“When you pay your $2,350 co-pay for your Copaxone then we
will send you your twenty dollars worth of cholesterol and blood pressure
medication
When you pay your $2,350 co-pay for your Copaxone then we
will send you your twenty dollars worth of cholesterol and blood pressure
medication…
When you pay your $2,350 co-pay for your Copaxone then we
will send you your twenty dollars worth of cholesterol and blood pressure
medication…
When you pay your $2,350 co-pay for your Copaxone then we
will send you your twenty dollars worth of cholesterol and blood pressure
medication…” ETC… on a robo call!
Most people without knowledge of how this works would say, “Well,
girl, just pay it!”
Sadly, I cannot and will not since I have fit the criteria
for years for this co-pay to be paid by a third party and in previous years
before becoming a once again insured gal and even so I still meet their very
tight criteria and I had never seen a bill or was asked for any money
what-so-ever!
It is the co-pay for my Copaxone for the Multiple Sclerosis,
which is for a three month supply only, which would be $9400 in just the co-pay
for the year, the medication, is over $6K a month out of pocket if I had to pay
for it. Not many people could or would or should have to pay for this stuff that
has kept my MS stable for the last two MRI’s and being on it now for three years!
The issue is with the specialty drug company, Accredo, who
is the one handling the medication, previously it was with Walgreen’s Specialty
that handled it and I never heard a word about money! I have no idea why they
put me through this since I have been with them since last January. With Walgreen’s they
would call when I needed it and then when it was to be delivered and that was
that; with Accredo at first they only sent a months’ supply until I protested
explaining we live in a hurricane area and could possibly have to evacuate and
so finally they, on these last two orders, have been for three whole month’s
supply!
But now this aggravation and by the time I got a person to
talk to in New Mexico with Express Scripts, Ricky, he said that I had to speak
with Accredo, but they called me, Express Scripts that is, I didn’t call them. He switched me over to
Sharon in Tennessee with Accredo! After I waited for over a half an hour for
her, as it is I had to keep pushing buttons to speak to Ricky, a live person!
Who handled my wrath very nicely I might add.
All Sharon could tell me, like Ricky, is that she understood
and realized why I was so upset, but that she could let them know and send them
a message to take care of it and that they should get back to me.
But no time frame was given and I am more than sure I will
have to call tomorrow, again, like I have had to every month since being with
them…You see, I just received my Copaxone last Thursday and with the holiday
and all I believe that is why they have not yet received payment from the
Assistance Fund who is my angel for this!
If I didn’t have my doctor’s appointment for today, with all
the wonderful news, yep, my cholesterol total is 180 and my HDL even went up as
it should do, all right, my triglycerides are still a bit too high, but I’m
working on that, my A1c is down to 5.8 from 6.1 which still is considered
diabetic according to the new standards, i.e. anything over 5.4 is considered
one… had to change in time for me, NOT FAIR, used to be over 7.0!
But it went down and the doctor was willing to get rid of
one of her prescribed meds for me and lower the dose on another, but I will have
to have more blood work in three months just before that three month visit, and
then this ridiculous call while eating our early dinner!
How to ruin a not too bad day!
And so that is why this doctor reordered three, for a ninety
day supply of each, of my four medications that had no refills and it was just
as well, since one of the three has been cut in half dosage wise… and that is
how we arrived in this aggravating situation all due to a doctor who does
exactly what she promised, but the drug company that I deal with screws it all
up!
It has made me physically ill and in fact while writing this
I had to go lie down for a bit…but I felt I couldn’t do it with me taking
basically the other night off… even though it is the Jewish New Year and I also
felt the need to wish a Happy New Year to all my Jewish friends and relatives
out there!
And so on that note of hope for the New Year too be less
stressful, allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good
night and ask you to count all your blessings and share all your overages with
you know who and we will too!
And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!
Update: This just in 9:02 A.M. 9-5-13: The co-pay of $2350 was actually paid yesterday afternoon and they did not have to put me through any of this! Now they will be sending out my other medications!
Update: This just in 9:02 A.M. 9-5-13: The co-pay of $2350 was actually paid yesterday afternoon and they did not have to put me through any of this! Now they will be sending out my other medications!