A 433% rise in the cost of heart medication.

So I was talking with my mother a few days ago. A 65 year old women with dwarfism and heart arimathea.

She seemed worried about something and it took me some time to find out why. And with tears in her eyes she looked at me and told me that she was scared. Scared that she was going to die before she gets to see her grand kids grow up.

This was very surprising for me because while my mom has had medical issues since birth her health , thanks in part to the aca making her meds cheap, had been getting much better over the last few years. So I asked her why she was thinking something like this.

She told me that starting this month her heart meds went from $30 a month to $160. That's a 433% rise , and she could no longer afford them.

I am not just going to start blaming the government with no proof. So I am here to see what ats members now about why this would have happened.

Is it because of the cuts to the aca? Or has something else happened that I am not aware of?

Have any of you or your loved ones seen a rise in your medications?

Trump said this during the campaign.


But this is not the reality that I see. And why has he stopped talking about taking care of all americans?

Sounds to me like an insurance coverage problem. This is something that needs CONSTANT attention to keep costs contained. Maybe she needs different meds that work under her plan. BTW, what's you mom doing on an ACA plan at 65 years old instead of some sort of Medicare supplement/advantage plan?

I've been on a medicare advantage plan for a few years and my heart meds aren't free, but nothing has jumped in price as you describe. Most of my heart meds are under $10, except for one that's $16.

The key thing is to ALWAYS QUESTION when it comes to medical care and coverage - you can save yourself a ton of $.

Case in point: diabetic insulin @ Walmart, store brand $25 - SAME brand not with Walmart bar code is $160 and with insurance is still $40....plus they hit your Medicare for $400 towards your donut hole...
So for this case - BEST OPTION: buy the store brand OTC leave insurance out of it.

I'm sorry to hear about your mom being upset, but best look into it yourself and get the exact details. Chances are your pharmacist doesn't have a clue why the drugs cost more now - that's just the way it shows up in their computer.

ganjoa

That sounds like a change from generic to name brand. I know that my meds are significanlty higher when prescribed name brands. Generics have an efficacy of +/- 10% which is close enough for me.

The other part is that insurance companies are inherently greedy, so it wouldn’t be surprising if they raised either co-pay or decreased the amount (%) they cover.

In either event, there are phone numbers you can call and they should be able to explain the increase. Call the insurance company and ask!

a reply to: scraedtosleep

You didn't mention her prescription coverage but I believe if I recall correctly that you need to get Part D at age 65. I can certainly relate to your struggle and concerns. Some of my Mom's medications were high (mostly her inhalers and such) and I helped her with those. She was a very independent woman and didn't want help but I did it anyway.
I think she (your mom) can still enroll. Good luck to you all!

a reply to: Lab4Us

I thought generic brands were the exact same thing. The difference being that the patent on the original had expired so now other companies could make it, but still with name brands you pay for the brand.

I mean if hydromethylchlorideoxidate is hydromethylchlorideoxidate, it's not hydromethylchlorideoximethanone is it?

I don't see why if a drug can be made so cost effective, they cost so much in the first place. big pharma don't care about people, only profits.

wow guys, I haven't read through any of your post but I just had a long conversation about this and it turns out that she made a mistake.

The pills cost her so much because instead of a 30 day amount they gave her a 90 day amount.

Also after she got it cleared up she found out that if she just gets the 30 day amount the insurance will pay 30$ of it and she will only owe 20$.

So in fact she is getting her heart meds for 10 dollars cheaper now.

I knew something wasn't right about this , that's why I wanted to ask ats if it had happened to them.
Turns out it was just my mother not paying attention to what she was doing.

a reply to: ganjoa

Sounds to me like an insurance coverage problem. This is something that needs CONSTANT attention

You were right.

a reply to: Lab4Us

That sounds like a change from generic to name brand

No change in brand. Turned out to be a change in amount.

a reply to: TNMockingbird

She was a very independent woman and didn't want help but I did it anyway.

My mom is the same. She has dwarfism and it took me years just to get her to try to get disability. She thanks me for it now that she is to weak to really work--dwarfism brings with it terrible arthritis-- but man it really hurt her pride.

But I suppose most of us are going to have our pride take a hit as we get older.

a reply to: SummerRain

One of the down sides to a capitalist system.

Things are done for the sake of profit not kindness.

a reply to: scraedtosleep

It's a sad state of affairs when life saving medications and medical equipment has greed attached to it. I understand companies need to make a profit, but at what costs to human life and easing daily living for those who need 24/7 assistance? There should be a limit at how much profit can be applied to prescriptions and medical equipment.

I have a friend who works at a doctors office that told me shoe inserts for people who need arch support are marked up almost 3 1/2 times its cost! Their cost is $23 and they sell them to patients at $80! The patient is always taken advantage of when it comes to life needing medical prescriptions, equipment and services. It's about time our representatives in congress start addressing this!

I won't hold my breath considering they're probably getting campaign contributions from these same corporations.

a reply to: WeRpeons

My heart agrees with you but ....I have to side with the business on stuff like this.

I know it sucks but I would rather not make laws to limit how successful a business owner can be.

It's a complicated issue that I don't have any answers for , yet.

If only there was a way to keep more freedoms but also make sure society takes care of each other....

a reply to: WeRpeons

I won't hold my breath considering they're probably getting campaign contributions from these same corporations.

Now this I will fight against.

A business owner making profit on an equal playing field is great but using money to manipulate law makers into making laws that benefit some and not all is bs!

I personally don't think it should be legal for politicians to accept money from anyone in regard to policies or laws being made.
It makes those with money have more power than those with out.

originally posted by: WeRpeons
a reply to: scraedtosleep

I have a friend who works at a doctors office that told me shoe inserts for people who need arch support are marked up almost 3 1/2 times its cost! Their cost is $23 and they sell them to patients at $80! The patient is always taken advantage of when it comes to life needing medical prescriptions, equipment and services. It's about time our representatives in congress start addressing this!

How much rent does the doctor pay? Have you ever priced commercial real estate? How much is his malpractice insurance? How does the doctor manage to pay your friend a salary? And her medical? How about the x-ray machine in the doctor's office? How much does he have to pay for that? You think maybe the doctor needs to be paid, too? A doctor's office is not a grocery store selling high volume at low margins. If you actually had to run a doctor's office and were aware of the total cost of an operation like that I think you would quickly change your mind about what is "outrageous" in favor of staying in business. If the arch supports are "too expensive" you can find them on amazon. It's not as if the doctor's office has a monopoly.

I was sent home from hospital with a prescription for a new medicine. Not completely new because I had taken the medication over 50 years ago when I was in college. What shocked me to my toes is that when I went to pick if up from the pharmacy I was told the cost was $230.00. I reminded them that I have insurance. I was told without the insurance it would have cost me over $500.00.

I could make a half ass excuse to justify a brand new medicine come to the market, super drug, at that cost, but an old medication that has been around longer than me? I find it beyond ludicrous that they would charge that much.

Needless to say, I left it right there in the store.

Medicine is not about curing the sick. It is about money and profits.

originally posted by: SummerRain
a reply to: Lab4Us

I thought generic brands were the exact same thing. The difference being that the patent on the original had expired so now other companies could make it, but still with name brands you pay for the brand.

Well, yes and no.
It's the same drug, but sometimes the brand name has an extra proprietary ingredient that the generic does not.
And sometimes that extra ingredient effects efficacy.

a reply to: scraedtosleep

You might try Costco pharmacy for your mother's prescriptions if there is one close by. In some states, you don't have to be a member of Costco to buy prescriptions there. I have read that their prices are consistently low (or even lowest) for generics. I have also heard that WalMart is priced cheaper than many other pharmacies.

Good luck and brightest blessings to you and your mother