Affording Infusions

[username_not_found]

[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]I've been contemplating living the nomadic lifestyle for a while now, but I have ulcerative colitis and am taking an infusion medication called Entyvio in order to treat it. The only[/font][/size][/font][/size][font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif] thing that's been holding me back from pursuing this[/font][/size][/font][/size][font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif] life is the idea that I won't be able to afford infusions or health insurance. Anyone on here know about any affordable ways to cover my infusions?[/font][/size][/font][/size]

 

[MrNoodly]

Would you be near Mexico, where medications are a fraction of the US price and seldom require prescriptions?

 

[username_not_found]

No. It's also not a medication that I can pick up at a pharmacy; I have to go to a hospital and have it injected into my bloodstream.

 

[mkl654321]

First of all, it's a myth that you can get prescription medications in Mexico without an actual prescription. They almost all want to see a prescription before they give you anything. There are a few places that don't, but you want to run away from them very quickly; they're likely to give you something made in China that will treat your condition about as well as, well, horse dewormer.

Unfortunately, with our completely screwed up health insurance system, you're tied to whatever state your insurance is in. You can rarely, if ever, get anything but emergency treatment covered out of state, and often, not even that. That includes if you're on an Obamacare exchange provider (which is ostensibly nationwide but you'll find, is invalid outside your home state).

How often do you have to have the injection? Isn't it something like every eight weeks? Couldn't you get your injection, bop around for those eight weeks, and then return for your next shot? That seems doable.

I assume that you have established residency one way or another for insurance purposes, so if you can maintain that (even if it's largely a fiction), there shouldn't be any real obstacles. Heck, if you plan ahead and you'll find yourself far away from home at shot time, you can fly El Cheapo Airlines round trip.

Paying for it yourself is, I assume, not an option at about $7,000 a dose (yikes!).

 

[MrNoodly]

First of all, it's a myth that you can get prescription medications in Mexico without an actual prescription. 

Then I guess I've been living a myth the past eight years.

 

[username_not_found]

Yes, I do get an infusion every 8 weeks. And yes, the medication is too expensive to pay for it myself. For now, I'll be on my parent's insurance until I'm 26 (I'm 21 now), but I'm not sure what to do after that.

 

[mkl654321]

Your best move at that point will be to transition to an Obamacare plan. Assuming that by then, it still exists at all, of course--but the relentless efforts to destroy it seem to have been put on hold for now in favor of other, um, priorities.

If you're on your parents' insurance for the next several years, what's the problem? You can surely return home every eight weeks to get your injections, no matter how far you roam.

 

[username_not_found]

[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]For as long as I'm on my parent's health insurance, you're right;[/font][font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif] there's no problem. But I won't be on their plan forever, and when I turn 26, things get a lot more uncertain. That's what my main concern is.[/font]

 

[Sofisintown]

Other than your parents, do you have any way of making any money to support yourself?
Living on the road without job, income, and insurance since you have this condition is not feasible.
Vehicles have expenses, such as insurance, registration fees, fuel and maintenance/repair costs.
You also need to eat, occasionally.
How do you plan to cover all that? Do you have a job already? Are you able to get a remote working job that offers insurance?

 

[Cammalu]

First of all, it's a myth that you can get prescription medications in Mexico without an actual prescription. They almost all want to see a prescription before they give you anything. There are a few places that don't, but you want to

I’ve been going to Mexico for a long time. I was never once asked for a prescription. The pharmacies in Algodones are very professional and reliable.

 

[Cammalu]

As far as covering the infusions. You may want to check with a doctor in Mexico. I’m sure they can do your infusions down there as well.

 

[mkl654321]

Selling people prescription pharmaceuticals without a prescription is illegal in Mexico. Buying prescription drugs without a prescription is illegal in Mexico. Importing non-FDA-approved prescription drugs into the US is illegal. Importing ANY prescription drugs into the US beyond a 90-day supply is illegal.

Now, obviously, people on both sides of the border get away with this all the time. Actual enforcement is rare. But I do NOT want to travel to a foreign country and even TECHNICALLY violate the law. I have no rights there! And what if the policia want to shake me down and say, "Ah, senor, you have illegal prescription drugs with you, this could be very bad!"?

If there's enough of a cost savings, of course, people are motivated to cross the border and buy those drugs--and those savings can be substantial. HOWEVER, you have no guarantee whatsoever about the quality and purity of the drugs you buy there. If your well-being--or your life--depends on taking those medications, do you really want to risk taking adulterated or phony versions of them?

Of course, at the end of the day, everybody has to make their own choices re risk vs. reward. But you should know--"I've done it forty kazillion times and I've never had a problem" is NEVER a good reason to do ANYTHING risky, any more than "I never wear a seat belt and I haven't died" is a rational statement. If you don't have medical insurance and buying the medications you need in the US would break you, that's one reason to take the risk. But you said you have medical insurance.

 

[username_not_found]

Other than your parents, do you have any way of making any money to support yourself?

 I have a job as a Doordash driver. From my experience, working 30 hours a week will get me around $2000/month, but since I can control my work schedule I can work more hours to make more money if I need to.

 

[WanderingRose]

If you’re covered under your parents insurance until you are 26 you have 5 more years to obtain a stable enough income to purchase insurance.

That’s a pretty good head start and something only available to young people in recent years, so I would make the most of that to obtain a stable income that will allow you to purchase insurance.

Good luck to you.

 

[Weight]

Wow. Five more years as dependent on parents. Ulcerated Colitis is no fun. Any Colitis sucks. I suffered. Good news sometimes it gets much better.
It is good to make long term plans. You should make plans to have a profession in five years. There is two year community collage , there is four year collage, there are all kinds of trade schools, there are union training programs. Wow, you are so fortunate.

 

[GotSmart]

When I cross back to the US with my medication, a Federal Official examined the purchase and approves it. 

Post proof of this not being legal please  mkl654321. 

I would love to see proof.

 

[mkl654321]

I already explained that FDA-approved prescription drugs, no more than a 90-day supply, can be imported into the US from Mexico. I also explained that enforcement is lax. I further explained that the purity of many drugs bought in Mexico cannot be guaranteed. Finally, I said that breaking the law in Mexico is not a good idea.

And...I said that most people get away with it, which is not a sufficient reason IMHO to do it.

Reading skills.

 

[username_not_found]

I already explained that FDA-approved prescription drugs, no more than a 90-day supply, can be imported into the US from Mexico.

Again, this is not like a pill or a usual prescription drug. I have to schedule an appointment with an infusion center in the US, and have it injected through an IV tube in one of my veins. I can't go to Mexico and get a 90-day supply even if I wanted to; it doesn't work that way.

 

[mkl654321]

Right. The discussion got off-center. You don't want to risk your life receiving a "medication" that might have been manufactured in Bangladesh for all you know, so you definitely need to get your infusions in the US, administered by a legitimate health care provider. Mexico ain't an option.

So the real question is, how will you be able to afford it in the near future, when you're removed from your parents' insurance; the answer is, figure out a way to stay on that insurance on your own. You almost certainly can just pay the premiums on your own. If an Obamacare exchange plan is available (and it almost certainly will be, though options in red states are severely limited compared to blue states), then your premiums will be refundable credits come tax time, so, little or no cost to you. Watch for the open enrollment period(s) for the year you turn 26.

If, at that time, you find that you aren't earning enough income to afford those insurance premiums, you can enroll in Medicaid. Again, whether you can do this or not may partially depend on whether you live in a red state or a blue state. The general criterion is that your income is at or below the federal poverty line.

If you are able to accomplish this, you might be surprised at how little it costs, even if the Medicaid route is unattainable and you have to simply enroll in an Obamacare exchange. The Affordable Care Act (aka ACA, or Obamacare) was designed precisely to help people in situations like yours.

 

[WanderingRose]

The other issue aside from how to pay for this on your own is the logistics of receiving a specialized infusion treatment every 8 weeks while traveling around the country.

This might be available to the rich and famous, but you can’t just walk into a PromptCare or specialist office, tell them what you want and need and then obtain it.

You are receiving specialized care now, and these providers may be your best advice as to whether these treatments can be done while you travel.

And then there is still the insurance issue, which if you can obtain it would need to be portable to providers all over the country.