Copay help with cancer drugs

KJones1969
KJones1969 Member Posts: 158
in Kidney Cancer #1
I am wondering if any of you have found someplace to get help with the copays for cancer drugs that your insurance doesn't cover. I did find someplace that helps and will post if anyone wants the website. My husband's drug is $6300 a month and our insurance only pays $3400 so we had to find help somewhere and finally did.

Comments

  • alice124
    alice124 Member Posts: 896 Member
    #2
    Copay
    Hi Kay,

    I think this would be good info to post. None of us are immune to the costs associated with fighting the good fight in the Cancer arena. I thank God I was able to upgrade our insurance right after John's diagnosis. Even though our monthly contribution is hefty, my employer pays a substantial portion of the policy. I know others are not that fortunate. Thanks for thinking of others.
  • KJones1969
    KJones1969 Member Posts: 158
    #3
    alice124 said:

    Copay
    Hi Kay,

    I think this would be good info to post. None of us are immune to the costs associated with fighting the good fight in the Cancer arena. I thank God I was able to upgrade our insurance right after John's diagnosis. Even though our monthly contribution is hefty, my employer pays a substantial portion of the policy. I know others are not that fortunate. Thanks for thinking of others.

    Copay
    You were fortunate Alice. My husband has medicare because of disability and he had his work insurance until December 31st of this past year. His part monthly tripled and was very costly, he decided he didn't want to pay that much so cancelled it effective Dec. 31st. Had we known what was going to happen since Janurary we would of never canceled it. I am a student so therefore do not work. We do okay and have been very fortunate with the help I have looked for. The organization Cancer Care gave us a grant to help with copay for meds. Their link is http://www.cancercare.org/financial if anyone else would like to talk to them.
  • Bennette
    Bennette Member Posts: 65
    #4
    copay help
    I am a little confused. Are you asking for help in addition to the grant you received from the cancer care organization? I am not exactly sure which organization obtained the grant for my mother, it was all handled by the social worker at her oncologists office. She was approved for a $10,000 grant to cover prescription co-pays, because Medicare has a gap where coverage drops to 70% until your out of pocket reaches a certain amount and then they cover 95%. The grant money is only being used for her cancer drugs, but after the first month all her other prescriptions were covered at 95% by medicare so it costs her a few dollars to each of the other scripts we have to fill on our own. If the medicare your husband is on, is similar, then his portion shouldn't be as expensive after the first month or two. Of course, this starts over again every year, where you have to have a certain out of pocket to get to the 95% coverage level, but I think my mom is going to have enough out of the $10,000 grant to cover the start of next years, so we won't have a problem again until 2014 - if we can get a treatment to keep her with us that long, which is the plan!!

    If you are still looking for additional assistance - I would ask the social worker at your oncologist office or the hospital you go to OR I think most of the cancer websites have links for financial assistance, not sure if they all go to the same place or if they have different organizations.

    Good luck!

    Bennette
  • KJones1969
    KJones1969 Member Posts: 158
    #5
    Bennette said:

    copay help
    I am a little confused. Are you asking for help in addition to the grant you received from the cancer care organization? I am not exactly sure which organization obtained the grant for my mother, it was all handled by the social worker at her oncologists office. She was approved for a $10,000 grant to cover prescription co-pays, because Medicare has a gap where coverage drops to 70% until your out of pocket reaches a certain amount and then they cover 95%. The grant money is only being used for her cancer drugs, but after the first month all her other prescriptions were covered at 95% by medicare so it costs her a few dollars to each of the other scripts we have to fill on our own. If the medicare your husband is on, is similar, then his portion shouldn't be as expensive after the first month or two. Of course, this starts over again every year, where you have to have a certain out of pocket to get to the 95% coverage level, but I think my mom is going to have enough out of the $10,000 grant to cover the start of next years, so we won't have a problem again until 2014 - if we can get a treatment to keep her with us that long, which is the plan!!

    If you are still looking for additional assistance - I would ask the social worker at your oncologist office or the hospital you go to OR I think most of the cancer websites have links for financial assistance, not sure if they all go to the same place or if they have different organizations.

    Good luck!

    Bennette

    Offering Help
    No I was offering help based on what we found out for my husband. Thanks for the information, I will check up on it.

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