Wellness

[NeNe1010]

I feel so stupid. When I went on Medicare the drug I take was not on their formulary and would be almost $500.00 per month if I paid myself. I cannot take the generic of this drug. We have tried it several times and my symptoms return. I thought I had located a reputable pharmacy in Canada but after 3 months I knew something was wrong. Took the box etc to my Dr who had faxed them the script- dispense as written, no generic and the name of the drug was spelled wrong, none of the instructions were in English and my Dr said he didn’t know what I was taking. I was a mess. I am now taking the brand name drug. My Dr did a prior authorization to my prescription co and I am back on track. Just a forewarning to all. Take the box etc to your Dr. On the first supply you receive to make sure it is authentic.

[Love my grandkids]

@NeNe1010 Many many years  ago when I was diagnosed as a type 2 diabetic, metformin was horribly expensive.

I contacted a Canadian pharmacy, with my doc's prior OK, that I found on line and ordered it from them. Doc looked at it and said it was fine and monitored me.

Did that for almost 2 years when the price in the U.S. suddenly became very affordable.

Sorry you had such a bad experience and hope you are doing better now.

[skatting44]

 Thanks for the FYI. By the way did your  insursance prior to enrolling in Medicare cover the medication you mentioned ?  I am concerned abt  signing up for Medicare because of their restrictions. My Mother  did not enroll in Medicare  part A until she was 85 as she had private insurance and felt there would be issues with the quality of care she received under Medicare .  My Aunt has encountered some issues with  prescribed lab work  not being paid under Medicare ...  The medications souced outside the USA is  tricky as you encountered.

[Love my grandkids]

@skatting44 I have Medicare and UHC. I was diagnosed with colorectal cancer early 2017. I've had surgery, chemo, radiation, MRI's, CT scans, a port placed for chemo, periodic blood draws and scans and I have never paid a single penny.

I have also received GOLD STAR treatment! I have one of the best oncologists in western WA state and am treated at one of the BEST hospitals in the state.

[SandySparkles]

Oh my! Thanks for the heads up! After all the negativity in the media lately regarding medication from Bangladesh and China, I was considering Canada for my prescription needs, but now I suppose I need to do more research.😐

~~~All we need is LOVE💖

[Carmie]

Many medications, especially the very expensive ones require preauthorization with your insurance company prior to them covering them.  

They are covered, but you need approval first.  This information and all the RX drugs available  is listed in your formulary booklet you should receive from the insurance company.

There are very few drugs that are not covered at all if medically necessary.

Most non Medicare insurance plans follow the Medicare guidelines, so there should be little to no change in coverage when you go on Medicare  but the cost of the drug does vary depending on the plan chosen.

I would always check with the insurance company before buying drugs from a strange company outside of the US.

[Catlady Nicole]

My employer has partnered with a company called CanaRx that provides name brand only drugs to us at zero copay.  I'll be honest, I have no idea if you could use them, but I wanted to at lease share the info, in case it's helpful.....good luck with your meds.

[NeNe1010]

The agent who we consulted with told me no insurance co would cover it as there is a generic alternative. For some reason the generic does not work for me. I thought the Canadian pharmacy was a good alternative. The weird thing is the pharmacy was Canadian but the med was from Turkey? That should have been a red flag for me. The med was Lexapro, an antidepressant so I really got myself in a mess.

[cindyNC]

The Council on Aging (in my county) offers a service whereby they input your medications into the Medicare Program and help a person find the best Part D prescription plan.

They do this every year when open enrollment for Part D is effective as the pharmacy programs change their formularies annually. 

The man who was there the same time I was, was doing it for both his father and himself.  He managed to save several thousand dollars and get one of his father's prescriptions covered by changing plans.  Last year they reported that they saved seniors $450,000 in prescription costs. 

[NeNe1010]

Prior to Medicare Anthem insurance partially covered it - $75.00 a month cost to me as opposed to $487.00 per month after a long fight with them by my Dr. My Dr has now done the same prior authorization to WellCare ( same ridiculous fight) and they are now paying part of it. It is an antidepressant so I’m kid of between a rock and a hard place.