topic Re: More about epi pens in Community Chat

More about epi pens

151949 — Fri, 26 Aug 2016 16:42:04 GMT

The CEO is on TV saying if you have to pay for yours out of pocket they will give you a discount card to get it for $50. She says it was never intended to rip off consumers but for ins. co to pay for it. IMO - that is still a rip off - they are just ripping off ins. co. instead of individuals. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Re: More about epi pens

ValuSkr — Fri, 26 Aug 2016 16:46:34 GMT

I agree - why is it okay to charge insurance companies an exorbitant rate but not individual consumers? Won't insurance companies balk? I hope they would. No wonder insurance rates are ridiculously high.

Re: More about epi pens

Justice4all — Sat, 27 Aug 2016 01:32:15 GMT

I read it costs $2 to manufacture. There is about 35 cents worth of epinephrine per pen.

Re: More about epi pens

rickiraccoon — Fri, 26 Aug 2016 16:53:49 GMT

I heard her talk on CNBC yesterday and it was ridiculous. She was talking like people are stupid. If the increase was was for the ins co, who does she think pays for that ins? Pure and simple greed.

Re: More about epi pens

SeaMaiden — Fri, 26 Aug 2016 16:56:05 GMT

It all comes down to GREED.

Re: More about epi pens

Spurt — Fri, 26 Aug 2016 16:57:58 GMT

And what does she think---- that the insurance companies will happily eat this price increase....who are they going to pass it on to ....THE CONSUMER in the form of higher insurance premiums!!!!

The contents of the epi-pen has been quoted as only $1-$2 to manufacturer....so it seems they need to work on the "delivery system"......(exorbitant compensation for drug company CEO's, and everyone picking up some cash along the health insurance system's path until medication gets to the consumer)....

Re: More about epi pens

Tinkrbl44 — Fri, 26 Aug 2016 16:58:36 GMT

Clearly this took them by surprise, since it's been working so well for them in the past.

I think the REAL solution is for other drug companies to jump on the adrenaline pen bandwagon .... STAT.

If there's lots of competition, the prices for these pens will plummet. If the XYZ pharmaceutical company starts selling their own generic pen two pack for $40, what do you think the EpiPen company will be forced to do?

Re: More about epi pens

Nightowlz — Fri, 26 Aug 2016 17:01:46 GMT

Who does she thinks pays those Insurance Premiums? We are still paying. I guess some will qualify for the $50 card while others probably pay more even with their Insurance. I'm so sick of the greedy.

Re: More about epi pens

151949 — Fri, 26 Aug 2016 17:12:53 GMT

@Tinkrbl44 wrote:
Clearly this took them by surprise, since it's been working so well for them in the past.

I think the REAL solution is for other drug companies to jump on the adrenaline pen bandwagon .... STAT.

If there's lots of competition, the prices for these pens will plummet. If the XYZ pharmaceutical company starts selling their own generic pen two pack for $40, what do you think the EpiPen company will be forced to do?

Unfortunately, they probably have a patent on this delivery system.

Re: More about epi pens

Spurt — Fri, 26 Aug 2016 17:22:14 GMT

@ValuSkr wrote:
I agree - why is it okay to charge insurance companies an exorbitant rate but not individual consumers? Won't insurance companies balk? I hope they would. No wonder insurance rates are ridiculously high.

@ValuSkr

I will give you another example of why insurance rates are ridiculously high. My employer had to switch health insurance companies (the company we were using got gobbled up so they found another comparable plan).....I had lab work done for a routine yearly physical....after paying my co-pay, and after the insurance paid their portion, there was $8 remaining on the bill....I instructed them to take the remainder out of my Personal Care Account.....For some odd reason they then balked and requested additional documentation (keep in mind they had already received an invoice from the lab and doctor)....but still they wanted more documentatin and there were no special labs required just the ususal as always......I could not upload the documents to them (their system doesnt accept uploads of documents ) so they insisted I fax the needed documentation with their cover sheet with a bar code that they emailed to me to print and include with my fax....My printer is old and does not have a fax which means I'd have to pay $1.50 per page to get it faxed at my expense...which would cost me $4.50 and we are talking an $8 claim here.... I called them and raised heck....and told them I'm sure the person that would process the request makes at least $10 an hour or more...this whole thing didn't make sense and this is one reason why insurance premiums and co-pays keep rising....Friends with other companies said their insurance pays anything under $15 with a valid invoice!!! I told them to cancel the request and I would just pay the dang $8 out of my own pocket....The Rep was somewhat snippity saying if you want to be reimbursed for paying it out of my own pocket they would still require the documentation....I told her $8 was not worth my time expense or aggravation, but I would certanly submit a complaint to our Benefits Department and urge them to search for another compan next enrollment and gave the names of the other 2 companies that my friends had with no documentation for claims under $15..... And this, ladies and gentlemen is another reason our rates our high.....someone at the insurance company paid a Billing Specialist at least $10 an hour to be nit picky over a remaining balance of $8 with a valid detailed invoice from the lab ---doesnt even make sense... It seems our health care system needs some good ole fashion common sense.....

Re: More about epi pens

NJ Gnome — Fri, 26 Aug 2016 17:21:49 GMT

Wake up and smell the profits. Drug companies and health insurance companies are only in business to make dividends for their stockholders.

For health insurance, why can we not have a non-profit single payer system? Why must our government continue to be the servant of deep pockets.

Re: More about epi pens

momtochloe — Fri, 26 Aug 2016 17:56:46 GMT

@Spurt wrote:
@ValuSkr wrote:
I agree - why is it okay to charge insurance companies an exorbitant rate but not individual consumers? Won't insurance companies balk? I hope they would. No wonder insurance rates are ridiculously high.
@ValuSkr

I will give you another example of why insurance rates are ridiculously high. My employer had to switch health insurance companies (the company we were using got gobbled up so they found another comparable plan).....I had lab work done for a routine yearly physical....after paying my co-pay, and after the insurance paid their portion, there was $8 remaining on the bill....I instructed them to take the remainder out of my Personal Care Account.....For some odd reason they then balked and requested additional documentation (keep in mind they had already received an invoice from the lab and doctor)....but still they wanted more documentatin and there were no special labs required just the ususal as always......I could not upload the documents to them (their system doesnt accept uploads of documents ) so they insisted I fax the needed documentation with their cover sheet with a bar code that they emailed to me to print and include with my fax....My printer is old and does not have a fax which means I'd have to pay $1.50 per page to get it faxed at my expense...which would cost me $4.50 and we are talking an $8 claim here.... I called them and raised heck....and told them I'm sure the person that would process the request makes at least $10 an hour or more...this whole thing didn't make sense and this is one reason why insurance premiums and co-pays keep rising....Friends with other companies said their insurance pays anything under $15 with a valid invoice!!! I told them to cancel the request and I would just pay the dang $8 out of my own pocket....The Rep was somewhat snippity saying if you want to be reimbursed for paying it out of my own pocket they would still require the documentation....I told her $8 was not worth my time expense or aggravation, but I would certanly submit a complaint to our Benefits Department and urge them to search for another compan next enrollment and gave the names of the other 2 companies that my friends had with no documentation for claims under $15..... And this, ladies and gentlemen is another reason our rates our high.....someone at the insurance company paid a Billing Specialist at least $10 an hour to be nit picky over a remaining balance of $8 with a valid detailed invoice from the lab ---doesnt even make sense... It seems our health care system needs some good ole fashion common sense.....

I so agree @Spurt. When I received this year's insurance cards they were wrong so I had to call and spend a good amount of time on the phone with the rep only to find the next set received to be incorrect as well . . . yet another phone call, yet another set of cards . . . I can't imagine it was an isolated incident so even the most basic of mistakes are costing us unnecessary dollars . . .

Re: More about epi pens

Spurt — Fri, 26 Aug 2016 18:16:20 GMT

@momtochloe wrote:
@Spurt wrote:
@ValuSkr wrote:
I agree - why is it okay to charge insurance companies an exorbitant rate but not individual consumers? Won't insurance companies balk? I hope they would. No wonder insurance rates are ridiculously high.
@ValuSkr

I will give you another example of why insurance rates are ridiculously high. My employer had to switch health insurance companies (the company we were using got gobbled up so they found another comparable plan).....I had lab work done for a routine yearly physical....after paying my co-pay, and after the insurance paid their portion, there was $8 remaining on the bill....I instructed them to take the remainder out of my Personal Care Account.....For some odd reason they then balked and requested additional documentation (keep in mind they had already received an invoice from the lab and doctor)....but still they wanted more documentatin and there were no special labs required just the ususal as always......I could not upload the documents to them (their system doesnt accept uploads of documents ) so they insisted I fax the needed documentation with their cover sheet with a bar code that they emailed to me to print and include with my fax....My printer is old and does not have a fax which means I'd have to pay $1.50 per page to get it faxed at my expense...which would cost me $4.50 and we are talking an $8 claim here.... I called them and raised heck....and told them I'm sure the person that would process the request makes at least $10 an hour or more...this whole thing didn't make sense and this is one reason why insurance premiums and co-pays keep rising....Friends with other companies said their insurance pays anything under $15 with a valid invoice!!! I told them to cancel the request and I would just pay the dang $8 out of my own pocket....The Rep was somewhat snippity saying if you want to be reimbursed for paying it out of my own pocket they would still require the documentation....I told her $8 was not worth my time expense or aggravation, but I would certanly submit a complaint to our Benefits Department and urge them to search for another compan next enrollment and gave the names of the other 2 companies that my friends had with no documentation for claims under $15..... And this, ladies and gentlemen is another reason our rates our high.....someone at the insurance company paid a Billing Specialist at least $10 an hour to be nit picky over a remaining balance of $8 with a valid detailed invoice from the lab ---doesnt even make sense... It seems our health care system needs some good ole fashion common sense.....
I so agree @Spurt. When I received this year's insurance cards they were wrong so I had to call and spend a good amount of time on the phone with the rep only to find the next set received to be incorrect as well . . . yet another phone call, yet another set of cards . . . I can't imagine it was an isolated incident so even the most basic of mistakes are costing us unnecessary dollars . . .

@momtochloe

Funny you mentioned the cards, because when this company sent out our insurance cards there was an error on all the cards, so they had to re-mail everyone a corrected card....wonder how much that cost them ?????????????$$$$$$$$......

And it seems when you call to ask a question they can't give you an answer--they tell us to call our Benefits Center, and our Benefits Center tells us to call the insurance company back, they are the ones that have access to that info and supposed to help you --BUT the insurance company reps are proud to close their conversatios with WE ARE HERE 24/7 .....just more money paid for incompetent, illtrained staff to be there 24/7 to not answer our questions ??????????????????

Re: More about epi pens

Lacey1 — Fri, 26 Aug 2016 18:12:20 GMT

As I recall, and please forgive inaccuracies, but this CEO was in the limelight a few years ago. Apparently, she had received a degree from WVU without acutally taking classes. Her father, (Govenor of WV) made it all better. She was awarded the degree and got this cushy, high-paying job at the Epi-Pen manufacturing pharmaceutical company. No, I don't believe one word of what she says to 'justify' this price increase.

Re: More about epi pens

Spurt — Fri, 26 Aug 2016 18:13:13 GMT

@momtochloe

What a hassle with your cards I bet that was aggravating and frustrating.... my sister and friends laugh at me because I have to spend so much time with my insurance trying to get things done.

Re: More about epi pens

SahmIam — Fri, 26 Aug 2016 18:16:34 GMT

I believe that this would not have been an issue if insurance companies (as well as employers) had NOT started making employees pay a large deductible. Since this is relatively new situation, they've been able (as have ALL companies) raise the cost every year, bank the profits, pay to shareholders as well as those in the upper ranks (front line folks didn't get a huge bonus or raise, I'm willing to bet).

Because of our medical expenses and because each year something changes as to how they work (especially when it comes to Rx's) I keep detailed records but ONLY since my sons' accident. Prior to that, we had either a HMO or a PPO with a low ($200) deductible. It was ONLY a few years ago (3, to be exact) that our deductible jumped to what it is now though we have been watching (and complaining) each year as it increased by $3000/$4000 per year. However, the alternative was Kaiser and there is NO facility within an hour plus of where we live so BCBS was it.

I've been purchasing Epi-pens for 9 years and have never paid more than the max co-pay for them ($15 then for 2, now $35 for 2). I purchase them around the same time each year (November) and our deductible has always been met by then. I'm sure if I had needed to purchase them in January, I would have gone "WHAT?!" when told the cost would be $2400. But I didn't know.

I'm willing to bet the MAJORITY had/have NO CLUE what Big Pharmo is charging insurance for medications. And since they are in bed together, it took the shifting of a huge percentage of the cost of healthcare onto the consumer for it to finally "click".

Sadly, many of us using OTHER drugs already knew this. Don't yell at me here but I think the fact that CHILDREN are involved made this such a WTF event for so many. The elderly and their drug costs? Not so much of a concern. It SHOULD BE but it isn't. Perhaps NOW, the cost of ALL drugs that we need daily to live will be scrutinized.

Re: More about epi pens

Spurt — Fri, 26 Aug 2016 18:25:48 GMT

@Lacey1 wrote:
As I recall, and please forgive inaccuracies, but this CEO was in the limelight a few years ago. Apparently, she had received a degree from WVU without acutally taking classes. Her father, (Govenor of WV) made it all better. She was awarded the degree and got this cushy, high-paying job at the Epi-Pen manufacturing pharmaceutical company. No, I don't believe one word of what she says to 'justify' this price increase.

@Lacey1

I thought her bio was very interesting........

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heather_Bresch

At a WVU basketball game in 1992, Bresch's father mentioned his daughter's job search to Mylan CEO Milan Puskar. The company soon thereafter offered her a low-level position in the quality control department of a factory in Morgantown. According to Bresch, she had misgivings about the offer. Her father said she should "absolutely take it" and try for a year. She took his advice, and started as a clerk, typing labels. She received frequent promotions during the following years, "working hard and learning the industry inside out".

Under Bresch's leadership, Mylan made several acquisitions, including a $1.6 billion acquisition of Agila Specialties. A $5.3 billion acquisition of Abbott Laboratories was announced in 2014 in conjunction with plans to re-organize the company in the Netherlands and move its domicile to a country with lower taxes] The New York Times said there was something "disconcerting" about a company that benefits from large government contracts renouncing their citizenship for tax benefits. Bresch stated that Mylan would reduce its effective tax rate by four percent in the first year after the merger and later by more than 5 percent, but said that the merger was being driven primarily by strategic merits rather than tax avoidance. Bresch said it was a difficult choice to make, but it had to be done to maintain competitiveness against pharmaceutical manufacturers that had already executed similar inversion strategies.

Re: More about epi pens

Spurt — Fri, 26 Aug 2016 18:40:23 GMT

@Lacey1

This CEO is a piece of "work" alright! .....she can speak all the double talk she wants.... No I would't trust or believe anything she says...... she's learned from her daddy's occupation quite well....

Re: More about epi pens

nunya — Fri, 26 Aug 2016 18:48:23 GMT

@151949 wrote:
@Tinkrbl44 wrote:
Clearly this took them by surprise, since it's been working so well for them in the past.

I think the REAL solution is for other drug companies to jump on the adrenaline pen bandwagon .... STAT.

If there's lots of competition, the prices for these pens will plummet. If the XYZ pharmaceutical company starts selling their own generic pen two pack for $40, what do you think the EpiPen company will be forced to do?
Unfortunately, they probably have a patent on this delivery system.

yep, it's the dispenser.

http://www.cnbc.com/2016/08/25/the-fda-and-congress-share-the-blame-for-outrageous-epipen-prices-commentary.html

Re: More about epi pens

wvumountiefan — Fri, 26 Aug 2016 20:20:23 GMT

@Lacey1 You are soooo correct about her and the scandal with her degree from WVU. Her father Joe Manchin has made a lot of enemies since he replaced Senator Robert C Byrd when he passed away. I know here in WV, when people mention anyone in this family, you can bet that they aren't saying nice things!! When he was governor, his wife was a teacher. He made her President of the WV Dept of Education. While he was governor, not one time did he give the educators or any public school personnel a raise. It was the 2 large educational unions that really helped him to get elected as governor, and then we got nothing in return. I love my home state, but it's just makes me sick to think that the CEO of Mylan is from WV. It's nothing but GREED! I wouldn't believe anything this family says!!