Well, I finally got to pay $665 for a month's supply of a drug.

[NNadir]

It was, to say the least, interesting.

I can afford it; it hurts a little but it won't break me. I have an annual deductible of $2100. It looks like I'll get there quickly.

What troubles me, of course, that I know there are oodles of people who cannot afford this, who will do without. It is unjust to say the least.

Like everyone else in America, I'm paying considerably more for health care so the orange pedophile can finance his gestapo and make awful beings like Musk and Bezos and Zuckerberg richer.

[leftstreet]

1. Single Payer NonProfit Healthcare NOW!

DURec

[Clouds Passing]

2. I rec your post x 1 quadrillion

[CrispyQ]

3. I had a major health event four months after I went on Medicare.

If it had happened before, I would be tens of thousands of dollars in debt right now, with my very little SS income.

Medicare for all...now.

Sorry about your new expense.

[NNadir]

4. Thank you. My case is not important; it won't break us...

...but it is the cases of so many others that are concerning. (There was a time in my life where it would have been impossible for me to fill this prescription. )

I agree we need national health care, but under the orange pedophile the best we can hope for is to have as much of the ACA intact as is possible. It's not looking promising.

These are very bad times.

[Give Peace A Chance]

6. Good RX is a life saver

Check it out. you will save thousands $$$$$

[erronis]

20. Doesn't help much with some brand-only drugs like Eliquis. And doesn't cover many chemo/immuno drugs.

I believe we can still order from Canada. I haven't yet but will probably do so if possible.

[Bev54]

5. I have to say, as a Canadian, I cannot even envision having to pay so much for

healthcare and medications. I honestly don't know how Americans do it.

[NNadir]

10. The problem is that many Americans don't do it because they can't.

[jonstl08]

7. My latest refill $200

Just ordered a refill on one of my meds. Usually around $10 after insurance. Now it is $200 after insurance. Pharmacy says that is the cost now and has no idea why. They suggested contacting the manufacturer to see if they have any discounts.

This is getting nuts. Almost all of my meds have increased in price after insurance since Jan 1 2026.

[RamblingRose]

8. I'm on a new med that is $1,200/mo. It's made by a South Korean company so I am waiting to see if the price is going

to go up

[NNadir]

11. Ow. I hope that's not your out of pocket cost.

[RamblingRose]

17. It is till I reach my max. out of pocket for the year. It's also a "controlled" substance so difficult to fill.

It's for temporal lobe epilepsy. The only drug that's ever worked & I've tried them all.

[NNadir]

27. I'm sorry to hear that. If it's the drug I'm guessing it is...

...it doesn't fall off the patent cliff until 2032.

Chemically, if it is what I think it is, it's a fairly simple molecule, accessible from cheap reagents. Off the patent cliff, I'd imagine it would be cheap

I hope you can manage it and get support.

Best of luck.

[RamblingRose]

34. I think it's 2039! On a side note - I'll be a "patient panelist" at their National Sales Conference in Orlando next week

I hate to shill for big pharma. I'm getting paid but I asked the sales manager if I could get a lifetime supply of the drug instead!



(Xcopri)

[NNadir]

36. It's the drug I thought it was. The internet info I have says 2032.

They may have specific limited patents beyond that, but as a veteran of the industry I'd expect generics in 2024.

The FDA lists the "last patent" as 2039, but that does not prevent sale of the drug applicable under other patents which may have expired including composition of matter.

The patent is held by the Korean company SK pharma.

The FDA has had 2 ANDAs submitted already. However, the best information I gather indicates a generic will be available in 2033.

Cenobamate is synthetically simple, with a single chiral center, but that is only part of the story. Formulation and pharmacokinetics may represent be a different problem entirely.

It costs a lot to develop a drug, even a simple drug, and I understand a profit motive, but on the other hand, we need to balance wealth with humanity. I have no simple formula to address this conundrum but certainly I wish you well and I hope you will gather as much assistance as possible in these terrible times and hope for better times for you and all others in need of Healthcare.

For the record, my son was born with a birth defect that often causes severe epilepsy, which happily he did not develop. I therefore appreciate the urgency of your care. Unfortunately we now have a government which appreciates nothing other than cruel greed.

[multigraincracker]

9. Got a script that cost $2,800. Eye drops.

Have great insurance and my co-pay was only $65.
The cost of keeping my vision.

[LtTx]

12. We do need Medicare for all but

it is a complicated issue. For instance, do most people know that Medicare costs 200.00 per person? and that is an 80/20 plan. So would a family of 4 be paying 800.00 or so per month and more if they choose a supplemental gap plan? I had worked in healthcare, RN, for 37 years until I retired at the end of 2020. Spent the last 15 years as a field case manager for Medicaid/Medicare. I was shocked at how many people were surprised that they had to pay for Medicare.

[llmart]

19. I don't understand your statement...

that asks about a family of 4 on Medicare. I'm wondering if you mean IF we had Medicare for all, which of course we don't currently have. Otherwise I doubt there's a family of 4 on Medicare now.

Not trying to nitpick but I had to read that twice to try to understand that statement.

[LtTx]

32. yes

I said if a family of 4 was on Medicare (obviously Medicare for All) the premium would be around 800 per month. My point is that Medicare is not free, nor is it cheap, especially since we pay Medicare tax.

[area51]

35. Medicare for All is different from our current

Medicare.

[erronis]

21. Your numbers are off. Are you talking about the Medicare Part A and Part B? And for a 65+ year old?

[LtTx]

33. Medicare

part A is free. Medicare part B is 202.50 per month, starting- goes up per income. That is the premium for anyone on Medicare, right now. Disabled younger adults/children are on Medicare also. So not just 65 and up. And they don't care if you are low risk- same price for everyone.

[MichMan]

22. On top of that, most people on Medicare spent 40 years being taxed for it before they ever became eligible to use it.

[Karma13612]

13. This is terrible!

But, I thought the cost of drugs was not included in meeting your deductible. Or is the $2100 a specific drug deductible?

[NNadir]

24. After I meet my deductible my medications are free.

Out of pocket, assuming I do not require hospitalization, drugs and payments per year are around $2700.

I believe that counts toward the $8,000 yearly maximum, co pays included.

I have lived a long and overall wonderful life with some pain, psychological and otherwise. My worth to society is not such that I would agree to spending hundreds of thousand dollars, my money or government money or even insurer's moneyfor extreme efforts to extend my life for short periods with low quality of life. On the other hand, a child with cancer or in need of heart surgery or the like should be supported by society. The money spent to keep Steven Hawkings alive was well spent, and this is surely the case for people nowhere near as famous or important as he was.

There is a point at which limited resources should be invested in the younger generations. I recall that the cost of my father's death from cancer resulting from his tobacco addiction was over $250,000, this in the 1990's, most of it incurred after the point there was no hope for survival although no one other than me recognized as much. It was insured, but I question whether it might not have been better to keep him comfortable as the end came rather than engage in the extreme measures peddled as "hope."

My $665 a month drug should extend my life for a longer period in which I may remain useful, but it would not be appropriate if there were no hope for recovery from some other syndrome. It might actually be cruel in that case.

This may be controversial to say, but as an old man staring down mortality, it's how I feel.

[Karma13612]

29. You are a brave, altruistic and pragmatic soldier. May you enjoy

Your remaining time with a clear head and open heart full of love.

[Lucky Luciano]

14. Someone I know from HS almost died from the flu this year.

Full pneumonia, tubes inserted , hospitalization for a month and now in rehab for 8 weeks. Just had the last tubes taken out, on a walker, and now eating real food again. Age 53. Out of pocket costs were $20,000. The total bill uninsured would have been just over a million. Insane.

[poozwah]

15. pitiful

obama care(d). (t)rump doesn’t.

[Joinfortmill]

16. I hear you. Glad you are able to obtain your meds. I'm fortunate, too, but it's bad out there for a lot of people.

TRUMP SUCKS BIGLY

[radical noodle]

18. Have you checked to see what it would cost to get your drug from Canada?

I had a drug that was going to be $700 for 18 pills, and I could get the exact same thing for $120 from Canada.

[erronis]

23. Just put on a chemo drug at $15,000/month. Needles to say, if I have to pay this, I can't/won't.

My first dose was covered by Medicare Part D and I had already blown through my $2,000 limit. So the charge was $0.

If I decide to get a refill this month, I'll have a copay of $1,800 - still a lot more than I can easily pay.

I saw on my Part D provider (Humana) portal that they paid the $14,799 the last time. I wonder how much of this is "real" money and not just shuffling numbers between big corps.

[Ms. Toad]

25. Annual deductible, or out of pocket cap?

On Medicare that is the annual out of pocket cap.

[NoSheep]

26. I'm curious what the cost would be if you don't put it through your insurance

My anti-depressant is about $175 if I file it through insurance. About $37 if I don't and use Good RX.

[Joinfortmill]

28. Interesting. I need to understand Good Rx better.

[Ms. Toad]

43. You just go to the website, price check your medication, print the coupon, and take it to the store.

The only thing beyond that you need to understand is that if you are using lots of medications and have a relatively low out of pocket cap, you may be costing yourself in the long run because meds bought without insurance don't count toward that cap.

I'll never hit the cap (my spend is $1-200/year. So if GoodRx (or Costco) is cheaper I buy there.
My spouse is taking so many meds that she'll hit the $2100 cap (after which all meds are free to her). So it doesn't matter that GoodRx is cheaper - she only has to pay $2100 under insurance, so buying GoodRx actually costs money (since she is paying that on top of the $2100)

[Karma13612]

30. Wow.

You have to admit, that whole situation is just ridiculous. Why does going thru the insurance company wind up costing more? And what is the whole arrangement with Good Rx? Why are we forced to have to do this at all? It’s like knowing some secret password and getting a free back stage pass versus paying a fortune and getting Third Row Balcony.

Just so there is no misunderstanding, I am happy we have Good Rx. I just don’t see why we aren’t automatically getting it at that price to begin with.

[NoSheep]

37. it's all a deep mystery to me.

[Ms. Toad]

42. That's in the price range where GoodRx or Costco are generally cheaper than buying through insurance.

On the 50-75 or cheaper, insurance is generally better. Above $2-300, insurance is generally about the same. But in that middle range most of our meds are cheaper from Costco or GoodRx (they tend to be about the same).

I was shocked the first year I did my annual price check for Medicare Part D. We saved between $1000 and $2000 buying about half of our meds from Costco without insurance. So now I check it every year. Last year, for the first time, insurance was competitive on all but one drug. This year it's back to about 50-50.

The only reason we're buying most of my spouse's meds through Part D is the out-of-pocket cap. Meds bought without insurance don't count toward the cap, and her meds are expensive enough she will hit the cap this year.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

31. My colon test kit was $170

[AllyCat]

38. I had a prescription I was supposed to get on a coupon

For 2 years. It ended after six months. When I went to get a refill, it was $800. A month.

It’s OTC in Europe, Canada, and Asia for about $20, but here…

[slightlv]

39. Our drugs are going through the roof, too...

I'm cutting back on mine, because hubby's is much more important to his health, IMO. They are keeping his blood pressure down and the heart attacks at bay. I'm still trying to pay off one of his trips to the ER and a week stay at the hospital. I'd rather avoid that, even if I have to work around my problems. The only thing I insist on for me is my pain pills. Luckily, though they've gone up in price, we can still afford them. And if I'm to do anything around this house, I need them... that includes trying to keep my husband from doing stupid stuff like snow shoveling!

[popsdenver]

40. I may be "mis-remembering", but

I seem to recall that Obama, in his first month of office, offered to NOT pursue Medicare being able to negotiate drug prices, if "everyone" backed his signature ACA program........

If you think I don't remember correctly, then correct me, and tell me...... WHY did he have all EIGHT years to at least TRY to accomplish negotiation of Drug prices for Medicare, and I don't recall ever hearing word one from him about it???????......

Medicare Drug Pricing is the Pharmaceutical Drug Companies......"CASH COW".......

[DFW]

41. When I was in Dallas last month

My GP gave me a prescription for some medication or other, and said I could pick it up at the CVS on Preston Road. I went there, gave them my name, and was told the little bottle of pills would cost $1050. I said WTF????? You gotta be kidding! I said, sorry, there was no way I was paying that. The pharmacy then said, well, hold on, maybe we have a coupon. "A coupon??" What in the world was that supposed to mean? I never was told what "a coupon" means in pharmaceutical terms, but in monetary terms, it means the price of the pills went from $1050 down to $20.47 (or however many cents it was).

Whatever is going on with the cost of health care in the States, it's beyond weird, and I am betting it is fatal to more than a few random patients from whom no "coupons" can be found.

[ShazzieB]

44. Health care (and health insurance) for profit should be an oxymoron.

It's obscene that individuals and corporations can and do get filthy rich off of human suffering.

I'm on Team "health care (including medication) is a human right" myself.