Well, as far as my meds go, the cost is more than it should be, which is mostly my fault due to procrastinating on getting Medicare Part D, so I pay for my meds out of pocket. I try to get samples from my doctor as well as using any prescription assistance programs out there.

I am on a limited income, but do have Medicare. However, the 20% does add up!

jc, it's just the cold, hard truth. you are lucky. now that i'm alone, i really live month to month. my 401k is drained. disposable income is a nonentity in my budget. to add insult to injury the dumb apt manager loses my pet fee check every month. this month they deposited it at the end of month and i was $2 short, so that cost me $34 from my bank.
my GP co-pay went down, but specialist fee went up. some of my meds aren't covered. good thing i've always been pretty frugal.

It troubles me too.

I don't worry about the kids inheritance. I worry about how I'm gonna live at all as I age.
I worry what if I need skilled care. What if staff is convinced. We just want to get high?

Why is my condition less acceptable, less treatable than heart disease
Less acceptable than lung cancer for a lifetime smoker
At least once an hour there is. An advert for stop smoking, they go to the grocery store without any doc visits. There disgusting addiction actually causes deadly illness in others.
Yet, CP'ers jump thru hoops, are openly attacked and we pay for others crimes with laws passed specifically targeted toward us proving we are not guilty.
We have to prove
-that we have pain
-the pain is real
-pain is not in our heads
-we are not guilty of crimes associated with addiction
-

Skin cancer from tanning

Wow, I type really slow.
Or this is a hot issue

jc this is a good subject. Over the years we have been blessed with retiree private health care but in the last two years it has changed. Each office visit is $20 for me. I have 7 scripts filled monthly only 3 of them are less than $20.

We are on a fixed income. Out of pocket healthcare costs have doubled for us. Our copays have changed and our income hasn't unless we do what you are talking about dip into what we save for our kids.

I always check meds I am on to find prescription assistance like JJ.
Everything I am on is generic and it is difficult to find any discounts.

In the end I consider myself lucky to have medical insurance and be able to pay for my care at the this point. My husband is eligible for and has medicare so between that and our insurance his expense is cut.

JC I actually think about this a lot. I too am very fortunate that hubby has awesome insurance. I have no idea what I would do without it. We usually only pay $5 for Rx's, $25 for office visits. All procedures, labs, tests, surgeries are covered in full. I am very thankful.

Now my brother who lives with us has NO insurance. He had a colostomy reversal surgery in WI last Feburary and the incision has still not healed. He also has a hernia. (Those seem to run in my family!). So we need to find him a surgeon and get this taken care of before something bad happens. Oh...and he doesn't have a job!!!!
I know there are resources but I don't know much about it. I have to help him get this taken care of ASAP!!

I wish I could get him on our insurance...but that won't work. He is planning on going to school but he has to get this taken care of first.

It definately has opened my eyes to the cost of maintaining your health.

Great topic JC!

JC,

I'm one of the very lucky ones- my husband's insurance and pharmacy plan pays for almost all of my expenses- but I haven't gotten the bill for my surgery in Oct. yet so I may change that.

I also have medicare which is my secondary insurance. It does help pick up what's left of the bills.

Everyone is bitching about Obamacare, but it will help those of us with pre-existing conditions get care when it's been denied in the past. Yes, it will make everyone get insurance who aren't insured. Yes, it will limit certain payments but really, it's a step in the right direction to get a hold on insurance companies that deny services, even to existing customers.

Hopefully, this will help. My biggest thing has always been that Medicare should pay for prescriptions without having to pay for a supplement. I cared for so many people that wouldn't have ended up in ICU if only they could afford their scripts. It makes no sense- either pay upfront, or pay more (for an ICU stay) in the end. Why doesn't this make sense to legislators? Oh, right, I forgot. They don't have common sense and there is nothing in it for them.

Plus the fact that Congress has excellent insurance that will cover them til they die. They have nothing to worry about, so why worry about their constituents? They're lower than pond-scum.

There. I'm off my soap box. You did ask...
Sandy

Politicians should stand in line and wait just like we do.
As long as some lives are more valuable than others, some will be denied, care will be paid with lives counted less for inhumane reasons.

The more things change the more they stay the same.

I am so grateful for living in Aus.... being on a very limited income..... I qualify for the healthcare card, for the public health system... due to disability.//.. chronic illness...

GP visits, labs, tests, x-rays, MRI's, CT's, etc are free....
Scripts are $5.80 regardless of brand. dose etc.. when you reach a certain amount of scripts the remainder of the year are free...
Public hospitals, ER visits are free etc...
Public Specialists are free.... long waiting lists though...

Without the healthcare card, I wouldn't survive, one script alone is worth$1600 per month...

Also have optional Private Health Insurance, which gives you the opportunity to seek out private specialists and private hospitals generally with a 20 -30% out of pocket fee... helps ensure you can get seen and treated quickly..... by the best..

The public system can have huge waiting lists to get procedures, tests done.... for peace of mind, it is worth taking out private health insurance at roughly $1600 per year for a single....

Our private health insurance companies don't dictate who we see, what meds we can take.... etc... etc..... like in the US....

It is a lot more expensive for working individuals that don't qualify for the health care card.... hence why Private Health Insurance is so important.... to help recoup some of the expenses..

I really feel for you guys and the huge expense in trying to maintain health..... I dont know what Obamacare is all about, but I hope it helps....

I'm still on my mom's insurance. The insurance company allows children to stay on if doc says their disabled. Blessed, blessed, blessed in that respect. For me the cost of living drains us since I can't work and thanks to the governments doctor lying about my back because he doesn't know better, my disability has been denied twice.

I am on a Medicare Advantage PPO Plan...it is great when you have good health, but this may be my last yr. with it. I pay $45. copay for Specialist Dr. ex. Pain Mgt. and PT.

My am in the do-nut hole within a few months with medicare presc. drug plan. My Pradaxa puts me there. Last yr. I pd. co-pay plus another 50%.

I am lucky I am on my wife's. insurance, I'm sure I'd be dead without it

Michael

im worried to i cant afford mine either hugs minnie

JC, I love this topic simply bc I am constantly worried/thinking about the cost of scripts/care. Each MD visit I have varies from 30 to 50/month. Also, each time I get a script filled it's 10 to 50 dollars or more a script. With my current illness, currently it costs about 300/month between meds and specialists just for me. I carry the insurance for my kids and myself who all have pre-existing conditions and haven't worked since Sept. 12. Currently I am on long term disability with my job that started last week and when that runs out I am fired; no more insurance. Not able to work right now. Hubby's insurance is expensive and we're not doing well right now so unsure of future. Also, his parents both have heart failure and diabetes which cost us 1200/month in medication alone and is killing us bc neither of them can work and lost their coverage; already made this post long enough without explaining that nightmare. Just shoot me, lol. I TOTALLY GET IT!!! What a MESS for all of us!!!! I don't know the answer but something has to give!!

I am uninsured but I got into luck at the clinic I go to my shrink hooked me into a social worker with a grant for free medical care at that clinic including all meds from their pharmacy....so I am blessed for this year....it ends or gets renewed in year....