Humira costs

[TexasFreedom]

Wow. Talking with a friend, he's having some health issues. Doc recently wanted him to try taking Humira. I've heard the commercial for it 1000 times. The Doc said insurance should cover it, but wanted him to sign a generic form anyway. He actually reads things. The form said that in case insurance didn't pay, he was accepting responsibility for the $40k or $45k cost for the first month of the drug. And he was going to get that amount every month. Yes, $500k a year for one prescription. Yikes. Needless to say, he refused to sign.

Meanwhile, you can get the same drug for $1300 in Australia:
https://www.chemistwarehouse.com.au/buy/60724/Humira-40mg-0-8mL-Injection-2

Or you can get a 'discount' price in NY for $5400:
https://www.pharmacychecker.com/humira/

So, it's cheaper to pay for a week's vacation including flying to Australia, and get the drug there, than what it costs here. And do that every month. Insane...

 

[jontte]

wow,they really like to dry hump patients over there..

 

[DrHenley]

They were going to put my daughter on it, and the drug company was going to pay for most of what the Insurance company would not. Getting it approved by the insurance company practically took an act of Congress as you can imagine. I can't remember what our share would be but it wasn't much. But she ended up on Remicade instead because she was 17 and Humira was only approved for adult use. We ended up paying a helluva lot more for Remicade ($6000 deductible per year plus co-pays) than we would have for Humira.

 

[user 7704]

I'm no where near that, but I was just approved for a drug that is $37k per year. The pharmaceutical cos have co pay cards and I will be paying $0. They do this to use me like a guinea pig to see my side effects. Humira has co pay cards too. Not based on income at all.

 

[KateMTx]

The biologics and chemotherapies are all crazy expensive like that. Then insurance gets stuck covering the costs - it's no wonder insurance is so expensive and deductibles have gotten so high.

 

[Brent S]

My wife is on entivio. Its a 1000.00 co pay per infusion. If it cured her I wouldn’t complain. It does help some but is needed for life and it’s benefits barely seem worth the potential risks. I would love to see our medical system get taken over by the government. Could it be more of a rip-off than it is now?

 

[Proud Prepper]

My wife is on entivio. Its a 1000.00 co pay per infusion. If it cured her I wouldn’t complain. It does help some but is needed for life and it’s benefits barely seem worth the potential risks. I would love to see our medical system get taken over by the government. Could it be more of a rip-off than it is now?

You have to be joking? About wanting government health care, not your wife's illness. Has she tried a probiotic diet, including pre probiotics? Aloevera juice? Anything to not need an expensive pharmaceutical with side effects.

 

[Brent S]

You have to be joking? About wanting government health care, not your wife's illness. Has she tried a probiotic diet, including pre probiotics? Aloevera juice? Anything to not need an expensive pharmaceutical with side effects.

She has chrones disease, and has tried many different treatments over the years, including remicade, steroids, chemo like drugs, etc. she is well beyond diet making much difference.
As far as our health care needing a change, it’s absurd we pay way more for less care than any other country in the world. The hospitals can charge anything thing they want right now. The really scary part is now they are suing people for the bills more frequently every day. I don’t see how you can harm an allready broke system.

 

[user 7704]

Free market is the answer not the government.

When the companies have to compete for our business, the prices fall.

 

[user 7704]

The biologics and chemotherapies are all crazy expensive like that. Then insurance gets stuck covering the costs - it's no wonder insurance is so expensive and deductibles have gotten so high.

Mine is a biologic and rather new for my symptoms. That's why the copay.... so they can further research. Research costs billions and I'm okay with it being done by private industry not the government.

 

[Brent S]

Free market is the answer not the government.

When the companies have to compete for our business, the prices fall.

That approach hasn’t worked so far. Hospitals have become big corporate business and right now they can rip of people with no consequence.

 

[TexasFreedom]

That approach hasn’t worked so far. Hospitals have become big corporate business and right now they can rip of people with no consequence.

Hogwash. It hasn't been tried in about a century. Brent, you really need to move to Cuba or Venezuela to get your proper gov't provided health care.

Ronald Reagan said it best.

 

[DrHenley]

My wife is on entivio. Its a 1000.00 co pay per infusion. If it cured her I wouldn’t complain. It does help some but is needed for life and it’s benefits barely seem worth the potential risks. I would love to see our medical system get taken over by the government. Could it be more of a rip-off than it is now?

Brent, you are delusional. If you want to know what that is going to look like when the government takes over, look up how much Medicare will pay for Entyvio right now.

https://www.goodrx.com/entyvio/medicare-coverage

They will tell you that Entyvio is not medically necessary, and she only needs to take something like Pentasa instead.

 

[JackDW]

Damn, after reading some of these stories, I don't feel so bad. I do pay approx. $2000 for a 90 supply of Victoza but after hearing some of these others stories, maybe that is not so bad. I DO NOT WANT GOVERNMENT INVOLVED IN MY HEALTHCARE. This is a large part of the problem today. Too many regulations resulting in MUCH higher prices and little or no competition. If the government would just get out of the way, the system would fix itself.

 

[Mountain trapper]

I guess this is why I don't like going to the doctor (drug pushers). They always find something wrong, and here's some pills to help. If those pills don't work, here's some more. Doctors make a good living pushing pills.

 

[Brent S]

I guess this is why I don't like going to the doctor (drug pushers). They always find something wrong, and here's some pills to help. If those pills don't work, here's some more. Doctors make a good living pushing pills.

If you can limit your interaction with Doctors, lawyers and Bankers you will live longer and keep more of the money you make in life!

 

[tmttactical]

If you can limit your interaction with Doctors, lawyers and Bankers you will live longer and keep more of the money you make in life!

If you can limit ---read reduce--- government involvement in your life, you will save a fortune and actually be able to live free.

 

[Brent S]

If you can limit ---read reduce--- government involvement in your life, you will save a fortune and actually be able to live free.

I agree with this statement for the most part. I do think when an entire industry is ripping off the population with no consequences that there are instances when the government should step in and make some rules.

 

[tmttactical]

Proof of the entire industry rip -off? Proof were the government involvement has lowered medical costs? Proof were we are benefiting from government involvement? Any examples were government has lowered cost and improved service? How well has the government involvement worked for the VA hospitals? The number one enemy of a free person and economic development is the government.

 

[TexasFreedom]

I agree with this statement for the most part. I do think when an entire industry is ripping off the population with no consequences that there are instances when the government should step in and make some rules.

I'll give a great example of how this should work. FCC vs the EU. The EU requires that all electronics be tolerant of reasonable static electricity hits, that it not affect performance. Call that the nanny state. The FCC takes a different view: they have no such requirement. Their view is that if a product is so weak that a modest static electricity hit causes it to fail, then the market (the people ) will stop buying it and the company will fail. Companies can choose to test, or not test. Choose to improve their product, or face the wrath of the consumer.

Yes, big Pharma are screwing over the people. But be patient, their retribution will come. And the market will punish them far faster & with greater pain than any gov't policy.

 

[Brent S]

Proof of the entire industry rip -off? Proof were the government involvement has lowered medical costs? Proof were we are benefiting from government involvement? Any examples were government has lowered cost and improved service? How well has the government involvement worked for the VA hospitals? The number one enemy of a free person and economic development is the government.

I can give proof that US citizens are paying obscenely higher costs for the same, if not lower health care than other countries are. As far as wether the government can make it better or not, well it’s allready broken, so why not consider trying something?
I am a veteran and have gotten some help from the VA over the years. I can’t say I have ever seen anything other than good people, service and results from the VA. I know they have had major issues in the headlines, but they also have a lot of good things that aren’t as sensational for the media to cover.

 

[Brent S]

I'll give a great example of how this should work. FCC vs the EU. The EU requires that all electronics be tolerant of reasonable static electricity hits, that it not affect performance. Call that the nanny state. The FCC takes a different view: they have no such requirement. Their view is that if a product is so weak that a modest static electricity hit causes it to fail, then the market (the people ) will stop buying it and the company will fail. Companies can choose to test, or not test. Choose to improve their product, or face the wrath of the consumer.

Yes, big Pharma are screwing over the people. But be patient, their retribution will come. And the market will punish them far faster & with greater pain than any gov't policy.

I hope you are correct about big pharma having a reason to improve, but as much money as they make, how could the market make a difference to them? They control the entire game.

 

[TexasFreedom]

As far as wether the government can make it better or not, well it’s allready broken, so why not consider trying something?

Brent, sure, some things are worth trying. But if you have the flu & fluid in your lungs, please do not consider spending 30 minutes underwater hoping the fluid leaves your body and go out into the pool. But your idea has already been tried. Obama promised, what was it, $1500 or $2500 less per year in health care/insurance costs, that you can keep your doctor, and no 'death panels'. Obamacare passed as law exactly as he wanted it. He lied, he lied again, and he lied a third time. And the biggest losers were the American people. No thanks, we don't need to try this again.

I hope you are correct about big pharma having a reason to improve, but as much money as they make, how could the market make a difference to them? They control the entire game.

That's not really what I'm saying. I'm saying competition and consumer choice will resolve things in time.

 

[Brent S]

Brent, sure, some things are worth trying. But if you have the flu & fluid in your lungs, please do not consider spending 30 minutes underwater hoping the fluid leaves your body and go out into the pool. But your idea has already been tried. Obama promised, what was it, $1500 or $2500 less per year in health care/insurance costs, that you can keep your doctor, and no 'death panels'. Obamacare passed as law exactly as he wanted it. He lied, he lied again, and he lied a third time. And the biggest losers were the American people. No thanks, we don't need to try this again.



That's not really what I'm saying. I'm saying competition and consumer choice will resolve things in time.

Please, death panels..... Obama tried to get both parties together to reform health care. After everything was through the plan was the best they could work out. It wasn’t anything close to what he wanted. The fact is that you will always see Obama as your version of evil. That’s ok. I don’t think everything he did was good either. That stimulus crap was one of the dumbest ideas I’ve ever heard of. Overall though I know Obama had a lot more compassion and decency than trump any day. I know in my heart that trump dosent care about the masses.

 

[tmttactical]

I don't need compassion and decency, I want results and President Trump is providing them. mealy mouth obuma lied, and continued to lie. How about the hot mic were he told Putin he could work out a better deal with Putin after he got re-elected. Give me an a-hole, crude, nose picking President that is actually doing good for America vs. some polished socialist, lying apologist wimp selling America down the river.

 

[TexasFreedom]

Obama tried to get both parties together to reform health care. After everything was through the plan was the best they could work out. It wasn’t anything close to what he wanted. The fact is that you will always see Obama as your version of evil. That’s ok. I don’t think everything he did was good either. That stimulus crap was one of the dumbest ideas I’ve ever heard of. Overall though I know Obama had a lot more compassion and decency than trump any day. I know in my heart that trump dosent care about the masses.

There was nothing 'compromised' in Obamascare. Why would there be, not one republican voted for it. The only 'compromise' was a few minor things like the "Louisiana Purchase". Nothing was changed for republicans.

As UP said, compassion means nothing. Some would say Hitler was compassionate in his dealings with the Jews. Like always, feelings are completely meaningless. Actions are what matter.

Oh, and UP forgot one more detail. We don't care that Trump bangs two-bit porn stars. That's between Trump & his wife. He didn't commit perjury over it. It doesn't affect his policies/actions within gov't.

 

[DrPrepper1]

The drug companies are what really drive up healthcare. If the government did take over healthcare, they would do the actual care part and we would still be at the mercy of the drug companies. Drug companies are always lobbying and they are in deep with lawmakers. They would never be allowed to be controlled by the government. It would be the perfect marriage for them because they either would have the citizens pay for their drugs, or they would get the government to buy their drugs. That would be a serious win for them.
Then, in order to control cost, the government would cut back on procedures (The healthcare reform act wanted to reduce mammograms for women to once every 3 years). If they were paying for everyone in America, they would have to be more stringent about care. They just would.

My concern is once the government is in charge and makes changes, if you don’t like them, how will we change it back? Good luck once they have control.

Nordic countries have good healthcare for their people and take good care of their citizens in general. They have a surplus of money per citizen for care. However, they are very selective about immigration, they don’t get involved in wars ( low military cost). Their money goes to their people. This would never work in America.

In France, they allowed immigration ( pretty freely) and they have free healthcare. They do get involved in some military action. The citizens pay about 50-51% in taxes. I don’t really call that free healthcare.

 

[GaRp58]

If you can limit ---read reduce--- government involvement in your life, you will save a fortune and actually be able to live free.

Even if the Gov't and Pharmaceuticals have damned it, I have been using MMS for survival water treatment for many years. As a side effect, I have NO colds, flu or any such typical problems involved with bacteria and viruses. Antibiotics can only try to kill bacteria, they have absolutely no effect on a Virus. MMS is a weak acid and chemically "burns" through the cell walls of both and destroys them instantly. The only problem is, (and is played up by the Pharmas) the side effect is quite clear. After being destroyed, the poisonous substances in each of viruses, (depending on which and amount in the body) are released into the bloodstream and cause nausea, headaches and simply a ****** feeling. What do you expect, it is poison.
The German gov't put out a warning about the lethality of MMS: The lethal dose is at 262 mg. per kilo of body weight. A normal dose is at 0.006 mg. You would have to drink 43,000 liters at one time to even get to the 262 mg. to even endanger 2.2 lbs of your body. What they did NOT say, but I compared, is that ASPIRIN is a lethal dose at 165 mg. per kilo body weight...and caffein is ONLY at 65 mg. per kilo body weight deadly. This means, our daily cup of coffee, is 4 times more lethal than MMS.
The Pharmas hate MMS because it works against every known virus and bacteria in less that 10 seconds, both cannot become resistant and evolve into a newer and stronger type, the user needs only to follow exact instructions AND it only costs a few dollars for two little bottles needed that last for a year or so...

Like Urbanprep said: Reduce involvement, save money, do not be a guinea pig, AND LIVE FREE! Gary.

 

[GaRp58]

There is a book on the market written by a man who went through the chemo and all. Sent home to die, he googles and finds MMS, after being told that he had nothing to lose, he gave MMS a try. He has now written a book called. I AM CLEAN. Jim Humble has written long and well researched papers/books. Read, learn, decide and make your own decisions. GP

 

[Proud Prepper]

Even if the Gov't and Pharmaceuticals have damned it, I have been using MMS for survival water treatment for many years. As a side effect, I have NO colds, flu or any such typical problems involved with bacteria and viruses. Antibiotics can only try to kill bacteria, they have absolutely no effect on a Virus. MMS is a weak acid and chemically "burns" through the cell walls of both and destroys them instantly. The only problem is, (and is played up by the Pharmas) the side effect is quite clear. After being destroyed, the poisonous substances in each of viruses, (depending on which and amount in the body) are released into the bloodstream and cause nausea, headaches and simply a ****** feeling. What do you expect, it is poison.
The German gov't put out a warning about the lethality of MMS: The lethal dose is at 262 mg. per kilo of body weight. A normal dose is at 0.006 mg. You would have to drink 43,000 liters at one time to even get to the 262 mg. to even endanger 2.2 lbs of your body. What they did NOT say, but I compared, is that ASPIRIN is a lethal dose at 165 mg. per kilo body weight...and caffein is ONLY at 65 mg. per kilo body weight deadly. This means, our daily cup of coffee, is 4 times more lethal than MMS.
The Pharmas hate MMS because it works against every known virus and bacteria in less that 10 seconds, both cannot become resistant and evolve into a newer and stronger type, the user needs only to follow exact instructions AND it only costs a few dollars for two little bottles needed that last for a year or so...

Like Urbanprep said: Reduce involvement, save money, do not be a guinea pig, AND LIVE FREE! Gary.

Yes this is chlorine dioxide, made from chlorite. Its awesome stuff. It seems to also destroy Big pharma, for they fear it more than anything else.