Medication change

[tyefly]

I received a email from my insurance company on Saturday over the Thanksgiving weekend......   strange to get a email on a holiday weekend.....  Email told me that my insurance company was changing one of my medications to another because of cost.....  This was from a Doctor I had never seen....  I thought this was strange because I would think that my doctor would be involved..... So I did some research on the new medication and found out that there are lots of law suits associated with this medication.....  I am not interested in taking meds that have lots of law suits... and cant believe that my insurance company would want me to take this stuff.... so I called my insurance company and talk with them and told them I was not interested in changing my medication just because it was cheaper and my concern about the law suits involved with this medication.... they told me that I could appeal the decision but that I would probably be denied....  I told them fine , I still want to appeal..... two minutes later they called me back and told me since I was on Medicare with part D  I would not have to appeal their decision and I wouldn't have to take this new medication if I didn't want to..... I ask , just to be sure,   " you mean since I am on Medicare with part D " I get a choice of medications...she told me yes.... I ask her if I wasn't on Medicare then I wouldn't have a choice....she said yes  you would not have a choice, I would have to take the medication that they want me to take or buy it my self......  boy.....  cant believe that my insurance company would send out a letter over a holiday weekend tell people that they have to change their medication without their doctors approval  and take a medication that you may not want......  I feel bad for so many people who do not stand up to these types of problems.... many probably didn't even read the emails over the holiday weekend......    well thank goodness for Medicare .... for now I still have a choice....

[MooseMom]

Whaaaaaaaaaaat?  You mean you resent the fact that a profit-making corporation like an insurance company can make healthcare decisions on your behalf without the imput from your doctor?  You mean you don't like it when a company's bottom line comes between you and your physician?  AND you actually PREFER the being on a government run program like Medicare that actually ALLOWS you to have CHOICE in your healthcare decisions?

Color me flabbergasted.

 

[tyefly]

MM....... Yes    and     Yes      and   more   Yes....... wish I could write better....but thats what I am saying.......   its not right and I am sticking to it........ 

[YLGuy]

Very interesting.  Thank you for posting this.

[Ricksters]

All I can say is Wow...I didn't know that we even had that option on Medicare Part D..I am gonna file it in my need to know area!


Ricki

[Chris]

Did you mentioned you never seen or heard of this doctor that changed it also?
 
I wish it was that easy at my local hospital, they will only give me generic anti rejection meds when my tx center say to never take them (been on original drugs to long to change), so I have to bring mine in from home.

[jeannea]

I've had this kind of letter about 10 times before. Usually it's just No you can't have that med even though your doctor called and really said you need it. That was even on Medicare Part D for 2 of the letters.

[sullidog]

I always get letters about how if it do it this way or that it would be cheaper, like for example, my renvela 30 day supply insurance plan ran out, so they told me I could get a 90 day supply for cheaper, the 90 day is 150.00 with my insurance, and you call that cheap? lol

[jeannea]

I call that cheap. I was paying $125 for one month.

[KarenInWA]

I pay $50 a month for my Myfortic (anti-rejection) and that will be going up to $55 a month in January. If I do the 90-day mail order thing, it will cost me $137.50. The one thing I worry about with that, though, is what does temperature do to meds? My mail box is exposed to the weather temperatures. I have an indoor mailbox at one of those mailbox places, but they've refused to deliver to there.

KarenInWA

[Chris]

I pay $50 a month for my Myfortic (anti-rejection) and that will be going up to $55 a month in January. If I do the 90-day mail order thing, it will cost me $137.50. The one thing I worry about with that, though, is what does temperature do to meds? My mail box is exposed to the weather temperatures. I have an indoor mailbox at one of those mailbox places, but they've refused to deliver to there.

KarenInWA

Do you know how they package it up for shipping and will you be ordering other meds at the same time? When I get ones shipped, they are insulated with foam and buvvle wrap in a box, but other meds are shipped in a plastic type envelope. If  worried, can you have it shipped to ypur work place or someone you know who will be home?

[jeannea]

I get mine delivered and left on my porch. I've had no problems with heat or cold as long as I get them inside the same day. The pharmaceutical companies actually test them after storing them with extra heat and humidity and make sure they're still ok. I worked in pharmaceuticals. Cold weather is much less likely to cause problems than hot weather except for some liquids.

[sullidog]

My renvela is in bubble rap and the rest come in those plastic thingies

[tiredandthirsty]

wow!!  i have no words.  thanks for sharing this.