Yup, $419 per pill per day for 21 days. The treatment is 28 days but, with 7 days of rest at the end....
Need good boots for this walk...
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Re: The cost of Revlimid - what do you pay?
And I thought my regimen of treatment was high. OMG after hearing some of your costs, I'll keep my mouth shut.
I am on weekly Velcade subq shots at $3,800 each, oral cyclophosphamide 800mg weekly for a month copay is $54, and 40mg dexamethasone monthly copay is $22. A monthly zometa infusion which I am still waiting on the EOB to show costs but I hear its also expensive.
As we can see this is an expensive disease to treat.
I have great health insurance to cover all this but I have to maintain a certain 12 week rolling average hours worked or they can drop my coverage. I will crawl into work no matter what to keep my insurance, unless I am just unfit to work of course.
Does anyone out there know approximately what an auto stem cell transplant costs, ballpark? That is in my future as well
I am on weekly Velcade subq shots at $3,800 each, oral cyclophosphamide 800mg weekly for a month copay is $54, and 40mg dexamethasone monthly copay is $22. A monthly zometa infusion which I am still waiting on the EOB to show costs but I hear its also expensive.
As we can see this is an expensive disease to treat.
I have great health insurance to cover all this but I have to maintain a certain 12 week rolling average hours worked or they can drop my coverage. I will crawl into work no matter what to keep my insurance, unless I am just unfit to work of course.
Does anyone out there know approximately what an auto stem cell transplant costs, ballpark? That is in my future as well
Re: The cost of Revlimid - what do you pay?
My cost is $11,900 per month. Insurance company pays all above our deductible of $5,800 a year.
I calculated with only 10,000 people on the medication, the company (Celgene) would make 1.5 BILLION a year. Is that capitalism or legalized theft?
I calculated with only 10,000 people on the medication, the company (Celgene) would make 1.5 BILLION a year. Is that capitalism or legalized theft?
Re: The cost of Revlimid - what do you pay?
I paid two hundreds dollars of Relvimid for fourteen piles under my copay of my insurance for three weeks as a cycle. My family membership found her carrying multiple myeloma on pancreatic and pelvic tumors at Stanford Hospital after three times of biopsy's exams staring in Nov. 2010. She took Velcade, Relvimid and Dexamethasone for her very successful chemotherapys without BMT and Blood Transfusion with no more tumors. when Doctor ask me which medicine to do maintenance chemotherapy for her at Stanford.I make a decision to take two times of Velcade a month as a cycle for passing half year. then , This pharmacy company send me a letter which ask me to take Relvimid without copay, but I still say no, thanks. It is too expensive so that it is not affordable to patients in my original country Taiwan after my visiting VGH in Taipei on May 2011. In Taiwan, they may not treat multiple myeloma patients during remission, and less side effects, if find this disoder is coming back, then give the Velcade with good responsed. Now, they do not ask patients have BMT at same time if they have good responses with this treatment. I have been told if you have BMT treatments will cost less than half million dollars in gamable of patients lifes too.
Last edited by chen5631867 on Thu Feb 13, 2014 6:24 pm, edited 7 times in total.
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chen5631867 - Name: George Chen
- Who do you know with myeloma?: My Spouse
- When were you/they diagnosed?: Feb. 25, 2011
- Age at diagnosis: 53
Re: The cost of Revlimid - what do you pay?
rstrode wrote:And I thought my regimen of treatment was high. OMG after hearing some of your costs, I'll keep my mouth shut.
I am on weekly Velcade subq shots at $3,800 each, oral cyclophosphamide 800mg weekly for a month copay is $54, and 40mg dexamethasone monthly copay is $22. A monthly zometa infusion which I am still waiting on the EOB to show costs but I hear its also expensive.
As we can see this is an expensive disease to treat.
I have great health insurance to cover all this but I have to maintain a certain 12 week rolling average hours worked or they can drop my coverage. I will crawl into work no matter what to keep my insurance, unless I am just unfit to work of course.
Does anyone out there know approximately what an auto stem cell transplant costs, ballpark? That is in my future as well
Like dianiaid I am with Kaiser. My copy with Kaiser for Revlimid is $30 a month, and insignificant $25 more than hers. My health plan is through my federal government employeer. I believe my copay for my SCT done through Kaiser at City of Hope was either $250 or $500, I forget which. From the actuall cost billing paperwork sent to my house I would guess the actual cost of the SCT was somewhere around $500k, maybe more.
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Eric Hofacket - Name: Eric H
- When were you/they diagnosed?: 01 April 2011
- Age at diagnosis: 44
Re: The cost of Revlimid - what do you pay?
Since I wrote that last post, Eric, I've completed my first cycle of Revlimid. My co-pay turns out to be $20...and yes, the SCT cost me $150...and it cost Kaiser close to half a million, as well. I am truly grateful for good insurance!
I still don't know how going on medicare is going to affect this, but I'll find out in August.
I still don't know how going on medicare is going to affect this, but I'll find out in August.
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dianaiad - Who do you know with myeloma?: Me
- When were you/they diagnosed?: Officially...March 2013
- Age at diagnosis: 63
Re: The cost of Revlimid - what do you pay?
Eric Hofacket wrote: "Like dianiaid I am with Kaiser. My copy with Kaiser for Revlimid is $30 a month, and insignificant $25 more than hers. My health plan is through my federal government employeer. I believe my copay for my SCT done through Kaiser at City of Hope was either $250 or $500, I forget which. From the actuall cost billing paperwork sent to my house I would guess the actual cost of the SCT was somewhere around $500k, maybe more."
Well, insurance companies was forced to raising our rate more than 50% every year. My classmate run a laboratory corp. in New York and charged patients more than twice under their bills of lab tests, because insurance companies did not pay on time and denying their claims of lab test. Finally, the lab corp. became bankrupt after three years. We have many problems of medical billing system and fundamental insurance to payment attitude to become worsen and worsen in cycles in this country. We have a terrible high cost on health care on the world with less services.
Well, insurance companies was forced to raising our rate more than 50% every year. My classmate run a laboratory corp. in New York and charged patients more than twice under their bills of lab tests, because insurance companies did not pay on time and denying their claims of lab test. Finally, the lab corp. became bankrupt after three years. We have many problems of medical billing system and fundamental insurance to payment attitude to become worsen and worsen in cycles in this country. We have a terrible high cost on health care on the world with less services.
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chen5631867 - Name: George Chen
- Who do you know with myeloma?: My Spouse
- When were you/they diagnosed?: Feb. 25, 2011
- Age at diagnosis: 53
Re: The cost of Revlimid - what do you pay?
chen5631867 wrote: "Well, insurance companies was forced to raising our rate more than 50% every year. My classmate run a laboratory corp. in New York and charged patients more than twice under their bills of lab tests, because insurance companies did not pay on time and denying their claims of lab test. Finally, the lab corp. became bankrupt after three years. We have many problems of medical billing system and fundamental insurance to payment attitude to become worsen and worsen in cycles in this country. We have a terrible high cost on health care on the world with less services."
My HMO runs their own lab facilities and I never had to pay for any of my labs, which as anyone who has had myeloma knows there is a ton of lab work done in the course of treating this disease. It has been pretty seamless. The doctor orders the lab, I walk down the hall from my doctors office to get the testing done, and I see the results on line. I never see any billing. I am limited in my choice of doctors and the HMO is not a university or research hospital, but I cannot complain about the cost or the convenience of having everything in house.
My HMO runs their own lab facilities and I never had to pay for any of my labs, which as anyone who has had myeloma knows there is a ton of lab work done in the course of treating this disease. It has been pretty seamless. The doctor orders the lab, I walk down the hall from my doctors office to get the testing done, and I see the results on line. I never see any billing. I am limited in my choice of doctors and the HMO is not a university or research hospital, but I cannot complain about the cost or the convenience of having everything in house.
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Eric Hofacket - Name: Eric H
- When were you/they diagnosed?: 01 April 2011
- Age at diagnosis: 44
Re: The cost of Revlimid - what do you pay?
Eric Hofacket wrote: "My HMO runs their own lab facilities and I never had to pay for any of my labs, which as anyone who has had myeloma knows there is a ton of lab work done in the course of treating this disease. It has been pretty seamless. The doctor orders the lab, I walk down the hall from my doctors office to get the testing done, and I see the results on line. I never see any billing. I am limited in my choice of doctors and the HMO is not a university or research hospital, but I cannot complain about the cost or the convenience of having everything in house."
This is true, Eric:
Kaiser isn't a research hospital, and we don't get a huge choice in doctors. However, both of us were sent to the City of Hope for our transplants, so at least Kaiser is willing to send us where we need to go if they can't handle it in house.
I'm torn with Kaiser: I fought them tooth and nail during my first knee replacement process; it felt like all the worst stories from socialized medicine. However, I'm not having any of those issues with multiple myeloma and Kaiser.
I keep expecting those problems, and they keep not showing up.
This is true, Eric:
Kaiser isn't a research hospital, and we don't get a huge choice in doctors. However, both of us were sent to the City of Hope for our transplants, so at least Kaiser is willing to send us where we need to go if they can't handle it in house.
I'm torn with Kaiser: I fought them tooth and nail during my first knee replacement process; it felt like all the worst stories from socialized medicine. However, I'm not having any of those issues with multiple myeloma and Kaiser.
I keep expecting those problems, and they keep not showing up.
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dianaiad - Who do you know with myeloma?: Me
- When were you/they diagnosed?: Officially...March 2013
- Age at diagnosis: 63
Re: The cost of Revlimid - what do you pay?
Hi. I was diagnosed with Stage III multiple myeloma August 2012 at the age of 65. Five of my vertebra had fractured and I had lost the power to walk. After extensive treatment including back surgery and a stem cell replacement, I finally got back to my home, June 2013.
My oncologist prescribed Revlimid. However I found out from my insurance provider that when I turned 65 my prescription cap had been changed and I was now limited to $10000.0 per year -- a far cry from the $100,000.0 a year I would have to pay for the drug. At that rate, I could only get cover for one month.
After a lot of thought and discussion with my wife and various doctors, I decided, rather than bankrupt my family and in doing so make the pharmaceutical company even more wealthy, I would do without Revlimid.
That was a year ago. I still wake up in the morning, still drive myself to work (I'll be 68 in August this year). I enjoy my four children and my two grandchildren. I lead an active life, walk dog and cycle, and travel for my company. I am limited when it comes to bending over, so I don't do that now, but I can put my own socks on. I have started doing pottery and also am teaching myself CAD (Computer-aided design). My days are full of joy and I class myself as a survivor from such a terrible disease. We are all survivors, please do not forget that.
Why Revlimid should be so expensive beats the heck out of me, and it frustrates me that, despite the collective efforts of my wife, doctor and myself to work away around the situation, we were beaten by the pharmaceutical barons!
Good luck and God Bless you all,
John
My oncologist prescribed Revlimid. However I found out from my insurance provider that when I turned 65 my prescription cap had been changed and I was now limited to $10000.0 per year -- a far cry from the $100,000.0 a year I would have to pay for the drug. At that rate, I could only get cover for one month.
After a lot of thought and discussion with my wife and various doctors, I decided, rather than bankrupt my family and in doing so make the pharmaceutical company even more wealthy, I would do without Revlimid.
That was a year ago. I still wake up in the morning, still drive myself to work (I'll be 68 in August this year). I enjoy my four children and my two grandchildren. I lead an active life, walk dog and cycle, and travel for my company. I am limited when it comes to bending over, so I don't do that now, but I can put my own socks on. I have started doing pottery and also am teaching myself CAD (Computer-aided design). My days are full of joy and I class myself as a survivor from such a terrible disease. We are all survivors, please do not forget that.
Why Revlimid should be so expensive beats the heck out of me, and it frustrates me that, despite the collective efforts of my wife, doctor and myself to work away around the situation, we were beaten by the pharmaceutical barons!
Good luck and God Bless you all,
John
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John Stift