Hey everyone..my name is Tina and Im 23 years old. I was diagnosed with Crohns disease July of this year and everything has went down hill since then. I am actually typing this while sitting in a hospital bed...have been here for 5 days so far. I have crohns of the small bowel as well as the colen. Plus gasteriotics of the stomach as well. My crohns is very agressive according to my GI. So this is my situation. I am a nanny, so I have my own private insurance plan...which DOES NOT and WILL NOT cover infusions or injectables at all!! and since mine is so aggressive I need to be on cimzia, humair or remicade..and i cant get it...so for the last 4 months i have only been on 40mg of predisone...HATE IT!!! and it isnt doing anything for me at all, to control it. Cant eat anything because I dont know what is effecting me and what isnt. After fighting with insurance and trying every foundation possible as well as trying to get new insurance ( Pre-Existing condition ) cant get new insurance. My GI finally decided to at least get something in my system so i have been on immurane for almost 3 weeks, which isnt doing anything since takes at least 6 weeks to do anything and also Lialid ( however u spell it) plus the steriods to see what that would do. Now he is trying to talk to Cimzia rep to see if I can get samples for a year of the medication if not im in even worse shape then already. So im in the hospital because i got so bad..diarrhea, not being able to eat, naseau, pain, etc that they admitted me...im being pumped with 60 mg of predisone in my IV plus, pain meds every 4 hrs and naseau every four hours. I cant leave the hospital because Im not eating anything because everything makes me flair. Plus they found gallstones, so today may have my gallbladder removed...IM SO LOST!!! I dont know what im going to do if i cant get these samples. My job is also on the line, which then means could lose my aparment..etc...So any help, thoughts, prayers, opinions..anything would be so great right now. Dont really know anyone who has this or anything. And its all new to me and hit me soo quick, Im pretty lost. Thank you for reading this and I will keep this posted as everything develops...any help would be greatly appreciated. THANK YOU!!!:depressed:
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Insurance won't cover Cimzia
- Thread starter crohns072009
- Start date
farm
Captain Insaneo
Dang Tina that is a rough story. I know Remicade is very expensive but we've got to get you better and out of that hospital.
Read the Remicade Club thread (I think) there are some links in there to help with the cost. (Someone help me out here, is that the right thread??)
Welcome and you will find support here.
Read the Remicade Club thread (I think) there are some links in there to help with the cost. (Someone help me out here, is that the right thread??)
Welcome and you will find support here.
Crohn's 35
Inactive Account
Hi Tina, yeah it sucks to be sick and not have the treatment available to you. I am not sure of Remicade or Cimzia (which someone will come on and see your post) but Humira.com has help for those who need it and no insurance. It cant hurt to try. As for the Prednisone, I personally think it the nastiest drug available for Crohns, the cheapest and the side effects are hardly worth it, short term to get it under control was ok for me but long term??? NO thanks. I hope you get the help you need, NO ONE should suffer with this disease. What country are you from?
Thanks everyone means alot. Im from US..IL and I was going to try and pay for cimzia out of pocket but its $1500 a month even through the company and their discount still $1000 cant afford that, but im still looking up other choices. thank you guys so much for your help and i will keep you posted on everything. Any help with food?when i can eat..lol
Sorry about your Crohn's but I'm gald you have found us. I'm on Cimzia right now and it seems to be working pretty well for me.
One thing you may want to write about to your insurance and have your doctor write as well is that is would be cheaper for them to pay for your Cimzia once a month then it would for you to have to go to the hospital once a month. Heck it would be cheaper for them to pay Cimzia for a year then it would for your 5 day hospital stay. That may be what gets them to pay for it. I'll keep you in my prayers. Just keep fighting the good fight
One thing you may want to write about to your insurance and have your doctor write as well is that is would be cheaper for them to pay for your Cimzia once a month then it would for you to have to go to the hospital once a month. Heck it would be cheaper for them to pay Cimzia for a year then it would for your 5 day hospital stay. That may be what gets them to pay for it. I'll keep you in my prayers. Just keep fighting the good fight
I just want to scoop you up and bring you home!
imisspopcorn
Punctuation Impaired
Financial help for medication
Welcome to the forum Tina
I'm so sorry you are going through this right now. Here is some info put out by the Crohn's Colitis foundation for those of us who need help with the cost of meds.
http://www.needymeds.org/resourcepages/crohns_colitis.shtml
Also In Remicade has a program named Remi-start which can help. I really hope your doctor can get those samples for you. keep us posted on how you are doing.
Welcome to the forum Tina
I'm so sorry you are going through this right now. Here is some info put out by the Crohn's Colitis foundation for those of us who need help with the cost of meds.
http://www.needymeds.org/resourcepages/crohns_colitis.shtml
Also In Remicade has a program named Remi-start which can help. I really hope your doctor can get those samples for you. keep us posted on how you are doing.
Thank u everyone..yea i get my gallbladder taken out today, they think that may have been a reason why i have had naseau so bad for year, plus they did an ultra sound and I have a stone, so out with that today..still waiting to find out if I get the samples. I have looked into and talk to every foundation, needymeds, everyone and either I cant qualify because i dont fall under the poverty level ( which i may now cuz i may have lost my job since been in here) because I am a nanny so no legal obiligation to keep me. or the foundations need my insurance to cover some part of the shots..even if its $5..which i dont understand at all. My insurance since its private physically will not cover the injectables or infusions unless its LIFE OR DEATH RELATED...as in allergy which...the PEN...crohns is life or death if your not on treatment. So now i dont even know why I have insurance cuz they arent doing anything...and they are going to find out how much an over 5 day hospital visit costs...been here since thursday. Im just so lost and confused and scaried and it all hit me fast and now the surgery today and still waiting to hear about the samples..just never saw life like this.
Hi Tina,
It all sounds so scary! So sending big healing hugs your way
Hope the gallbladder removal sorts your problems so you can feel better while organising the medication!
It all sounds so scary! So sending big healing hugs your way
Hope the gallbladder removal sorts your problems so you can feel better while organising the medication!
hi Tina.. aw hun i am so sorry to read the state you're in right now. i'm hoping the op goes well today, and then you can back some strength to tackle the meds funding issue.
you mention that you can't get help with the cost because your job brings you above the poverty level.. also that you may have lost your job... i'm thinking it may not be a bad idea to let your job go for now and therefore qualify for the meds you so badly need, also not having the pressure of trying to work while your ill might not be a bad thing.
i don't know much about the benefit system in the USA.. maybe you could get some sort of disability benefit to help you fund your life (housing etc) until you get back on your feet?
you mention that you can't get help with the cost because your job brings you above the poverty level.. also that you may have lost your job... i'm thinking it may not be a bad idea to let your job go for now and therefore qualify for the meds you so badly need, also not having the pressure of trying to work while your ill might not be a bad thing.
i don't know much about the benefit system in the USA.. maybe you could get some sort of disability benefit to help you fund your life (housing etc) until you get back on your feet?
Hey Guys...surgery went well im still in the hospital and in some pain but to be expected. On my pain meds and naseau meds still. So gallbladder is gone and I got the Cimzia samples thank god, so should have for a year and just have to run my old insurance and hopefully someone other company will give me insurance and just not cover the crohns for a year and then i would switch to the new one when it would pick up pre-existing..all confusing so now have to he i dont lose my job...one day at a time right now. thank u everyone for the prayers..really needed them.
Crohn's 35
Inactive Account
Had my gall bladder out, no pain or anything but I wasnt in a flare in that area. When I got my attack at first I thought I was having an obstruction... glad it all went well for you. Drink a lot of water too help to keep your system moving.
imisspopcorn
Punctuation Impaired
I'm so glad surgery is over and you got the samples... Yipee!...Sounds like you have a caring doctor I hope everything works out well for you.
I hope everything works out well for you.
Sorry to hear about your run of bad luck. You can also look into the Humira Protection Plan. It helps people like yourself afford the meds for a short amount of time. www.humira.com/Global/FinancialHelp/Default.aspx