Hi ladies so my cancer progressed in late Dec 2018, and my oncologist put me on ibrance and letrozole starting Jan 4. Here is my dilemma, i asked my oncologist how much ibrance was going to cost me and she said nothing or very little. So my January dose since it was ordered in Dec and i had met my deductible so it was free, but last Friday Alliance Rx (a specialty pharmacy) called and wanted me to order my ibrance and i owe $2893.17.
I went and signed up for the ibrance co-pay card but my insurance has a deductible and no co-pay so needless to say im worried because I don’t have that kind of money to pay, does anyone know do they take payments? Alliance rx said payment due now so i am totally freaking out. Any tips? Ideas?
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Livinthedream
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O. My. Gosh! Your oncology team has not done you any favors! They should have counseled you and even inquired about your financial situation, payments options, insurance coverage, etc., etc. I am so sorry -- I can understand why you must be frantic.
I cannot tell what country you are in, but you should be able to contact TOMORROW a nurse navigator, liaison, or the pharmacist at the facility you are using to help understand your options. Sometimes there is financial help available through the company that makes the brand of Ibrance you'll be on. (I've had 3 difference manufacturers, so you'll need to see who you will be using.) If it wasn't for previous chemos, the cost of this drug alone would have curled my hair! If you (or your family) has access to any military benefits, be sure to check there, too.
I'm so sorry for your stress. May the Lord be with you and help you find understanding people to deal with as you work through this challenge. kc, Virginia, USA
No i was not counseled about anything, i havent even heard from my oncos nurse who was supposed to keep in touch this month, so literally feel like i have fallen through the cracks throughout this horrible irdeal
Where do you live?. You shouldn't be paying these outrageous amounts! There is help out there and your docs and his/ her office isn't helping you! It's stressful enough to have this diagnosis, and you shouldn't have to stress out about your treatment costs! Good luck. Just look into EVERY avenue! Kathy from Syracuse, NY
I am sorry, I am in the same boat as you are! I have Medicare and last month I paid the amounts you paid! I tried every avenu to get help but no luck since I am not very poor. I have to pay and nobody helped me! In this country you need to be either very poor or very rich, people in the middle have to pay! I am paying by my 401k money! The only thing my Farmacy told me was, I am entitel to have one time free IBRANCE ! I used it. My pharmacy is AON pharmacy. Please check that every little bit helps.
P.S
My doctor didn’t tell me also that it is going to cost this much!
However every bodies situations is deferent. Please don’t get discourage and don’t quit
This is so scary and upsetting. I have no 401k so my only only options would be to try to sell my car or any other crap i can do without
Hi Livinthedream -
It sounds like you are on private insurance, not medicare; is this correct?
If so, I think that the coupon should work with the "deductible"...I've never actually thought about the difference between the "deductible" and "copay" when using the coupon each January; it has always simply made my expense = $0. And the nice thing is that by making sure that Ibrance is my first medical expense each year, I end up with zero dollars of medical expenses for the year because I "meet" my out of pocket max (like $6,250) and then whip out the coupon, so in effect Pfizer meets my out of pocket for me....
I am nearly certain this will be okay, assuming you are on private insurance. If you're on medicare, it's a whole different matter, I'm afraid...
I am on private insurance, so your on private insurance and have a medical deductible through your private insurance and the copay card works towards your deductible? Sorry, literally have been freaking out and crying my eyes out about this and so many other horror stories that have gone on since starting the ibrance.
...yes, in my experience this is how it works. I print out the coupon from Pfizer's website. I used to fill the prescription at the hospital pharmacy and they would just handle it. Now I do the prescription by mail from the insurance company's specialty pharmacy. I phoned them a couple of weeks ago to fill the prescription (I did NOT fill it online...wanted to speak to a human to make sure I had no copay/deductible) ....I just gave them the info off the coupon. They are very familiar with this...
I really do think that this should work for you, based on what you've written...I would get some rest and then phone them in the morning with the printed coupon in hand...
Please do let us know if this works out okay; I'll keep my fingers crossed!
Lynn i called Alliance Rx my specialty pharmacy and gave them the info from my copay card and I didn’t have to pay anything for my ibrance and my annual deductible is now met! I am so relieved you have no idea! Thank you so much for your help! This has taken a ton of weight off my shoulders and my mind. All the best to you and thank you again.
Hi there. I was just reading these emails. I feel your pain. I went thru the same fright with the ibrance bills as I was not informed immediately about assistance with co pays etc... ergh... I am glad you got it worked out. This site has wonderful women on it who really provide support and ideas.
I live on SS and 2 very small pensions and can't pay for the Ibrance. My specialty pharmacy has found me three private grants which have enabled me to stay on Ibrance for 10 months. I have Part D, and the grants are paying what is not covered. Have you talked to your pharmacy (I'm assuming your in the US - I don't know how it would work in another country)? Try talking to them to see if they can find assistance for you. I have done nothing; they've taken care of everything.
I was thinking about you today and trying to find some help for you, here is a website that is recommended that can give you a prescription discount card please check into this!
Pfizer has a copay assistance program. It is ONLY available to patients with private insurance. If Medicare is your primary you cannot get copay assistance through Pfizer.
I am in the same situation as you and have researched this extensively. Unless you are very poor you qualify for NO financial assistance. My husband still works so we have his private health insurance through his employer. When he retires, if we can afford for him to retire, we will loose that insurance and we will have to pay close to $11/year out of pocket for the Ibrance alone. There will be other expenses Medicare does not cover also, like my monthly vitamin B12 injections which I understand cost close to $300/month. Really don't know what we will do. We may loose our home.
There are some private charities out there that offer one time assistance if you qualify. Usually you must be close to poverty level to even be considered.
This is so disheartening and Yes my husband and I are in the exact same spot as you and your husband.
The DFP (disease free progression) on ibrance is approximately 24 months. After the cancer out smarts the ibrance and letrozole and i get new mets again who knows what drug will be next, just hope it doesn’t cost 11,000.00 a month 😥
Did you apply for assistance directly to Pfizer! I made an application to them and based on my income I received my meds free of charge. I am a widow and on a fixed income so ultimately that has helped get me approved. No one can afford those prices and you should be talking to your doctors office and their financial people to help you. Good luck. Call Pfizer and apply for their assistance program! Kathy
Hi, I am 72, not quite your age and have been on Ibrance for 10 months. My doctors were mostly worried about diarrhea being the biggest side effect that they see but I’m not having a problem with that since I am still on opioid pain relievers which make you constipated...lol, they balance each other out. Exhaustion is the other side effect and we all have it to some degree or another. I didn’t use to take naps and now I take several each week and pace myself with some of my activities. But the side effects are well worth it. My last scan showed no evidence of disease..NED..so I’ll keep taking it as long as it keeps working! Good luck.
Last year I had co_pays & got assistance from Pfizer for my Ibrance. This year I chose a different plan with just a deductible & no co-pay. I worried what worked last year would not work this year because of the terminology difference. My Pfizer assistance was renewed and all went through with no cost to me.
Check at your oncology office for Pfizer assistance. My specialty pharmacy was very helpful in getting everything taken care of. Perhaps call Pfizer and ask about assistance. Hopefully they can help retroactively.
I have private insurance and medicare (hospitalization)
I am in Canada and the monthly cost last year was just over $7000 but has dropped a thousand this year. I am lucky that we have two private insurances, one from my husbands military service and one from his new job. Without both of them I wouldn’t be able to afford the Ibrance.
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