Why don't doctors understand when you can't afford a medication?!
Question: My mom has Chron's Disease. Her doctor wants her to start taking Humira to control it but her insurance will not pay for it. The cost would be $12,000 a year. She can not afford it. Even so, her doctor has called her 3 times in two days pushing her to start this drug. Why would a doctor not understand that she can't afford this medication? He is stressing her out so much that she was crying after the last call because she couldn't get him to understand that she isn't going to take it.
Answers: My mom has Chron's Disease. Her doctor wants her to start taking Humira to control it but her insurance will not pay for it. The cost would be $12,000 a year. She can not afford it. Even so, her doctor has called her 3 times in two days pushing her to start this drug. Why would a doctor not understand that she can't afford this medication? He is stressing her out so much that she was crying after the last call because she couldn't get him to understand that she isn't going to take it.
He probably (correctly) feels that the benefits your mother would gain from the meds would be well worth the money. I say correctly, because your health and well being is probably one of the most important investments you can make. HOWEVER, I understand the financial difficulty you and your mom are facing, and I suggest you don't give up. Investigate alternatives to Humira, including any generic or similar medications. Also, you need to contact your insurance company, with the assistance of the doctor if necessary, or anyone else who can assist (ie. social worker specializing in elder car), because it's ridiculous that your mother has health insurance and can't benefit from it. Keep pushing - don't give up.
you know every thing is right after your health so for that let her make sure that she starts the drugs by all means. thanks
Because if you don't take the medicine, you die. Good enough reason, I suppose.
If your mother has Crohn's disease bad enough that a combo of prednisone and asacol won't work, she's liable to simply not have a colon any more unless she starts taking medication.
Tell your Mom to talk to the doctor about a program drug companies have to help pay for needed medications.
Has she told him in no uncertain terms that $1000 a month for medication is too much for her and ask if he can suggest an alternative?
On the other hand if she'll die without this particular medication and can't get any financial help she could get a reverse mortgage or ask her children to contibute so she can afford the cost.
When you make 200,000 a year you don't have a concept of people less fortunate. I'd switch doctors. I also feel like Doctors get kickbacks when they prescribe drugs. It may not be true but it seems like they never recommend a natural cure for anything. Its always a drug/prescription
j
Because pharmaceutical companies give kickbacks to Dr.s for prescribing certain drugs. He just wants his commission. Go find an honest Dr.
Your Mom has to talk to the office manager. Doctors have a tendency to not even want to talk about the money part of their practice.
I know it sucks. That's our health care system for you. Hopefully the office manager will be able to help you figure something out. You sound like a wonderful daughter. I want to wish your Mom the very best of luck. :)
1. Explain to the doc that she will take it if he provides it for her, either through samples or out of his own pocket.
2.Get a different prescription for something more affordable
3.Get a different doc
Try those options, if a doc is pressuring u to do something you don't want to do or cant do then they are part of the problem not the solution. Most docs now a days understand the price of medicine is atrocious and will offer alternative methods. Seek a second opinion, maybe he gets kickbacks from the manufacturer of Humira or he has a personal investment in using this product. Usually that's why docs push certain meds without considering other options.
Go to NeedyMeds.com and fill out the form to see if she can be covered by the Abbott Labs Humira Assistance Plan.
(Put the following two lines together on your browser or just go to NeedyMeds.com and look up "Humira")
http://www.needymeds.com/
program_list.taf?_function=name&progra...
Your mom might consider changing doctors if this one can't come up with the same information I found in 5 minutes of Google searches and if he won't listen to what she's saying about the cost. If a patient can't afford a medication the doctor should look for alternatives either in the form of a different, cheaper med, or an assistance program. One caveat: Sometimes there is no alternative... but not until everything else has been checked out.
Well he is just trying to get her to pay that cost. If your mom needs the medication as much as the doctor says, he would find a way to help her get it. He is contradicting himself and you said your mom said she wasn't going to take it. Make sure he knows that she can't afford it, rather than she won't take it.