Monday, February 24, 2014

Soap Box du Jour

All day long I've been on the brink of crying. I don't know why. I'm also ridiculously irritable. I'm also astounded at the cost of my medication and the bureaucracy and ignorance of insurance companies. 

I just paid $798.18 as a co-pay on one month's supply of Abilify; and I paid $115.49 for one month of Lamictal which is 100% of its cost. Why they won't approve Lamictal for me at $115.49 a bottle, but will approve Ability at $978 a bottle, I'll never know. 

Why is it that the insurance company is the one that dictates which meds are appropriate? Medication choice should be determined by the doctor with some input from the patient - not by some guy in a cubicle farm, wielding the Manual of Insurance-Acceptable Treatments which is updated each year by a "committee" consisting of one doctor and 19 accountants....

THAT is what is wrong with U.S. health care. It's run by companies that are "for profit", not "for patient". Although in the case of my insurance company, I'm not sure what they're thinking. They're operating at a loss with me. It looks like I'll be reaching my deductible very shortly...and then they'll have to pay $978 a month. Good!



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