The average monthly presription cost to treat HepC

[btsmith]

   We will probably proceed with the peg/riba treatment for hepc as soon as my liver biopsy comes back.  I have used up my perscription budget for the year and will have to pay for it out of pocket 'till I reach $5000 and then it kicks in again.  My genotype is II and my last AST was 70 in a range of 12-41.  I can probably get more info, if I knew what to get..  Comments appreciated
btsmith

[btsmith]

   Thanks for your information along with everyone else's.  I am just waiting for the results of my liver biopsy (which was yesterday), so they can compare it to the one I had four years ago and see how much damage has been done.
   This forum is sure a wealth of knowledge for a person that has had no prior experience in this matter such as myself.  

[nygirl7]

I figured out all the meds and tests once and figured during my 72 week treatment it cost about $200,000.  The Epogen alone was $6,000 a box of ten which lasted me only five weeks.

That lines up with what JD said above pretty well and the 16 months would have been about $100,000 just for the many meds easily. (Peg, riba, epo, ambien, paxill, synthroid, percocets and whatever else I've long since forgotten about)

My insurance refused to pay for anymore after week 48 (the interferon and riba) but Commitment to Care sent me 6 months meds absolutely free.  Since you've maxed out they may easily be able to help you.  All I needed was the denial letter from the insurance company and they IMMEDIATELY sent me a month supply BEFORE I was approved or anything. All I had to get from the doctor was the prescription.

Wonderful Wonderful program and they couldn't make it easier for us.

Also I believe that the folks that make the epo also have an assistance program.

[hepcgirlfriend]

Costs are unbelievable!  Any military vets out there should see if they qualify for VA care...my boyfriend pays a $7 copay each for his interferon and ribavarin...no copay for medical visits.  Don't have to have a service connected disability either....just have to meet the requirements to receive VA care.

[btsmith]

   On the other side of the coin is that the world benefits from the research and development costs americans pay for through their high insurance premiums and perscription costs.
btsmith

[btsmith]

   Yes there is a big debate in the U.S. over healthcare costs as you might have heard.  Most health insurances have what they call a "donut".  They pay around $2500 in perscription costs minus the copay until you enter the "hole", whereby they pay nothing till you pay a total out of pocket of $5000, then it kicks back in to what they call "catastrophic" coverage, I think until the next year.  Blue Cross and Keizer are better, but the real culprit is the cost of drugs.  While I am in the "donut hole" my drugs cost around $1000 per month not counting hepc perscriptions.  The clinic I belong to gives you 5 choices of insurance plans they will take.
btsmith

[almanu]

wow all this talk about out of pocket expences is frightening,i live in irelan and tx is funded by the state,everything else that i need is only 80 euros a month no matter how expencive it is.ive been moaning about the health care in this country, not anymore

[nersayner]

gosh i never realized how lucky i am. i have kaiser honolulu and i have a copay of 15.00 for each, ribavirin, interferon and procrit. i pay more for my thyroid medication (only 28.00, but the full price for some reason). thats crazy how much some insurances want, i couldnt do it on my income. thats great there is an assistance program. good luck to you....

[alagirl]

if you do a search, the numbers for roche are listed and several people have been successful in having them pay for the meds as meki says.

[btsmith]

thanks again

[btsmith]

  Sit down is right.  I have a medicare advantage plan and it doesn't begin to come close to covering the things I need.  Many doctors won't even take medicare by itself any more.  Thanks for the info though.
btsmith

[meki]

Which one are you using? If you go to the websites --- Pegasys - etc.

There is a link that is called Pegassist --- and there is another one for the other company... go to their website... Or I'll ask one of the other folks for the link - I'm at work right now - but when I get home I'll get it if someone else has not.

They have been a great help to many folks.

[btsmith]

   Yea after I got my jaw off the floor I have come to the conclusion that the insurance are way out of step of what drugs cost.  I will take any lead you can provide and thanks much.
btsmith

[jdwithhcv]

Maybe you should sit down first.  This is gonna freak you out.  These are the prices I find on my prescription docs, luckily I have good coverage and only pay $100/month (aprox) copay.

28 day supply:

Ribavarin     $1073
Peginteron  $1694
Procrit        $2639
                  --------
Total          $5406

You shouldn't need Procrit early in tx, and many people don't ever use rescue drugs.  You will hit that $5000 ceiling pretty quickly.  

Good luck.
jd

[meki]

About 1700 - 2400 a month for me. out of pocket.

the drug manufacturer's have assistance programs.

If you need more info to find them - let us know - we'll be glad to point you in the right direction.