tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248101319829846491.post2683860470177967742..comments2024-01-22T00:46:35.341-08:00Comments on Our Diabetic Life: A discussion with Eli Lilly about insulin prices.Merihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09752883120541646427noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248101319829846491.post-56706938153849324052016-11-20T12:16:21.625-08:002016-11-20T12:16:21.625-08:00It really is a disaster, I recently changed insura...It really is a disaster, I recently changed insurance and have to pay all of my expenses up front and get reimbursed on the back end. When I looked at it, it was costing a significant sum. I wrote about mostly the pump side of the equation, but also touched on the expense of just keeping that bad boy full. http://insulinfirst.com/insulin-pump-therapy-without-insurance/Blake Harrishttp://insulinfirst.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248101319829846491.post-25447691767901751722016-11-10T10:23:19.801-08:002016-11-10T10:23:19.801-08:00I totally agree, can we band together and form som...I totally agree, can we band together and form some sort of non profit insulin buying cooperative with Lilly direct? Will need to research this...anyone else research if you can with FDA rules?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248101319829846491.post-47872188647246159602016-11-09T12:44:44.372-08:002016-11-09T12:44:44.372-08:00Thanks for this post! It's very helpful. I w...Thanks for this post! It's very helpful. I wish we could go directly to the insulin manufacturers and get a bottle of insulin for $50 or $60 rather than through the PBM's. The PBM's are the ones causing this issue. I understand it's because our insurance companies require us to use specific PBM's, but if we could cut out the middle man, the insulin manufacturers and the families would benefit greatly. How feasible is this? We can go directly to manufacturers for other goods. Why not insulin? It might be cheaper for some families to pay out of pocket than to use their PBM. We need healthy and fair competition in this area! Thoughts?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248101319829846491.post-46075515899242968732016-11-07T12:31:02.168-08:002016-11-07T12:31:02.168-08:00I hate this. Oh how I wish my insurance covered N...I hate this. Oh how I wish my insurance covered Novolog. It works so much better for me. SO MUCH BETTER. So them telling me I just had to fight it more - I did fight, and lost - because my A1C didn't go up dramatically, (from 6.8 to 7 and hey, they're both "OK" so)..I couldn't prove the need for prior auth - I was just pumping 20 % more insulin and spiking more, and battling more, but hey. That's just what I do as a patient,right? For them to blame others and just spike the cost makes me crazy. Heidihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04575177628838338351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248101319829846491.post-64693871452681516352016-11-04T14:20:33.926-07:002016-11-04T14:20:33.926-07:00Type 1 for 56 years. Been on Lilly products except...Type 1 for 56 years. Been on Lilly products except for a short change to Novolog last year to save money. The insulin wouldn't work so I had to switch back to Lilly. Using Humalog pens and Lantus via syringe. The Humalog price for 5 pens was over $1,100 with my out of pocket at $345. I'm on Medicare and my RX provider doesn't see a problem. I searched the internet and found Canadian Insulin.com and discovered I could purchase my Humalog pens much cheaper. For what my out of pocket costs for 5 pens were ($345) I can get (15) pens for that or a few dollars less. It's the same Lilly pen made by Lilly. Same markings but way cheaper. Anyone can purchase them by sending them your doctors prescription and a credit card information. Damn government and Obumer care and greed by pharma. I'll continue to purchase from Canadian Insulin because things won't change in this country until both parties in government are purged of their greed to make themselves richer once elected. The Lantus is also available but the cost difference wasn't that great, but as soon as Lantus increases I'll purchase that from Canadian Insulin as well. 56yrtype1https://www.blogger.com/profile/05773897721582028949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248101319829846491.post-42410558309416865012016-11-04T04:07:08.805-07:002016-11-04T04:07:08.805-07:00Thank you so much for writing this. We at T1Intern...Thank you so much for writing this. We at T1International are working to rally the troops through our Type 1 Diabetes Access Charter (https://www.t1international.com/charter/). You can sign to support access to insulin and other supplies for everyone worldwide. Please feel free to spread the word. We're also working on an advocacy toolkit and would love to have people like you using this to support the fantastic work you are already doing. :) -Elizabeth Rowley, T1InternationalElizabethhttps://www.t1international.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248101319829846491.post-20389143903013364012016-11-03T23:26:57.585-07:002016-11-03T23:26:57.585-07:00Eli Lily is now suing the Canadian Government, und...Eli Lily is now suing the Canadian Government, under NAFTA, for 700 million dollars, saying that they are being prevented from making a profit. This is due to the fact that their patent has not been extended on this and other drugs in Canada.<br />Sue P.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13707002536624992627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248101319829846491.post-65630646020544985722016-11-03T13:27:51.150-07:002016-11-03T13:27:51.150-07:00PBM, tell me again, does that stand for Putrid Bow...PBM, tell me again, does that stand for Putrid Bowel Movements? You give'um heck Meri! Photo Jenn Inc.https://www.blogger.com/profile/08132243623686334520noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248101319829846491.post-26040195738264603932016-11-03T12:33:38.369-07:002016-11-03T12:33:38.369-07:00Everything about this makes my heart hurt for our ...Everything about this makes my heart hurt for our children, friends and family members who are T1D. Its not fair and the United States pharma and health care is as broken as everything else happening right now in this country. Thanks for this blog post, Meri.shinybrightskieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15180267175237196494noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248101319829846491.post-54577668429508023382016-11-03T12:11:38.352-07:002016-11-03T12:11:38.352-07:00I especially love how all the companies refer you ...I especially love how all the companies refer you to their "help" for lowering the cost of test strips and drugs. But guess what? None of these work if you have a Medicare plan. Judihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09580431116496441711noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248101319829846491.post-23964917935644331062016-11-03T11:17:41.586-07:002016-11-03T11:17:41.586-07:00One point worth noting: both Novo and Sanofi are b...One point worth noting: both Novo and Sanofi are based in Europe, where the pricing generally matches Canada (or is lower, and typically zero for T1Ds thanks to social security coverage). Both companies are profitable on that European market and both employ a sale force to push the use of their products, which I assume they wouldn't do if they were losing money on each sale... Less intermediaries, of course...PierreVhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09531480162210944298noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248101319829846491.post-13386369855111550952016-11-03T09:33:38.059-07:002016-11-03T09:33:38.059-07:00Thanks Meri - lots of information here.
Informati...Thanks Meri - lots of information here.<br /><br />Information that Congress needs to know and get together to get some fixes applied to the Affordable(?) Care Act. Insurance is in no way affordable these days.<br /><br />CVS forced me to switch from Humalog to Novolog in 2016, and I'll be forced to switch to Basaglar from Lantus in 2017. It is very interesting that the CVS/Caremark website used to allow me to see the actual costs of medicines and how the cost was split between me and CVS, but now that information is hidden and only the co-pay/percentage to be paid by me is now visible. The CVS Pharmacy Benefits Manager is a person that I really want to meet and explain how what they are doing is affecting my life (type 1 D 32 years) and my daughter (type 1 D 10 years).<br /><br />Also very interesting that when I called CVS to determine how much I will pay for Basaglar - they have no idea what it will cost, because Basaglar isn't in their systems now. And yet, in less than 60 days, CVS will no longer pay for my life sustaining Lantus. And CVS doesn't understand why I am worried about this lack of information. They suggested I talk to my doctor! My doctor! He doesn't want me to change anything as what I am doing now is working well.<br /><br /><br />Diet Coke? It should have been a Coke Zero! :)<br />Brianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09869872687134376507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248101319829846491.post-82499959857517578672016-11-03T08:31:30.283-07:002016-11-03T08:31:30.283-07:00Thank you. I worry that too many patients think o...Thank you. I worry that too many patients think of corporations as benevolent souls that we don't want to anger. But you are right... we need change, and we have to work in our own best interests. Thanks again. StephenShttp://happy-medium.netnoreply@blogger.com