Had a CT scan and found out that I have a blood clot in my lungs and cancer in my right kidney. All was great on the last scan. Now this!!
Dr ordered Eliquis , which Medicare will not cover and because I do have Medicare I don’t quaify for any assistance. Walgreens wants $850 to pick it up. That’s almost my whole SS and we can’t live without out it. That’s our food budget for the month.
Best to all of you, I feel my fight is over. I’m very very depressed.
Sharon
Hi, Sharon,
I’m on Eliquis and cost is about $150/month for 60 pills. Can’t imagine why yours is that high!! I would call your insurance provider immediately and explain your situation. It seems to me they have provisions to plead for accommodations. Also can your oncologist prescribe a different blood thinner that is covered at no cost?
Is there any chance you can flip to Medicaid?
God bless you, Sharon, and many prayers for a quick resolution. 🙏🏻🙏🏻💗💗
Linda
thank you and I have exhausted all resources, dr also applied for optimumpx and I was denied.
it’s not like I make a fortune, my husband and I live on our ss only as we spent our entire retirement on my son’s divorce, custody of his son and a down payment in his house. Then went back to work to pay off his house. We did it for our grandson and our son is trying to pay off his student loans. Mommy was very abusive. Thanks
what about warfarin/coumadin which is a very commonly used blood thinner?
I go to the dr Monday I will ask.
I was on warfarin for a year and it worked really well , the only disadvantage to it was having to have the INR a blood tested frequently . Does you health care cover blood work ?
yes it does! That’s a good sign! Thanks
good luck Sharon . Can you get prescription medications shipped from other countries? ( I have no idea about this ) but I know warfarin is really cheap in Canada.
I’m in Oklahoma and I too would not have any idea how to do that! But thanks so much!
I suggest reaching out to Eliquis manufacturer. Most companies have patient assistance programs for these horribly expensive drugs. I have received assistance for both Ibrance and Verzenio. It would be worth a few phone calls. Good luck.
thank you! Hugs
The price of drugs is outrageous. As if we need any added stress! I hope you get assistance somehow.
Hi. You may also want to check GoodRx for the lowest prices near you.
Please check the patient assistant program with the manufacturer. I get my Afinitor directly from the manufacturer. My cancer center has a person who helps with the paperwork. I hope your center does as well.
Sending you best wishes.
I did that and it was $279 at Walmart.
Wayfarin is much cheaper than Eliquis and does the same thing.
Medicare drug plans generally list generic Warfarin as Tier 1 (thus cheapest) on their drug list formulary. You MUST tell your doctor about your insurance and what it does and does not cover and what you can or cannot afford. Doctors have NO IDEA how wildly prescription costs can vary (and how expensive they can be) unless we tell them. You will want to develop a speech for all of your prescribing doctors and tell them that you absolutely MUST be prescribed generic meds that are on Tier 1 of your plan's formulary list.
I’m going to let him know Monday when I see him. He did send something to Optumrx and they refused my request and I never talked to them. This rejection notice just showed up in my email.
Sharon0122,
I received assistance for Ibrance and Verzenio. Ask your oncologist about any grants the hospital may have to assist patients.
Best,
Colleen
I do get my Ibrance for free, so why not this?
Sharon,
Please first call this number:
For more information about how insurance covers ELIQUIS and co-pay assistance for eligible, commercially-insured patients, visit ELIQUIS patient support or call 855-354-7847.
After you get advice, you can always try this but I would ring them first:
How to Get Eliquis Prescription AssistanceThe first step is to apply online or call Simplefill at 1(877)386-0206. Within 24 hours, one of our advocates will call you and conduct a brief telephone interview. During the interview, we’ll ask some questions that will help us match you up with suitable assistance programs offering Eliquis at a reduced price or even for free.
Thanks so much, I’m getting so depressed. I have been getting a lot of my drugs and they are so much cheaper from Mark Cuban’s costplusdrugs.com one drug was 58 a month with my insurance for a month and Mark Cuban is 12 a month for 3 months. Same generic pill from Walgreens.
Thanks again I will try this . Eliquis is not on Mark’ s website.
I did go to their website and seems because I have Medicare I don’t qualify for them?
Before you decide on Eliquis you also might want to check with your local hospital to make sure they carry the antidote in case of bleeding emergency. Where I live a patient died when they couldn’t do emergency surgery after an accident due to the lack of local availability to the antidote. Apparently it is super expensive and has a short shelf life so many smaller communities do not stock it. Knowledge is power. Best wishes.
Thabks that’s good to know. As I do live in a small town. But the medical team, hospital and cancer center is very good. I will put this on my list for my Dr appointment on Monday
Just got a text from my cousin. She is in the hospital with multiple blood clots. She is getting heparin drip, covered by Medicare. Just another idea to run past your doc. This shouldn't wait, though. Medicare Rx sucks sometimes.
Tammy, I have multiple clots too. I think they were from a black and blue spot on the back of my leg after flying. Both my gp and oncologist said it was not a big deal. I think now those clots have moved to my lungs. Thanks for your help!
I too am on this drug, I guess forever, as I had a killer clot back in 2018, lucky to be alive! According to my Cardiologist and Oncologist Eliquis is the best drug for preventing clots in Cancer patients. Yes, it is the most expensive drug I am on, I get it from Optum Rx for about $100/month. Also, according to my research it does not have a long half-life, I only had to hold it 2 days before having surgery in '21. I am on Medicare/UHC. I think you will qualify for assistance on this, if there is a financial assistance program at your Medical Ctr or SW, there are foundations out there that will pay for certain drugs. I encourage you to tell your Dr about this need and do not settle for Coumadin until all sources have been exhausted, as it is an inferior anticoagulant d/t fluctuations in levels.
optumrx declined me as I’m not sure why? Our only income is our SS? And I have no idea who sent this in? I do get my Ibrance for free. Go figure?
Do you have prescription insurance? I am on Medicare, Medex and Humana prescription insurance. I just started Eliquis in November and pay $129. for 60 pills at CVS. I was in the hospital in November for blood clots in both lungs and my right leg. I am told I am lucky to be alive. I had a partial hip replacement in October (from a fall) and was only given aspirin to help prevent clots. Didn't work obviously. The recovery from the clots will be long. I will be on Eliquis for the rest of my life. Good luck to all of us in this journey of ours.
I do have insurance, part d from United health and they refuse to pay for it. It’s 829 a month. That’s our whole grocery budget!
I am really stunned by OptumRx turning you down! It is just a prescription drug service, not an insurance policy. I have it. (I couldn't get Arimidex through it, though. They were going to charge $1,500/mo or something.) I also have Medicare D through AARP/United Health Care. It depends on which plan you have. I have the Walgreens one. It is not the most expensive, but not the least, either, and might be too costly for you. Each one, each plan level, has a different formulary, different drugs they cover (tier 1, 2, 3). Probably Eliquis is not covered well, because there are less expensive (and less effective) anti-coagulants available. It gets bad with all prescription plans when one needs the more expensive alternative, brand name without a generic option.
Tammy that’s the same plan I’m on. Otimunpx left a message on my phone saying I would get a letter in three days explaining my rejection. Maybe because I get Ibrance for free?
I got Ibrance free when I was using OptumRx for everything else, and I still use OptumRx while getting Verzenio free. I doubt that is the explanation. What will the letter say? Hoping it is a technicality that can be appealed.
OptumRx has been terrific for me. They notify me when I need a refill, reach out to my doctors when I need a new script, and expedite mailing if I am short of something I need. I hope you can get it. The portal is really useful for checking the status of orders and refills, and the customer service is excellent, but you have to get around United Healthcare customer service, which is not terrific, to get to Optum Rx.
thanks Tammy I’ll keep you informed when I get the letter.
Re the availability of the antidote for Eliquis, here is a link to the article.
Oh Sharon I'm so sorry! Maybe the drug company can help! We never know from scan to scan. It sucks!
I’ve never had such a bad scan. I am suppose to go to a wedding in May in England and now I may have to cancel that’s the worse part!
Give yourself time to get a drug that will work for you and maybe covered!
Skeert! And Scanxiety!!!
What Medicare Supplement Plan & Rx Plan Covers the Most Costs for MBC Patients?
Everolimus and blood clots
