Were your meds mailed to you or did you pick them up at the pharmacy when you began tx?

[trolsgirl]

My doctor said as soon as all the paperwork clears the insurance company he will have the meds mailed to my house and then give me instructions on how to give the shots and when to take the pills.
Did you get yours mailed? Are they took expensive for pharmacies to have on hand or what?  Does my doctor have a deal to make money off of the meds or is this a standard way to receive them?
I am nervous about starting treatment but ready to get it over with.

[Myown]

I got mine mailed. I had found out about the mailing when I was at a different doctor than where I am now, so I had known it would only cost 35 dollars (or 45?) every 3 months.

The new doc I am seeing uses a service and they called me at home and gave me a price of 600 a month out of pocket!! And said I would be picking it up at the pharmacy. Lucky I had checked all this out ahead of time and knew about the mail order.

I told her "oh no, I set myself up months ago with the insurance and it is only the 35 dollars out of pocket. I am in the system and ready to go for months now.She said 'oh that would be mailed,' and we work with the team to answer any questions etc. I said, 'why the heck would I pay 600 a MONTH when I can get the same meds mailed for 35?" She said she would get back to me after she spoke to the doc's office. She did and called back and apologized.

We enter this whole sha-bang not knowing anything and that would have been pretty horrible of having to pay 600 a month all becasue i didn't know about the mail service. Thank God the NP at my other doc (where I went for consult) told me to call and see what the co pay would be, that's when I found out about the BIG difference in getting it at pharmacy or mailed. I guess the pharmacy makes a nice piece of change on this stuff.

I have a great insurance plan thru my husband,but as with anything, you have to know what you have because you can't assume they are going to give you whats in writting. You have to know for youself what your insurance will do for you.

[Lilla]

any info on treatment drugs appreciated -- I have BCBS out of Florida.  60% ins pays and 40% is supposed to be our cost, with $300 deductible.  My first set of 4 vials cost me $840 (I was told $300 deductible had to be met, then ins. paid 60%).  I am getting ready to order my second set of 4 vials which I assume will be $540.  This is thru CVS pharmacy.  Can someone tell me if there are more cost effective places to inquire on these drugs?

[Bill1954]

Hi Lilla--

The manufacture's of interferon have PAP's (Patient Assistance Programs) in place to help with the cost burden for those of us that are uninsured, or *underinsured*. I was in the same boat a couple of years ago, during my first treatment go-around. Health Net of Northern California had these meds listed as a major medical expense rather than coverage under their pharma plan. This left me with 33% co-pays, about 6-700 dollars a month.

After subsequent relapse, I found out about the PAP program. They are now covering 100% of the cost of my meds, including all co pays. The programs have slightly different parameters, but I believe they both base decisions solely on income rather than assets. The application process is really simple and takes about 1-2 weeks to complete (although they will probably give you tentative approval much sooner). PLUS, the folks down there rock! They work really hard to help us get approved with the least amount of hassle. If your household income is around $70,000 dollars or less, this may be what you're looking for.

For assistance with Roche's Pegasys, call 877-734-2797
For assistance with Schering-Plough's Peg-Intron, call 800-521-7157

You might also want to check out the following web page for a list of other financial support options:

http://janis7hepc.com/Ins%20&%20Financial%20Aid.htm#free%20meds

Best of luck to you,

Bill

[bobbyullc]

my drugs where $500 to $600 less from drugstore.com

[ladybug52]

I did not have to be home to get my meds mailed. They drop the package off at my door. I've never been home when they arrive.

[orphanedhawk]

Mine come Fed-ex. They're shipped with a cold pack since they need to be refridgerated. It's easy.

[Myown]

I hav BCBS in Jersey. Call BCBS and find out if you have the mail order. Mine is with Care Mark (or Mart, whatever?) You may also have this or something like this. The nurse from the insurance company told me so many don't realize that they could get it so much cheaper thru the mail order. If you do have this, you can get reimbursed for the extra money you put out. You may have to jump up and down and stamp your feet, but you can get it. My insurance nurse told me she helped several get reimbursed.

[ladybug52]

The meds are considered specialty pharmacy, not your average meds that the home town pharmacy carries. I got mine mailed, they ship it free of charge, nicely packed to keep the meds cool. Mine came in an insulated bag with the little ice bags packed around it, sealed inside a box. The pharmacy charges what your ins requires for co-pay. My first two month supplies were on my husbands ins and cost me $110.00 per month. The third month, I had my own ins. and the copay was 30.00. Now I have to go back to my husbands ins, he switched ins at the first of the year, and I have to go through Walgreen's specialty pharmacy. I have no idea what my co-pay will be. I have the option of picking them up at Walgreens or having them mailed. The lines are too long for my patience, so I will continue to have them mailed.
Good luck with tx. Be sure and get a sharps container from your dr. to dispose the needles safely.

[koala68]

Welcome,

FYI: A year supply of Interferon+Ribavirin is "just" about $36000 (what ends up being billed to the insurance).

I got mine mailed as well. I think it is a pretty standard delivery method. Had no problems until I got switched to Precision RX this month (such a bad experience with them)
With mail delivery, you have to be there to sign when the package arrive, and interferon has to stay cool during shipment.
Having it delivered to a store is in my opinion the best option.
Mail in order pharmacies usually resupply on a month by month basis (my experience). You can reduce risk of interruptions by delaying starting treatment by a week or two, once you receive your first delivery.

Good luck!

[big bloc]

I went mail.W/my ins company I paid for 2 mounths got 1 free perfect

[aquarius64]

i went by mail and i get a months supply at a time. very efficient. my copay is 3.33 per month. i can only get one month at a time, but they deliver overnight. good luck!

[ladybug52]

I was just sure you were going to talk about when they left your meds out in the sun! I'm pretty good at predicting what a person is going to say--not!

[orphanedhawk]

I thought about it so you aren't really off. Y'know that was right around Xmas and fed-ex hired seasonal help. I haven't had a problem since then but I do stay on top of it.

[Lilla]

thank you 100 times over for info on insurance; I'll definitely look into this.

[northstar]

I received mine by mail,...FedEx. I got mine from PharmaCare, a specialty pharmacy. I went there to see a nurse, and she showed me how to give myself the shots. In fact I gave myself my first shot in front of her so she could answer any questions or concerns I had. It was almost kinda comical, cuz after I gave myself my first shot, I remember when I pulled the needle out, I was waiting for it to "hit" me. Nothing. Of course several hours later I felt like I had developed the worse case of flu I had ever had!! LOL