Re: Dattoli Experience Update/ ADT cost comments welcome

[Guest guest]

Hi Alan,

You sound like a very dear person & yes, I was riveted AND read ALL the way to

the bottom.

Hopefully, you might have an idea for Terry's ADT treatment. He went today for

some mapping & simulation? I didn't go with them after the first day. Thought I

needed to go to work since the GM truck they came down in the Rack-n-Pinion was

going out, Terry thought it was the Power Steering Pump. Anyway, my boss is a

German Master Mechanic & I want him to fix it & inexpensively as my Mother is

starting to stress over the costs of the Avodart & Casodex (specifically this

one I believe is the one of the two that is over $600 for a one month supply.

Yes, they have Medicare & some kind of supplement, but the pharmacist was

concerned about some stuff that Mother will have to talk to the insurance

company about, she was talking about " falling through donut holes " , anyway, I

didn't fill the prescription (he was given by the doctor a one-week supply).

Today the did some some tatoos (one on either side & one low on the front side

they will use for the simulation that he goes back on Monday for). He said it

felt like they were cutting him with a knife, but I was looking for a larger

tattoo & had trouble seeing it. It was the size of a large dot (wonder if they

are permanent dots? Terry didn't know.) Anyway, they obviously discussed the

cost & told my Mother that possibly they are cheaper through Canadian pharmacy?

I mostly kind of stepped out & let Mother & Terry go to the Beamers class (a

dietician told them things to eat after the seeding for those 3 months

afterward) & let them go on the tour & then today to start the mapping process.

He goes back Monday for the simulation which they descibed like a trial run but

without the actual radiation. Tuesday will be the actual radiation 1st day.

Any comments welcome.

God bless you.

Melody

[Guest guest]

(snip)

I'm not Alan, who is indeed a fine person, but perhaps I can contribute

in addition to my post of April 14.

> .....my Mother is starting to stress over the

> costs of the Avodart & Casodex (specifically this one I believe is the

> one of the two that is over $600 for a one month supply.

Casodex retail price is indeed $600/month.

> Yes, they have

> Medicare & some kind of supplement, but the pharmacist was concerned

> about some stuff that Mother will have to talk to the insurance company

> about, she was talking about " falling through donut holes " , anyway, I

> didn't fill the prescription (he was given by the doctor a one-week

> supply).

This is rather vague information, but I think that perhaps they have

Medicare Part D, which is the drug coverage.

Before I decided that Casodex was " gilding the lily " - for me -- its

out-of-pocket cost to me was $30 per month because I have Part D coverage.

The so-called " donut hole " is this: Initial coverage is $2510 total cost

(including out of pocket cost). Then comes the donut hole, which is a

coverage gap after $2510 in total drug costs up to $4050 in out of

pocket costs. After that, and with no limit, comes " catastrophic "

coverage. This involves coinsurance of either 5% or up to $2.25

copayment for generic drug or $5.60 for all other drugs for the

remainder of the year.

The above was copied from the info mailed to the beneficiary monthly. In

other words, if they have Part D coverage, they receive such information.

This information is available online. See, http://www.medicare.gov/

> Today the did some some tatoos (one on either side & one low on the

> front side they will use for the simulation that he goes back on Monday

> for). He said it felt like they were cutting him with a knife, but I was

> looking for a larger tattoo & had trouble seeing it. It was the size of

> a large dot (wonder if they are permanent dots? Terry didn't know.)

Judging from my own experience, they are permanent tattoos. I asked for

naked ladies instead of boring dots, but the nurse would not cooperate.

> Anyway, they obviously discussed the cost & told my Mother that possibly

> they are cheaper through Canadian pharmacy?

Buying drugs from foreign sources is, I understand, illegal and the

shipment might be confiscated; though I also understand that it's not a

high risk. My problem is that one cannot be absolutely that such drugs

are what one needs.

But: if one is paying a premium for Part D coverage, where, exactly, is

the advantage of buying from overseas?

I hope that all goes well.

Regards,

Steve J

[Guest guest]

(snip)

I'm not Alan, who is indeed a fine person, but perhaps I can contribute

in addition to my post of April 14.

> .....my Mother is starting to stress over the

> costs of the Avodart & Casodex (specifically this one I believe is the

> one of the two that is over $600 for a one month supply.

Casodex retail price is indeed $600/month.

> Yes, they have

> Medicare & some kind of supplement, but the pharmacist was concerned

> about some stuff that Mother will have to talk to the insurance company

> about, she was talking about " falling through donut holes " , anyway, I

> didn't fill the prescription (he was given by the doctor a one-week

> supply).

This is rather vague information, but I think that perhaps they have

Medicare Part D, which is the drug coverage.

Before I decided that Casodex was " gilding the lily " - for me -- its

out-of-pocket cost to me was $30 per month because I have Part D coverage.

The so-called " donut hole " is this: Initial coverage is $2510 total cost

(including out of pocket cost). Then comes the donut hole, which is a

coverage gap after $2510 in total drug costs up to $4050 in out of

pocket costs. After that, and with no limit, comes " catastrophic "

coverage. This involves coinsurance of either 5% or up to $2.25

copayment for generic drug or $5.60 for all other drugs for the

remainder of the year.

The above was copied from the info mailed to the beneficiary monthly. In

other words, if they have Part D coverage, they receive such information.

This information is available online. See, http://www.medicare.gov/

> Today the did some some tatoos (one on either side & one low on the

> front side they will use for the simulation that he goes back on Monday

> for). He said it felt like they were cutting him with a knife, but I was

> looking for a larger tattoo & had trouble seeing it. It was the size of

> a large dot (wonder if they are permanent dots? Terry didn't know.)

Judging from my own experience, they are permanent tattoos. I asked for

naked ladies instead of boring dots, but the nurse would not cooperate.

> Anyway, they obviously discussed the cost & told my Mother that possibly

> they are cheaper through Canadian pharmacy?

Buying drugs from foreign sources is, I understand, illegal and the

shipment might be confiscated; though I also understand that it's not a

high risk. My problem is that one cannot be absolutely that such drugs

are what one needs.

But: if one is paying a premium for Part D coverage, where, exactly, is

the advantage of buying from overseas?

I hope that all goes well.

Regards,

Steve J

[Guest guest]

(snip)

I'm not Alan, who is indeed a fine person, but perhaps I can contribute

in addition to my post of April 14.

> .....my Mother is starting to stress over the

> costs of the Avodart & Casodex (specifically this one I believe is the

> one of the two that is over $600 for a one month supply.

Casodex retail price is indeed $600/month.

> Yes, they have

> Medicare & some kind of supplement, but the pharmacist was concerned

> about some stuff that Mother will have to talk to the insurance company

> about, she was talking about " falling through donut holes " , anyway, I

> didn't fill the prescription (he was given by the doctor a one-week

> supply).

This is rather vague information, but I think that perhaps they have

Medicare Part D, which is the drug coverage.

Before I decided that Casodex was " gilding the lily " - for me -- its

out-of-pocket cost to me was $30 per month because I have Part D coverage.

The so-called " donut hole " is this: Initial coverage is $2510 total cost

(including out of pocket cost). Then comes the donut hole, which is a

coverage gap after $2510 in total drug costs up to $4050 in out of

pocket costs. After that, and with no limit, comes " catastrophic "

coverage. This involves coinsurance of either 5% or up to $2.25

copayment for generic drug or $5.60 for all other drugs for the

remainder of the year.

The above was copied from the info mailed to the beneficiary monthly. In

other words, if they have Part D coverage, they receive such information.

This information is available online. See, http://www.medicare.gov/

> Today the did some some tatoos (one on either side & one low on the

> front side they will use for the simulation that he goes back on Monday

> for). He said it felt like they were cutting him with a knife, but I was

> looking for a larger tattoo & had trouble seeing it. It was the size of

> a large dot (wonder if they are permanent dots? Terry didn't know.)

Judging from my own experience, they are permanent tattoos. I asked for

naked ladies instead of boring dots, but the nurse would not cooperate.

> Anyway, they obviously discussed the cost & told my Mother that possibly

> they are cheaper through Canadian pharmacy?

Buying drugs from foreign sources is, I understand, illegal and the

shipment might be confiscated; though I also understand that it's not a

high risk. My problem is that one cannot be absolutely that such drugs

are what one needs.

But: if one is paying a premium for Part D coverage, where, exactly, is

the advantage of buying from overseas?

I hope that all goes well.

Regards,

Steve J

[Guest guest]

Hi Steve,

Thank you very much for helping to shed light on the insurance part of it. I am

printing the info. off for my Mother to decipher. I hate to admit that the

insurance jargon is confusing to me, but it is, my eyes kind of cross when I

read it. The pharmacist was rattling on, but it wasn't sinking in and about

those naked lady tattos ... my Aunt remarried a man w/ a naked lady tattoo

several years back & as he got more involved in their church he had some clothes

tattooed on her.

Love,

Melody