I am on Avonex and since I am on Medicare, they give me my Avonex for free. I was told that it was part of the government's requirement if you are on Medicare. The "government's requirement" was not explained other than I was told that I would get the Avonex for free. So I am just happy about it.

Call the MS Society. They have all the phone numbers for all the therapy drug companies and can tell you about their financial assistance plans. The MS Society has published articles about it in their magazine "Momentum". All their magazine issues are online. Perhaps they could point out where to get the resources.

Best of luck. Do not give up. There is help out there, just don't give up before you find it.

Rebif offers two programs. One program does not ask for any...zero...nada...financial forms. You just ask and are given it. On that program you pay just thirty dollars per month for your Rebif. The other program requires that you fill out financial forms. If you qualify it is free.

I know. We received the first one. We called. We were given a credit card of some sort to give our insurance. We pay thirty dollars per month. You obviously haven't talked to the right person ....

Maybe the difference is...you are on Medicare? I don;t know.....

Yes I'm on Medicare and when I called my insurance co. they they would cover rebif or copaxone and I had to pay 1/3. They said I had to try those first and if they did'nt work avonex was the next step up. They refused novantrone and tysabri. The other two that were a step up was betaseron and extavia. Gilenya was a pre approval, wanted that one because I have needle phobia so a pill sounded better. I signed up for it at the neuro center because they were doing trials but denied because I have'nt been on something for 6 months.

Does the part that Medicare covers go towards the $2800 yearly amount they cover before you hit the doughnut hole?

The papers they gave me on the drugs say that avonex is supposed to be coverd under Medicare and also novantrone and tysabri are supposed to be coverd. Do you have medicare part D or was it coverd in your part B?

I don't have the what it takes to remember what I've just read on Medicare plans, to me it is confusing, I hate to see what is going to happen when I get older.

How has avonex worked out for you, I'm sure I'll be starting rebif seeing as they already sent the auto injetcor. I just hate MS as much as I hate everytime I see they want to cut medicare.

well its always wrong to do an immune suppressant like novatrone for any length of time before while considering tysabri as even the fda has added to its label that prior immunsuppressant use before tysabri increases the pml risk. no matter how long ago an immune suppressant wass used and for how short of time, past use of an immune just increass PML risk by a great amount.

wow i'm glad i got that out! that was the important one.

i use tysabri now & probably the biggest reason i do is because its covered under medicare part b, not d. so there is no cost to me..,...SS picks up 80% then my supplemental plan picks up the rest. i just get statements monthly about whats been paid.

i'm on ssdi too but i was on a prescription assistance for betaseron--and i only had to pay $20 as month but even so i had to reply every january and i would be stressed that i would get denied, i wouldn't find out until march if my meds was still approved in the PA program. it was tense for 3 months i would be biting my nails planning what i would do if i was denied. it was a big relief when i was accepted in march. AND I live in WI, and i get copies of things like that before i mail them, so i needed to mail it in January as soon as possible, which happened before a few significant snow storm, i'm on disability, i wouldn't go out in that stuff until the ice & snow melted..BUT i needed to get a copy of my yearly PA form before i mailed it....

just the thought of not having to apply for my med, to be ENTITLED to it because I EARNED MEDICARE THROUGH PAST WORK, was so attractive to me that was my plan, that i was gonna do if i got denied for my PA.

then my doc said she wanted me to switch to tysabri, i did. its been about 2&1/2 years i don't regret it. I hate the way health care is covered...like if you need any med you have to beg for it, what are we dogs?and we get a treat after we beg? our meds if we sit pretty after begging GRRR this is something that burns in me!!!

there is a tysabri group if your interested, tysabri does have risks... a person has to do their own RISK VERSUS BENIFIT analysis before starting tysabri.....to determine if their benefits outweigh their risk.

unfortunately the way it is finances are a large part of my benefit side. i'm frugal, live frugally, finances have always been a big part of ant decision i have made.

http://www.dailystrength.org/groups/tysabri

btw i posted an article in the past that said the cost of ms self injectible meds are going up because so many people are using an oral drug so there are less using self injectiblre meds so their cost is going up. probably getting in PA is tougher too?. your on medicare, you should be eligible for a PA program? medicare isn't that generous unless your family income is greater.

btwx2 i'm interested in the oral drug Gilenya too...PART D sucks in that they can change their drug formulary that the offer each year. when i was on betaseron, i selected the lowest cost plan that had betaseron on it. i use no other meds.

well for the past 2 years i have been on an infusion med covered by part b, so i didn't check if ms were still covered in my part d plan. and they moved ms meds to the most expensive plan---so i no longer could go to a self injectible or oral, i'm stuck on iv part b covered meds until january when i will switch to the most expensive part d plan, THEN if i want i can change....
i wil switch to a more expensive plan withg ms meds even if i don't switch but sio that i can switch during the year if i want too...GRRRR i had medicare part d...in 3 year i have been on a pa program for my meds and submitted 1 claim for $20 steroids. i'm a money maker to them! and know i can't get ms meds, i hate part d!!!
that grinds me too that they can do that. it was my failt for nopt checking last year how their drug offering had changed.....


ON A GOOD NOTE THE SENATE HAS NOT PASSED THE MEDICARE VOUCHER SYSTEM PASSSED IN THE HOUSE. MEDICARE PAID FOR BY VOUCHERS TO BUY INSURANCE AINT GONNA HAPPEN--DOESN'T EVEN HAVE THE HANCE TO GET TO A PRESIDENTIAL VETO, ITS NOT GONNA GET OUT OF CONGRESS. YEAH!!!

the self injectible are covered under pat d that has the donught hole, that is gradually being eliminated but it won't be entirely eliminated until 2014--iv meds don't have a donught hole.

manufactures assistance programs for ms meds...

http://www.needymeds.org/copay_diseases.taf?_function=summary&disease_eng=Multiple%20Sclerosis

I am also on the Rebif and am brand new to it. I do have insurance which covers everything except for a $25/month copay. Rebif is paying only for my first 3 copays, and then I am responsible for it after that. I'm surprised that they would offer it for free without any forms or further information. It never hurts to ask though, and definitely check with the MS Society.

Here ya go...Phone numbers on the right of the page. It has gone to fifty dollars per month but in January it was thirty.

http://www.rebif.com/pages/affordable-access/ms_lifelines_access_made_simple

I don't know what happened with that link...Here it is again

http://www.rebif.com/pages/affordable-access/ms_lifelines_access_made_simple

lol..I gi ve. At least it brings you to the Rebif site. Go under Affordable Access then click on MS LifeLines Access Made Simple. The phone numbers are there.

lol, on a lighter note, having good insurance should always be a prerequisite to get a date.