insurance surprise

[ruralguy]

I've been on Atripla since mid September.

I called in to get my refill and, gee, surprise - my insurance has a med limit of $5000.  So all of a sudden, at $1500-2000 a month, I'm looking at some pretty big expense numbers.

What do I go to get Atripla for the lowest price??

[Forevergreen]

i'm not sure what your financial situation is, but you might qualify for assistance. i would look into local aids services and find out if you have any options. 

[Nashvegas]

I share your pain, Ruralguy.  I've got a policy that has a $1,500 annual cap on prescriptions, so that should cover about one month's worth of meds.  Right now, I'm participating in a clinical trial that covers all my meds and testing, so that's been a godsend, but at the end of three years, I'll start paying for most of my meds out of pocket.  My understanding is that a lot of the ADAP plans have very low limits for assets, so that I wouldn't qualify for assistance.  So I'll be curious what you find out. 

[tommy246]

the bottle i have 30 pills in spain says approx 750 euros.

[Ann]

the bottle i have 30 pills in spain says approx 750 euros.

At the current rate of exchange, 750.00 EUR = 1,117.70 USD.

[LBpozguy]

$1,117.70 us is pretty good. When I get my refill from Rite Aid, they have it broken down and my insurance is billed $1773.00. It scares me to think that I would ever have to pay that myself out of pocket.

[beau1200]

Depending on your situation, you could check with the Ryan White fund.  They offer support getting medication.  They can also help with insurance premiums.  There are also nonprofit HIV support groups/centers that can help you with some of the cost. 

We have project open hand and positive impact, and AIDS Atlanta.  Not sure what centers you might have in your city.  It's worth checking into. 

Hope this helps.
Best Wishes 

[Oceanbeach]

I would suggest you also ask your Case Manager about ADAP assistance.     Have the best day
Michael
(who has heard "We can't let you leave this pharmacy with $3000 in meds without payment.")

[waldo59]

I dont see much discussion of the VA here in the forum but its an excellent source of hiv care for veterans  depending on your circumstances atripla can be free or as little as $8.00 a bottle.

[rick21007]

Bristol-Myers Squibb also offers a patient assistance program for Atripla.  You can down load the app. off their website and fill it out and have it signed by your prescribing MD and see if you qualify.  My experience is that the drug company P.A. programs also have made exceptions to their stated qualifying policies.

Rick

[ruralguy]

Just appealing for some discount from the drug company a good idea, although I'd be an exception.  Maybe with all the health care scare they'll be flexible.  If I were brave enough I suppose I couldn't say I'll try to make my case a public point about why health care here is so broken.

I just don't qualify for the ususal government programs.  So far the best price I can find is $1550 for 30 tabs via the Costco online pharmacy.

[Inchlingblue]

Have you looked into Viraday, the generic Atripla?

It's made by a very reputable Indian company, Cipla.

There are several threads on here if you do a search.

It can be purchased online and there are several reputable online pharmacies. I've seen it going for about $165. for a 30 day supply or $450. for a 90 day supply

This thread mentions a couple of online pharmacies:

http://forums.poz.com/index.php?topic=28320.msg349272#msg349272