Friday, June 26, 2015

Professional Left Podcast #290

ProfessionalLeft

"Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal."
-- Albert Camus


Links:
  • Anthea Butler: The decision to forgive is rooted in faith. The desire to forget is rooted in racism. 




5 comments:

janet said...

BlueGal, I hate to hear you cry over your childs meds. I have cried too. You absolutely have to go online for prescription meds coupons. I do this now for my daughter who has always needed her ADD meds. It has never been covered by even our great insurance plan. I used to pay $225/mo, but now its $45/mo, much more do-able. My son, who has autism and has seizures, took meds that, without meds insurance, cost $600/mo, I now pay $15/mo with the coupon. I use GoodRx, but there are others. My MD told me about it. I've been using the same coupon for two years now. Its been a godsend to me, and I hope you read this soon and look up this or another website for prescription med coupons. I love you both.

jim said...

If panspermia is correct every creature on Earth is a SPACE ALIEN.

Unknown said...

Dear Blue Gal: Sending you my love and prayers. Was that your son who said, "Don't cry, Mom"? I broke out in tears myself when I heard that. What a wonderful child. Along the lines of what Janet said, some pharma companies will provide free or reduced price meds, but it sounds like Janet has got the solution. Just thought you may want to investigate another option.

Love you guys. You are salt of the earth, good people.

Glen Tomkins said...

Bluegal, what you have experienced with your child's medications is such a common practice that is has a name in the industry. It's called demand management. Your insurer managed your demand for this medication by making it so difficult to get the insurer to pay for it, that you are buying it yourself. That's the only way they make money under managed care, by managing to not provide care.

Demand management is also the only way the ACA has to bend that cost curve down. It's great that so many millions now have insurance, but at least in my patient panel, every single one of them with new ACA insurance has a $3-6,000 deductible. Since they don't have $3-6,000 lying around, they will never meet their deductibles, and therefore never get one thin dime of benefit from their "insurance". The industry has definitely succeeded in managing my patients' demand for medical care. It managed to get many of them off insulin (they used to get it for free, but now that they're insured, the drug companies will no longer give them insulin)! I've been trying for years to get them off insulin, with no success. Well, I wanted to first get their diabetes controlled without insulin before I stopped it, but hey, picky, picky.

Fran / Blue Gal said...

Thanks folks. Yes we received help from the CVS pharmacist. For now, we are good.

Junior Dude's pediatrician switched him to a med that is covered by insurance for this month.

We will have to wait and see how he responds to the new med. That could take several weeks. And we may have to switch again once school starts. Speaking as mom, I've been a MESS. But Junior Dude did well on the new med today, and all of this may be a blessing in disguise. One day at a time.

I am so grateful for your generous support and kind words. Thank you very very much.

Fran / BG