I was diagnosed in September and it has been a fight with the insurance companies to get me started on treatment. I ended up switching health insurance carriers November 1st and they outright denied brand name Copaxone. They approved the generic medication but my copay is a couple hundred dollars a month. This is a huge hardship as I have been on temporary disability since October. As of right now, I can pay the copay but it will use up my families safety net each month.
I've always said that I would never drain my family financially over health issues. This is something I had decided at a relatively young age and I still feel that way now.
I feel conflicted to start medication as I know it will cost more down the line if I don't try to slow down the progression or limit amount of disability I will accumulate if I don't start a DMD. But it still feels selfish to put a financial hardship on my husband and kids that they don't deserve.
I called Mylan and found out that their copay assistance does not apply to residents of California. I don't know why but this is a huge barrier as to whether or not I pick up the medication next week. Have any of you been in a situation where you weren't eligible for copay assistance although you really needed it?
I don't want to go through the hassle of having my neurologist order new medication after new medication just to see which one I can afford. I also decided on Copaxone as it has the least amount of side effects and is the safest. I will not consider a DMD that lowers the immune system as I plan to go back to work and I am exposed to sick patients all day in my career. I am also unwilling to risk PML, so medications such as Tysabri are out of the question.
Any advice? For those who chose to forego using a DMD, did you ever regret it?
I've always said that I would never drain my family financially over health issues. This is something I had decided at a relatively young age and I still feel that way now.
I feel conflicted to start medication as I know it will cost more down the line if I don't try to slow down the progression or limit amount of disability I will accumulate if I don't start a DMD. But it still feels selfish to put a financial hardship on my husband and kids that they don't deserve.
I called Mylan and found out that their copay assistance does not apply to residents of California. I don't know why but this is a huge barrier as to whether or not I pick up the medication next week. Have any of you been in a situation where you weren't eligible for copay assistance although you really needed it?
I don't want to go through the hassle of having my neurologist order new medication after new medication just to see which one I can afford. I also decided on Copaxone as it has the least amount of side effects and is the safest. I will not consider a DMD that lowers the immune system as I plan to go back to work and I am exposed to sick patients all day in my career. I am also unwilling to risk PML, so medications such as Tysabri are out of the question.
Any advice? For those who chose to forego using a DMD, did you ever regret it?
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