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Hi Pam!
This is such a timely topic. It is so true...whatever medical issue you are dealing with...so many people are unable to afford to see a doctor and/or the medications to treat what you have.
I know this is a little off topic but I wrote an article entitled, "How do I get Mental Health Services with No Money and No Insurance" for My Depression Connection awhile back because so many of our members were writing in to say that they simply could not afford to see a doctor or get medication. The resources listed there, especially for medications, are generally true for any type of medication. So I hope those numbers and links may help someone here as well.
Not sure what the future holds but something has to give. When so many people cannot get the medical care they need it is time for a change.
Great question of the week! I hope other members chime in with their experiences and stories.
If any of you need help with your osteoporosis meds see the list below. If you are having trouble with all your medications, please see Merely Me's informative links on this topic. This list is for the uninsured, and underinsured. Some of them will help with high co-pays as well, but you'll have to check them individually.
If any members have one to add please do so in your comment, thank you!
Eli Lily Patient Assistance Program (Forteo® and Evista®)
http://www.forteo.com/secure/user/caregiver/insurance.jsp
Merck Patient Assistance Program (Fosamax®)
http://www.fosamax.com/alendronate_sodium/fosamax/consumer/drug_assistance/patient_assistance.jsp
Primus Patient Assistance Program (Fosteum®)
http://www.fosteum.com/patientassistance.php
Proctor and Gamble Patient Assistance (Actonel®)
http://www.pgpharma.com/patient_assistance.shtml
Novartis Patient Assistance Program (Reclast®)
http://www.patientassistancenow.com/index.jsp?usertrack.filter_applied=true&NovaId=7852773835584558610
Roche Patient Assistance Program (Boniva®)
http://www.patientassistance.com/profile/rochepharmaceuticals-285/
RxAssist
www.rxassist.org/
Patient Assistance Programs
www.patientassistance.com/
NeedyMeds.com
www.needymeds.org/
Patient Assistance Programs
www.pparx.org/
Prescription Assistance
www.access2wellness.com
Dear Pam
I dont know whether this will be of any interest to the folk here. But we in India who live in a much poorer country really dont know how lucky we are when it comes to the costs of the medicines.
Almost no one has health insurance here -- and almost everyone is obliged to get his or her own medicines at their own costs.
However even though somewhat expensive, yet they are "dirt cheap" in contrast to what Americans pay for theirs. So most people seem to get along. However,for the very poor, osteoporosis and its medications are something they will never know about till the very end.
Here is an example of the costs: 4 tablets of Actonel of 35 mg each come at a cost of Rupees 150. This means $ 3. Most people can manage this, even the lower middle class.
AS far as the rest of the questions that Pam has posed -- they are not even heard of in India, where a person can just thank his stars being alive on any ailment! Sorry to sound this dismal!!
Thank you again Pam for raising very good questions!!
Yours,
Priya
Hi Priya, thanks so much for telling us about the health care in your country. The price you listed for Actonel is very inexpensive compared to it here. Without insurance, a one month supply is around 75-90 dollars. Of course with insurance it's a lot less, but since we now have one generic drug available the insurance companies are leaning towards that drug for treatment (alendronate).
I'm sure our members would be interested to hear what the cost of health is in other countries. I know that some are trying to get their medications from a supplier in India, and the cost you mentioned is about the same as what our other member mentioned.
It's terrible that you don't have health insurance, but at least the medications are resonable. We have a lot of people who just can't afford to see Doctors, or get medications.
Thanks for sharing your information, I'm sure it will be of interest to many!!
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Ok, I'm going to be the first one to comment on my own Sharepost. I ran across an interesting article about easy ways to lower your prescription cost and here's the link from November 6th at MedicineNet.
Since it isn't just osteoporosis meds that can cause financial problems, I want to include some info on all medications for those encountering this dilema.
We get a lot of questions about this, so it would be so nice to hear from some of you so we can help each other out. I'm sure you're all real busy with the holidays, but if you could take a few moments to read this and the Question of the Week so we can give our tips and solutions that could help so many uninsured or underinsured deal with this problem. You have the ability to radically change someones current medical problems with prescription costs.
We really appreciate all your input and thank you for your past participation, but we need your help again; and just think how great it would be if you could share your tips with others dealing with this life-threatening situation.
We hope to hear from the many who post about this on our Q&A all the time...
Thanks again for all your help and interest, it means so much to so many
Take Care and Share,
Pam