Perscription dug costs

[Engineer1911]

I have a friend in Atlanta that is 'fighting' Mantle Cell Lymphoma with chemotherapy. When the tumors returned, his doctor changed his drug regimen from liquid chemotherapy to pills.

The pills contain 25 milligrams of medication, there are 21 pills in the bottle. The cost of the bottle of pills was $10,700.00, yes, Ten Thousand, Seven Hundred dollars for 21 pills. I saw the receipt.

It is the end of the year, his deductible has been met, so insurance paid the drug bill. His out of pocket medical expense this year for deductibles and copays, exceeds my annual income. Cancer comes with a high price.

 

[Hillbilly77]

I used to work for a truck fleet that leased equipment to a large pharmaceutical company. All of their freight was hand-loaded in plastic totes that measured approx. 2' x 1.5' x 1.5'.
The totes that contained prescription drugs in them at any given time could contain several hundred-thousand dollars worth of medications.

PS. I wish your friend well.

 

[fat tom]

I bought a "cancer policy" when I was in my 30's for that very reason. God willing,I'll never need it,but it gives me some modicum of relief from worry. Best wishes for your friend.
f.t.

 

[GKC]

I have read many instances of catastrophic illnesses bankrupting a family. It is truly a sad state of affairs.

I was so very fortunate to work for, and retire from, a Fortune 100 company that offers its employees and retirees excellent heath insurance, which also includes dental and prescription drug coverage. My wife suffered a broken neck in an accident in 2003, from which she is disabled, and her medical bills have been enormous ever since. She was in the ICU for several weeks following a surgery in 2007, from which she developed pneumonia and a pulmonary embolism, and our bill from that alone was over $700,000...but our insurance paid for it, all except for our $150 hospitalization co-pay. (We have a $1,000 out of pocket maximum as well, but we had already reached that.)

I relate this not to gloat or brag, but to empathize...I know all too well what medical expense can do to a family. I don't think the ACA is the right answer, but there does need to be an answer to the cost of health care in America. It's a sad thing when the ill or elderly in America have to make a choice between eating or taking medication...having a place to live or seeing a doctor...or dying for lack of care, to spare the family's finances.

 

[old bear]

It's now believed that medical treatment and it's assorted costs are now the number 1 cause of Bankruptcy filings. In the last two years between the lovely and charming and myself we've had slightly more than $20,000.00 in medical expenses that our insurance did not cover. We were very lucky that we were able to pay for the treatments both of us needed, but it is going to be a year or two before we take a real vacation or even consider a new car.

Some thing has to be done to get this in check, and what that is I don't know.

 

[NFrameFred]

Some thing has to be done to get this in check, and what that is I don't know.

I fear it's not the current solution being touted - having relatives in the medical field for over 30 years they say they only see it making things worse.

 

[Arik]

I know its capitalism, free market economy and all but whomever figured that $10G was a good price to charge for 20+ pills should get the plague, AIDS, leprosy and a host of other fun things......right after they become unemployed

I cant imagine what his meds would cost if he had no insurance.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

 

[Oddball]

Since March of this year I have been treated for non-Hodgkins lymphoma. One day I talked to another cancer patient and she said that she had to get a shot that cost $6000.00. Luckily it was covered by her insurance. I guess if you don't have insurance you just have to crawl into a hole and die.

 

[LVSteve]

My late wife's cancer treatment had bunches of zeroes on the bills that the insurance paid. However, her last six months of skilled nursing care was not covered, so my out of pocket last year was over $55k. Combine that with my father passing in England and me selling his house and you might guess how "interesting" my taxes were for 2011.

 

[ibthumper]

Since March of this year I have been treated for non-Hodgkins lymphoma. One day I talked to another cancer patient and she said that she had to get a shot that cost $6000.00. Luckily it was covered by her insurance. I guess if you don't have insurance you just have to crawl into a hole and die.

My plan is contained in your last comment.

 

[Cocked & Locked]

Why would 21 pills cost $10,700? Is it greed on the drug companies part...or is it something I don't understand.

 

[LVSteve]

Why would 21 pills cost $10,700? Is it greed on the drug companies part...or is it something I don't understand.

Drug company recovering their investment in the time demanded by the stock market. Business Practice 101 in the early 21st century.

 

[WuzzFuzz]

I too have went thru a bout of Lymphoma, and thankfully my insurance covered most of it. After I reached my limit of Co-pay, then of course I got 100% coverage. And that didn't take long at all.... But still...

Why, when it comes to cancer...millions are given to cancer research, but when it comes to helping out those that have cancer, it ain't a spit in a bucket that is given to those that have come down with the cancer?

Cancer research has been going on for how many years now? The researchers get the donated money you give to the American Cancer Society. Plus what ever else they spend your and my donated money on. Do you suppose those in the higher offices of administration are donating their time for free? Sort of like how much the President and CEO of the Red Cross gets in salary each year. (No wonder they want to be the president of some charity organization)

The Pharma companies also get grants for research. But after the treatment has been developed, and patented, then it all goes back to the Pharma company that received some of the research money. Then the poor ole patient gets left sucking on the hind, you know what.

Then if that's not bad enough. The Dr's and Hospitals charge X dollars. The Insurance Co.say's they will only pay 1/2 of X. So the Dr's and Hospital get to write off the difference as a tax loss. What a racket....

I'll get off my high horse, now, go and make myself some warm milk and some cookies and go to bed, and try to cool off about this subject.


WuzzFuzz

 

[LVSteve]

My late wife was in medical administration most of her working life. Her unbiased opinion on the health racket that paid her is not suitable for this forum.

 

[Old 44 Guy]

My Medicare is foremost & my company pays for my Supplement insurance. But I'm worried about Obama Care taking them over. Guess an 81 YO guy I shouldn't be worried but I am.

 

[AirForceShooter]

I have a friend in Atlanta that is 'fighting' Mantle Cell Lymphoma with chemotherapy. When the tumors returned, his doctor changed his drug regimen from liquid chemotherapy to pills.

The pills contain 25 milligrams of medication, there are 21 pills in the bottle. The cost of the bottle of pills was $10,700.00, yes, Ten Thousand, Seven Hundred dollars for 21 pills. I saw the receipt.

It is the end of the year, his deductible has been met, so insurance paid the drug bill. His out of pocket medical expense this year for deductibles and copays, exceeds my annual income. Cancer comes with a high price.

Tell your friend to contact the drug company.
Most of them have programs to help with the uninsured costs

AFS

 

[David LaPell]

Tell me about it, and one of the reasons why your drug costs are so much is because there are so many people that get them for nothing. I know on a weekly basis it costs about $10,000 a week to give the inmates their meds, and that is not out of the ordinary. Imagine that in every county in every state and on top of that every state prison, hospital and rehab clinic where there are people who get their meds, most of which are heavy pain killers or head meds, for nothing. That has just a bit of things to do with it. I have had to fight for mine ever since I got hurt and they have given me meds I really didn't want like Lyrica which made me feel like I was in the 60's on a bad trip and did nothing else. Right now I am taking some which I need because of all my incisions, and an antibiotic. If I had no way of getting those because it was a workers comp injury, I could not afford them. I know that at darn near every doctor I went to so far I have been asked about various meds. This is one of the reasons we went to the spinal column stimulator because it was either that or I stayed on pills, which don't do well with me. But the costs are way out of hand without a doubt.

 

[johngalt]

There lots of reasons for the high cost

* the high cost of development. Some of the cost is artificially inflated by the FDA. I'm not in the business, so I don't how big a part.

* The high cost of the ingredients. The raw materials that go into producing the drugs is very tightly regulated. For some of the materials, there is a set, fixed amount that is rationed out. I just learned about this one.

* Probably the biggest (IMO) - The US is the only place in the world where drug companies can actually sell drugs at cost. Everyplace else, they are forced to sell at below cost at whatever price their socialized health care systems dictate to them. US customers subsidizing everyone elses drug costs. That is why the drug companies were so opposed to importing drugs from Canada.

Drug companies need to make a profit, just like every other business. They aren't charities. Producing drugs is expensive and they need to cover their costs. Some drugs are very expensive to produce but have a very small number of users, so they can't make it up in volume. They aren't flipping burgers.

 

[StatesRightist]

The defense of big Pharma on here is amazing. They only sell their drugs for a small reasonable profit, there is no price gouging or the fact it's a monopoly....and then Easter Bunny delivers them, right? Drug company's did not pay Doctors to push people to their drugs, did they?

Price gouging and the "Health Insurance" System's long standing policy of sticking to those who can pay, to get back money the entitlement set costs them are the issues. Yes, some drugs have small amount's of users, so they tack on 400% to a heavily used drug, they do not eat the loss, Drugs are not priced on a stand alone basis.

What's next? They only make a 5% profit and really it's a public good, maybe we take up a collection for Glaxo?

******Just for clarification, the entitlement set is the group of people who live off of the tax payers from birth to death, not someone who's fallen on hard times, that person, I'll hand money to myself. ********



To the OP, I feel for your friend and am sorry for his sufferings. I watched my grandfather bleed money to a system designed to financially to get every dime from him, I understand your question.