Paying for Dialysis

[babycake]

how many are u
paying out of your pocket
for your binders
there is a couple at my center
her husband is on dialyis
he has insurance but it wont
cover for his binders
and they told her it would be
approx $1,000 a month
which is crazy

so i have been giving them
my extra binders
to help them out

[Tío Riñon]

While it is very considerate of you to share your extra binders, that couple should have their own prescription as appropriate for the condition.  Have them check out this discount program for Renvela (https://www.renassist.com/Patient-Assistance-Programs/RenValue).  They should also discuss the situation with their social worker and dietitian.  There are resources available for patients who aren't able to afford medications.

[iolaire]

Tío Riñon's advice is good.

Also keep in mind there are various binder options.  If the social worker knows they that they are not approved for a certain binder that person might be able to work with the dietician to come up with a binder that would be approved.  I've read on this forum that some people have been told to use tums as a binder (I don't know how that works with the calcium!), so there can be multiple options based on the person. 

In medicine a lot of times they try to prescribe the newest thing, where the net improvement over the old (cheaper) option might be fairly minor - or it might be a change to make it easier to take such as chewable , so the dietician might have older options that will do the same thing.

[kickingandscreaming]

When I was pre-dialysis I took one Tum/day.  But now, I can't take Tums because my calcium is borderline.