$$$ HELP. Just need to know what these new drugs cost.

[louie48]

Just saw Ivotedfornixon's post and just realized how little I know about Ibrutinib and all the other pills out there. I did BR 10/16 to 2/17. According to NCCN guidelines I am in remission. My oncologist told me if I relapse she would treat me with a pill next time. Sounded like no big deal. When I saw the $$$ in that post I went What the,,,,! I have Medicare and a supplemental policy. What can I expect to pay out of pocket if I relapse? HELP!

[Panz]

First don’t borrow problems until you actually have them.

Secondly, here in the US there is a lot of help with the costs in many different ways and you simply need to ask for help as it is out there.

For example...myself and a brother have Medicare and supplemental insurance and we both receive grants or aid so we have no out of pocket costs. Also, a niece who is a stay at home Mom Addison her husbands health insurance pays $10.00 a month.

Some drug companies also assist and also there are some excellent Clinical Trials. This cost thing is a very fluid thing and will most certainly remain so. I wouldn’t worry about it until you are needing treatment again.

I am doing great and have been dealing with CLL for almost31 years.

Panz 🙏💕☘️😍

[louie48 in reply to Panz]

Thanks Panz

[Hidden]

just make sure you have medicare PART D plan-whether singly or medicare advantage with part D. part d has NO CAP on co-pays. the copay for one will be about 10,000 dollars and 2 will be about 19,000. You are talking about drugs that are about 150,000 thousand dollars each.

then you can look for help with co-pays . that depends on your income. 2 different things

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

I saw someone post on myleukemiateam.com that medicare pays for all the Acalabrutinib and Ventoclax for him.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

medicare does have extra help for poor people and there are copay assistance programs you have to quailify=

kff.org/medicare/issue-brie...

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

healthaffairs.org/do/10.137...

[bachplayer13 in reply to Hidden]

i'm on a very low dose 8800 (120 mg) per day

[louie48 in reply to Hidden]

Ivotedfornixon, $150K is not making me feel better! Thanks

[Hidden in reply to louie48]

paying 11,000 is better than 150,000 dollars. and assistance is available depending on income.

[bachplayer13]

lls.org/support/financial-s... there are places to get assistance with travel and copays. ibrutanib is very pricy, just spent $8800 for 30 day supply. check out lls.org they have several programs to assist w/ costs there are other places too. god bless you may not need it i hope.,

[bachplayer13]

the manufacterer also has an assistance program jenssen....go to their website and ask your doc for details

[louie48 in reply to bachplayer13]

Thanks beachplayer13. Blessings to you.

[Jaming]

Hi Louie48. I’ve been on Imbruvica for about 1 year now. I also was shocked at the price for 1 month supply. My oncologist told me not to worry, it would be taken care of. I never questioned him after that!! Ask your oncologist to look into for you. I don’t even have a co- pay !! I am truly blessed. Good luck louie48

[louie48 in reply to Jaming]

Thanks mucho.

[tryandtry]

hi louie48

Lots of good advice here, but I'm not sure they answered your BASIC question. Sorry if I'm wrong, but here's another explanation:

Medicare will pay 100% of the cost IF it's an IV drug (which I believe BR is), so they probably paid for yours. PILLS, however, are a different story - Medicare covers them only under Part D. Most of the new pills cost around $150,000+/yr at full price. If you have Medicare plan D (Rx insurance), it will quickly get you to the "catastrophic" category, where you only pay about 5%.

The cost to get there is roughly $5000, and then your 5% of the remainder will add about another $5000, so your total annual cost will be roughly $10,000 per year.

As many others explained, however, there are LOTS of grants and subsidies available to help absorb that cost. Almost all are income-sensitive, but a general guideline is under 400% of the Federal poverty level for your size family.

Good luck!

Gary

[louie48 in reply to tryandtry]

Thanks tryandtry. That's better than $150K but still pricey.

[t2aa]

I am shocked every month when I get an itemized report from my insurance company. They spend an average of $22,000 a month on me for Venetoclax and Rituximab treatment!

I only pay my out of pocket maximum, $2500 per year!

Each month I pray that congress or the Supreme Court doesn’t mess with preexisting conditions. In fact, that possibility was one of the factors I considered when starting treatment last summer. I am hoping I’ll be done with treatment when that case is decided.

We make over the amounts for grants but not enough to pay these crazy prices, so without insurance we would go bankrupt.

My advice is get the best insurance you can before treatment starts. If you are on Medicare, follow the advice by others on this forum.

Plan ahead so you won’t have to worry about costs and can concentrate on feeling better. Best wishes to you.

[louie48 in reply to t2aa]

Thanks t2aa, That's what I'm doing now. Hope its 4/5/10 years.

[Jaming]

Hi louie48. Mine cost $150,000.00 per month!! Thank God for my oncologist. He worked every thing out. Don’t cost me any out of pocket money.

[Yuck]

Perhaps, you meant to write $15,000 a month.

[Jaming in reply to Yuck]

Correction Thanks Yuck !!! You are correct. I had one too many zeros!! I did mean $15,000 per month. Sorry guys.❤️