Cost of Eliquis (Apixaban) in the U.S.

[Corazon17]

I live in the U.S. and I have decided -- the decision can be debated elsewhere -- to take Eliquis, which is available outside the U.S. as a generic called apixaban.

My Eliquis costs $314 for 30 pills.

I could do a bit better pricewise at another pharmacy 50 miles away, with long, long lines. I pay more for the convenience of a pharmacy two minutes from home, where there is almost never a line. (It's a Federally Qualified Health Center for a rural area.)

I have Medicare, but I do not have Part D insurance for drugs.

Lucky me. I had Part D for many years, but, bizarrely, I would have paid *more* for every prescription I had (such as a statin) than if I used discount cards that are easily available. These cards provide deep, almost shocking discounts.

So I dropped Part D just before I was diagnosed with afib. But the discount cards provide tiny reductions in price for Eliquis.

My questions are:

1. How much do U.S. people here pay for Eliquis through their Part D insurance?

2. Who are your carriers that have these prices?

Thank you for your help!

[mav7]

If you are not aware, Medicare plans can be changed from Oct 15 to Dec 7.

May want to reenter plan D and check supplemental insurance if needed. Would also research possible lower cost from different pharmacies even if being mail delivered is necessary.

Lot of info on the 'net about changing plans, insurance, etc. Sorry we can't post links.

[Corazon17 in reply to mav7]

Yes, I am aware of that, and I do plan to re-enroll in Part D.

I have done much checking on competing purveyors of Eliquis, but did not find a savings that justified hours of driving and waiting in line.

I looked into ordering from Canada, but that involved more deception than I cared to take.

My only solace is that I am subsidizing the expenses of the company developing other drugs that may or may not help people. Eliquis will not be generic in the U.S. until 2028!

[mjames1]

$55 a month (60 tablets). Conventional Medicare (A&B) with United Healthcare for Part D. You are paying $628 a month without Part D. It probably makes sense to get it.

PS you can still use discount cards instead of the part D rate, if the discount cards price is less. Just tell not to run that drug through the insurance and you will pay cash.

Jim

[Corazon17 in reply to mjames1]

Thank you.

Yes, I do plan to re-enroll in Part D. I had it for about 10 years, and the first time I tried to use it, a couple of years ago, the plan charged me far more for rosuvastatin than I had to pay without insurance. The premiums got up to $40 a month. The company was SilverScript.

What does UHC charge you for your monthly Part D premiums?

As I said in my post, those discount cards *do* provide a tiny bit of price reduction for Eliquis, but nothing like what they do for other meds. They can be deployed at giant pharmacies 50 miles away, and by mail, but the cost savings for me is not worth the convenience of my local pharmacy, and the satisfaction I get from supporting its struggles in this rural area.

I wonder how premiums will increase -- or *if* they will increase -- with the new $2,000 cap on drug outlays that "seniors" with Part D will get starting in 2025. Who pays that amount in excess of $2,000? The drug companies or the taxpayers or a combination?

My penalty for re-enrolling in Part D should be minimal, since I have only one year without creditable alternative coverage out of the 12 years that I have been eligible for Part D.

I believe Zip codes matter, too, but I didn't want to get into that.

Thanks again for your help.

[etheral]

I have Medicare PartD and ppay $553 for 3 months Eliquis 5mg.

[Corazon17 in reply to etheral]

Thank you.

What is the monthly premium? Which carrier to you use?

[Corazon17 in reply to etheral]

You say 3 months, How many pills is that?

[etheral in reply to Corazon17]

180 pills The carrier is Aetna. A total of about $ 500 is deductible from my monthly SS check for Medicare Parts A, B and D.

[djmnet]

I pay $47 a month co-pay through United Healthcare/AARP Medicare plan D for 60 pills. But keep in mind that's all going to change in the coming year and the actual cost (and co-pay) will be cut by more than half (thanks to President Biden).

[Corazon17 in reply to djmnet]

I don't have that understanding. I do understand that overall prices over a year will be capped at $2,000, but as far as reducing individual prices and co-pays, I'm not sure.

I understand that starting in 2026, Medicare will be able to negotiate prices on Elqiuis -- but that's 2026.

[WildIris]

I hesitated a long time, then bought 3 bottles of Elquius, because of a price break if I bought 3. Unluckily, the drug gave me such an intense itchy rash that I couldn't take it. Meanwhile I found out I also had kidney disease, so I gave up sugar, went on a strict kidney diet, lost weight, and quit having aFib episodes. That was

Since we're in the middle of a shocking election fight, where half of the country is working from a completely different set of information than the other half, I would like to express gratitude to the Biden/Harris administration for actually working for the good of the people instead of big pharma.

[Corazon17 in reply to WildIris]

Yup, I agree!

Congrats on your afib conquest. I hope it sticks.

[BaileyC57]

I pay for Eliquis, I get 180 pills for 90 dollars every three months.

[Corazon17 in reply to BaileyC57]

Are you in the U.S.?

[BaileyC57 in reply to BaileyC57]

YES IN THE US!

[Jane921]

I too am in the US. I do have Medicare Part D and take Eliquis. My cost is generally around $440 for a 90 day supply, 5mg tablets twice daily

I use CVS pharmacy locally in California.

I have a Medicare Advantage PPO through United Healthcare.

[Desertflowerchild in reply to Jane921]

I have a 90 day supply to pick up where I am being charged about $440. But this took me by surprise because my part D insurance says my cost should be less than $800 annually and this is quite a difference.

[BaileyC57 in reply to Jane921]

I have BLUE CARE ADVANTAGE through GM! But GM got all their employee retirees on OPTUM RX, this is why my meds are less expensive! We just got this plan about a year ago! We are very lucky to have it!

[Mollydex]

gosh. We forget how lucky we are in the uk. I hope you get sorted soon.

[wilsond]

Wow how complicated ,and expensive ,is US health insurance? Sorry you have all this added pressure and hope you find the best way forward

[kurtgv]

I also live in the U.S. and I am on Medicare, along with supplemental insurance. For years, I paid over $1100 annually in co-pays for Eliquis at my local pharmacy. Now I buy Apixaban from a Canadian online pharmacy which costs me $532 per year. It is CanDrugstore and the url is: candrugstore.com/

You will need to get a hard copy prescription from your doctor and send that to them once a year. Ordering refills is easy and reliable…

[RVine3]

I pay $60.00 for a 90 day supply (180 5 mg. tablets ) through Medicare Part D through UHC