Help-Actigall source cost help

[Guest guest]

Would someone please send me or post the proceedure to

get Actigall for a better price or free or whatever.

I suspect that I make too much money to get it for

free even though it's not enough to make it in Sunny

California.

Phil has the supplemental Kaiser (called Senior

Advantage, those on disability can get it when they

are eligible for medicare, which is 2 years after

going on Fed SS disability). Well they not only take

$60 (up from $50 last year) out of his disability

check for Medicare, $35 (up from $20) last year has to

be paid to Kaiser for his supplemental insurance.

They have changed the benefits. Now he has a $2000

cap on his prescriptions. He just got a 3 month

supply of Actigall to the tune of $1700 off of his

$2000 limit (oh and the copay is $25 instead of $10).

Well that with a few other smaller prescriptions has

put him past his limit. OH GREAT!!! We are applying

for a MSA benefit that goes by income (of course we

make too much) but it also indicates circumstances

that create a financial hardship on the family can

qualify one. I would think that $600 per month for

one rx would be a financial hardship on any couple

especially when one is on disability. Shucks I'm a

lowly Office Manager not an engineer or professional

person that makes a good income.

Anyway I know that someone had come up with a way to

get Actigall that was less expensive.

We have several options, we can take Phil off medicare

and supplement and put him back on my insurance (as

long as they get a letter to us before his insurance

expires and so that I have time to get him on mine or

we can wait until open enrollment in July to put him

on mine - this will run over $300 a month.

Lets see I could try to get a job at Kaiser that pays

employees insurance as well as their family.

We could take him off disability and put the both of

us on a group plan with our company - let's see

problem there being our business doesn't make enough

to replace our income let alone pay $650 or so for

insurance.

Hmmmmm see my delemma? Man I am so sick of all this

stuff. I know we are a lot better finacially than a

lot of people even people in this group. But that

doesn't make it any easier to cope with and I am

getting close to cracking. Sure hope Phil doesn't get

sick because I don't think I'd be much of a caregiver

right now. All this stress is really taking a toll on

me physically. Sorry for whinning. Just knew you all

would understand.

So if anyone has that information please pass it on so

we can weigh our options.

Thanks,

Peg

--- Barb Henshaw wrote:

> Hope I get this right Mike. If not will someone

> please correct me.....

>

> When you have cirrhosis the blood flow through the

> liver is slowed down.

> When this happens the blood pressure builds up

> (called Portal Hypertension)

> Your body says: Oh no you don't - I'll find another

> way out of this fine

> mess you've got me in. So the body makes new blood

> veins (called varices)

> to handle the blood flow. But here's the catch -

> these blood veins are weak

> and thin. They love to pop open, the little devils

> and this is called a

> " bleed " (wonder who the genius was who came up with

> that name.) The % of

> folks who die from this is rather high (70%) not to

> mention it can happen

> again in the first two weeks after the first bleed.

> Nasty huh? Varices can

> form in the stomach and esophagus and they occur in

> 20 - 30 % of all

> cirrhosis patients. But if after a bleed you make

> it for 6 weeks without

> another bleed - you go back to having the same

> chance of having a bleed as

> any other cirrhosis patient (or so doc told us.)

> Folks who have varices

> shouldn't exercise much. Usually not a problem

> since no one feels like it

> anyway. In Ken's case he couldn't/wouldn't take the

> blood pressure meds the

> doc gave him. So they decided to do the banding.

> During an EGD (like an

> ERCP - but they don't go down as far) the doc grabs

> one of these veins and

> actually puts a band (like a rubber band) around it.

> The band stays there

> for about 1 & 1/2 days at that point it falls off

> and wah-la the vein is

> gone. My hubby tells me it is exactly like what they

> use to do to the bulls

> down on the farm - only not around their veins - if

> you get my drift. Ken

> had his done as an out-patient. I have heard since

> then that others have had

> a pink liquid put into the area BEFORE the banding

> that stopped any gas from

> forming. Ken assures me he will not be having this

> done again - but if he

> does we will be sure to mention this to the doctor

> BEFORE starting. Since

> all this happens in the lower esophagus you can

> swallow with no problem.

> It's when the food or liquid hits that area

> mid-chest that he felt pain. He

> went back to work and seems to be fine. Of course

> his Momma sent him home

> with lots of soft food. No matter how much this

> hurt Ken (and it did) it's

> still better than having a bleed. Most people don't

> have the problems Ken

> did. I would highly recommend a banding if needed.

> Always better safe than

> sorry. Hope this helps. Don't forget to bring your

> signed permission slip

> tomorrow so we can go on our class field trip. Barb

> in Texas

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