Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Finally

After 3 months, countless phone calls and cursing the very idea of 3rd party insurance, it finally happened.



Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price = $1,410.40 per month.

Thankfully because of Joe's SFU health insurance I only had to pay $282.06, but that should have been less if the private company that administers the BC Fair Pharmacare program would stop believing that I live in Chiliwack. They can't seem to get it out of their computers that I have never been to Chiliwack, let alone would have enrolled in Fair Pharmacare from there. If I can get all of this sorted before my next prescription refill I will not have to pay another cent for any prescription until next year.

Tomorrow I call the Shared Solutions nurse to ask her to send someone over and teach me how to give myself subcutaneous injections. Joe's going to learn with me so we'll be watching the DVD that they sent me with my MS backpack. I'm sure it is riveting.

Should I take notes?

This has been a bureaucratic fucking nightmare for 3 months, mostly because no one who's used to only dealing with the government has ANY idea how to deal with a private company. The administration of Fair Pharmacare is done by a private US company and it shows. The special therapies Pharmacare program is administered by the Ministry of Health and that shows too.

But by this time next week, I should be a full time Copaxone user.

edit to mention: I got 490 Airmiles for this prescription. It costs just over 3000 for a single return ticket to Ottawa.

3 comments:

  1. Subcu injections!!! I can do that. Oh it was so much fun!! The happy days! Such memories!!! You'll simply LOVE it my dear. LOVE! IT! ;)

    (And then you'll cut a bitch)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Congratulation Lori, it's about bloody time! Where do you get your perscriptions filled to get airmiles? I just get Shoppers Optium Points and then shop...but I do have an itch to travel somewhere soon :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Anonymous,

    I don't know where you are, but in western Canada you get 7 Airmiles for every $20 in the full value of the prescription (what the drug costs, regardless of insurance coverage) at Safeway.

    SDM Optimum points are only on the part you play and if you have Pharmacare and 3rd payer you stop getting Optimum points a couple of months into the year.

    I was convinced to switch my prescriptions to Safeway after finding out a friend of mine gets a trip a year from her expensive prescriptions.

    ReplyDelete