The BRCA Gene Test Should Be More Affordable Now

survivorbc09 said:

I didn't know that just that

I didn't know that just that one company had total control until I saw this on the news.  Good job Supreme Court! 

Jan

When the doctor asked me to get the BRCA testing, the nurse said the test is about $3,000.  If it comes back positive, my siblings and daughters can take the test for $400.  I know that after I am tested they will have a better idea what they are looking for, but that is a major difference.  It is a bit mind boggling.

Sandy

VickiSam said:

Mind boggling is right ....

BRCA testing, as well as all the chemo cost - !   Someone, or Companies are really cleaning up.

 

Vicki Sam

 

 

This is a good thing that the cost of this will be reduced dramatically.

Sue

TraciInLA said:

Something good came out of Angelina Jolie's speaking out

It's my opinion that this Supreme Court decision was affected for the good by Angelina Jolie's recent publicizing of BRCA and BRCA testing -- in her op-ed piece, she specifically talked about how cost prohibitive the test is for many women.

So, while I would never wish the difficult decisions she has had to make on anyone...I hope she's proud that something good has come out of her willingness to speak out.  While the Supreme Court made the decision, I think she can take a little of the credit for it.

Traci

I also had no idea about this until the news.  It is a very good thing and more bc patients should be able to have the test done, should they want to.

Diane

VickiSam said:

Mind boggling is right ....

BRCA testing, as well as all the chemo cost - !   Someone, or Companies are really cleaning up.

 

Vicki Sam

 

 

I agree on the chemos.  Most cost are outrageous!

Doris

coco2008 said:

When the doctor asked me to

When the doctor asked me to get the BRCA testing, the nurse said the test is about $3,000.  If it comes back positive, my siblings and daughters can take the test for $400.  I know that after I am tested they will have a better idea what they are looking for, but that is a major difference.  It is a bit mind boggling.

Sandy

Some insurance companies will pay for the test Sandy.  One should always check first to see if they will. 

Jan

jessiesmom1 said:

How the U.S. Supreme Court Works

Hi Traci. I agree with you that Angelina Jolie's op-ed piece was definitely a positive move re: publicizing BRCA testing but I seriously doubt she affected the Supreme Court decision. Since I am a lawyer I thought you might find some of the following information useful.

The case involving Myriad Genetics was argued on April 15, 2013. Once the case is argued the Chief Justice assigns the writing of the majority opinion to an Associate Justice. That is when the Justice and the law clerks get to work on the writing of the opinion. When the decision is written it is circulated amongst the justices and they can decide if they want to write a concurring or dissenting opinion. This was a 9-0 vote. Angelina's op-ed piece was released on May 14, 2013. The Court decision was decided on June 13, 2013. There really is no way that they waited a month to start writing such an important and high profile decision. This was a very quick decision. Not all of them are like that. Sometimes it is many months between oral argument and the release of the decision. If this were a case spread out over months then I might agree that the opinion could have been affected by Angelina's announcement.

IRENE

That's interesting Irene.  Thanks Angie2u for this info.

Pink Rose said:

Also, some cancer centers

Also, some cancer centers will provide the BRCA test for free.  It's probably hidden somewhere else in your charges, but, they say it is free. 

 

I had this offered, but, never took it as I had heard it was expensive.  This actually will make it so that most can afford it now if they want to be tested.

peanutcat said:

BRACA TEST

                                              I Agree.

            IT is crazy what they charge. It's our life here.

peanutcat

 

Not just our lives, but sisters, daughters, and grand daughters.  Our families are our most important assets.  It's not right to put them at risk because of money.

Kobias said:

That's interesting Irene. 

That's interesting Irene.  Thanks Angie2u for this info.

 

Wow, thank you Irene. 

the amount of money we pay for everything related to cancer. it is sick and selfish all-around because so many people die from this illness yet the govt. doesn't make it easier on people to do preventive care. If i was an insurance company, considering all the high numbers of cancer cases (and the ones coming up), i would allow people to take this test for the simple fact that i want them to PREVENT getting sick so that I - the insurance company - doesn't have to pay over 100K in treatments. Right? But what gets to me is the fact that the powerful people (e.g. govt.) are not there to help but to take advantage and make more money out of sick people like ourselves. Treat us like guinea pigs in a lab.

Simple sucks.

You know what else should be covered? Harvesting eggs for young women who cannot have children because of cancer treatments. I had to pay 7K out of pocket to save my eggs to have a child one day.

Hmmm: did they get the percentage correctly? I thought more women will be dx with bc at least once in their lifetime, not just 12%?

Women with mutations in the genes BRCA1 or BRCA2 are five times more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute. That means that 60 percent of women with a BRCA mutation will develop breast cancer in their lifetime, compared to 12 percent of women in the general population.