Living Bipolar ~ What If The Frog Can't Afford Meds?

So, here I am. Once again having had quite the hiatus. Almost a year, again. Commitments are not my strong point. Thanks bipolar, with that whole "losing interest in things we once enjoyed" symptom of depression. I hate that one.

Anyway... Hot topic! Medication affordability. For those of us on Medicare it can get pretty tricky when we hit our Gap. I have been hitting my Gap earlier and earlier every year due to the ever increasing price of my medication. This is the amount, I assume, the pharmacy pays to the pharmaceutical company that I do not pay. I should check into that relationship. That amount is applied to the initial coverage and is so huge that I could just blink and I'm in my Gap. The Gap. You know that  limbo between Stage 2, Initial Coverage, and Stage 4, Catastrophic Coverage. Stage 3, that damn Coverage Gap, leaves us Medicarians in a lurch for name brand prescriptions. I personally had been looking forward to my only non-generic, bipolar medication, Seroquel, to go generic. Well, on March 28th, 2012, my wishes were granted. Nirvana? Not quite.

I had absolutely no idea that when a name brand medication is finally available in generic form, it is still worth an arm and a leg. What should have changed from $45 to $5 didn't happen. Instead the generic cost is just about the same amount. $41 vs. $45. My insurance gal educated me on this. She said also that over time the generic price would come down. Hopes dashed, temporarily though.

I had decided to order from a discount pharmacy, instead of the Canadian pharmacy I buy from each year, but lucky for me my doctor's prescription gal changed my mind. I was so stubborn that she had to plead with me to do it her way. I was so scared that I would actually go without Seroquel before my plan was implemented that I was blocking her influence at every attempt. Finally, and thankfully I gave in.

Her plan was to call the prescription in to Costco. I am a member there, but one does not have to be. Unbelievably, (without insurance, shhhh...) the generic form, Quetiapine Fumarate 400mg, was $41 for a 30 day supply, rather than the hundreds of dollars I would have to pay under the dreaded, downright hated Gap.

The following month I was a surprised again.  $21! Could this mean the price is already coming down?  I am not interested in finding out yet.

There is one more thing my doc's persistent Rx gal can do for me. She told me that since I am a Medicare Part D member I can, I'm sorry, will qualify for free medication with AstraZeneca (AZ). AZ, the pharmaceutical company that produces the name brand Seroquel and then charges a fortune. Extortion? Anyway, she told me that all I need are 2 pieces of information that completely elude me right now. She will prepare the paperwork and all I have to do is show up and sign it. Voila! I will get free Seroquel for a year. Sounds beautiful!  I guess the reason I haven't followed up on that yet is because I am just too excited about getting the generic at such a reasonable price.

Well now, what about people that have no insurance or can't afford a reasonable price?  It is so essential that we stay on our medication that, well, we gotta have it! 

I came across an article today, "Paying For Medication" on a site called Ask A Bipolar; http://www.askabipolar.com/75-paying-medication/. This site apart from this article is a great resource for bipolars and their families and friends.

In this particular article the writer has many, many links and phone numbers for discount programs. I am happy to share this with my readers.

We have to have our meds and if it's between eating or medicating we must do both.