 | From Nebraska Cornhuskers fan in Massachusetts | Registered: Dec 2007
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sometimesdilly
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9982
posted
trish- wow indeed. that's the lowest for co-pays i've ever heard of.
we feel fortunate to have scripts covered at all, and very lucky that ours are as low as they are-
$20 per month for mepron and provigil, $10 per month each for every other kind of med we've ever been on, including at least one that retails for over $600 per month.
i have little doubt that everyone's co-pays are going to increase a huge amount in the not too distant future.
I seem to recall reading recently about insurance companies dropping the notion of co-pay altogether, midstream, forcing those with their policies to pay full price for every med.
------
i haven't tallied up what I've cost my insurance company in the past 3 years- leaving meds aside.
a partial list includes---
multiple mri's;
brain SPECT ($4,000 alone);
2 days of neuro-psych tests ($6,000);
in hospital lumbar puncture;
multiple evaluations and testing by neurologists, including nerve conduction surveys
ER visits;
multiple trips to heart specialists, holter monitors
multiple sonograms looking for cysts
lab work up the wazoo, including now routine monthly blood labs
Hmm. Best guess-- nothing short of $60-70,000, anyway, and likely more, plus meds.
tell me again why it insurance companies are not DEMANDING that we all receive months of abx upfront when first diagnosed?
Posts: 2507 | From lost in the maze | Registered: Aug 2006
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just don
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 1129
posted
You asked,,,
I answered,,,
and NO this isnt copay amounts
FULL price here,no insurance.
$4.
BUT being the big spender I am,,I need to find a doc again who will RX for the OTHER med I "NEED"
That will double my monthly rx bill--to--$8.
I do take a few OTC sups,,but YOU asked rx.
Can anyone tell me how to get 'by' for less??,,,I am listening!!
Dont even go to the pcp once a year any more,but NEED to find somebody who can HELP me,,,like in Transyvania???
interesting reading for sure,for --just don--
-------------------- just don Posts: 4548 | From Middle of midwest | Registered: May 2001
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posted
Yeah my father works for the government. Unfortunately there kicking me off his insurance in another year and a half. But maybe Ill be better by than..or at least I hope so Posts: 370 | From NJ | Registered: Dec 2007
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blinkie
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 14470
posted
If anyone has a AAA membership, they give discounts at some pharmacies.
Doxy is cheaper for me to pay out of pocket with this discount than with my insurance, and my insurance is very good.
Posts: 1104 | From N.California | Registered: Jan 2008
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posted
Alone, hubby makes over 75k/yr. We live in FL, close to the beaches, is why I guess it doesn't seem to go far. We only have one car payment. I got a second car, brand new, as a gift from my awesome grandpa last year.
I do not know how you all do it. We don't overspend. We don't go out much. We don't splurge on things.
How the heck does everyone afford that kind of money going towards medical expenses? I'd love to go on Rocephin again, i.v.. but my insurance cut me off at 4 weeks. Right at the end, I started thinking "Maybe this is working". But llmd said he wouldn't go any further with i.v. so I guess that insurance point is null and void.
I just don't see how every one does it. We've emptied our 401k for the medical emergency exemption.
I'm thinking about selling my new car for treatment. My grandpa is old and if something happened to him, I feel like I would regret selling it - it holds great sentimental value.
I just don't see how in the world every one here does it. I get so confused. I would never in a million years say that we are poor. I'd say we were fairly well off middle class before this whole thing started.
It's crazy. How do you do it?
-------------------- ~*~Lyme POW~*~
I will escape. Posts: 100 | From n/a | Registered: Oct 2008
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Prescriptions: 2000 LLMD visits: 300 Holistic visits: 300 Supplements/ Buhner herbs 350 --------------------- Total 2950 per month
This doesn't include the MRIs, SPECT scans, neuropsych tests, second opinions, the many other doctors that scratched their heads, the specialized TBI blood tests, etc. I estimate that these "one time" events have run over 20000 in the past year. Also not included is the 4 weeks of IV Rocephin, for which the total bill (PICC, drugs, nurse, etc.) was over 10000, I think.
I currently get organ function blood tests once per week/ten days, and I don't know what they would cost without insurance.
Plus so far 13 months of lost income.
Buhner recommends, and I'd like, to get regular massages, but there's no money.
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