I am wondering if there is anyone in the US taking Sprycel and what the co pay will be once I retire. I take 50 mg Sprycel and my co pay now is $100.00 per month (30 tablets) with Anthem BC BS insurance. Once I retire I will be on SS and enroll in the Plan D prescription coverage through Medicare?
I am concerned how much my co pay will go up!!
Tom
I have been on Medicare for almost 2 years now. I am on low dose Tasigna - 150 mg once per day. My starting dose was 300 mg twice per day, so I'm on 25% of starting dose.
Go to the Medicare.gov website and make sure you enroll on time - there are significant penalties for not enrolling on time. Prior to enrolling you can use the Medicare.gov find a plan feature to review prescription plan options and premiums and drug costs. Use this link and then follow the prompts:
https://www.medicare.gov/plan-compare/#/questions/?year=2020&lang=en
Medicare part D (Rx coverage) is free unless your income is high enough to require payment of a IRMAA, but you have to enroll in a Medicare Rx prescription drug plan and that is not free. I have the AARP MedicareRx Walgreen's, which costs $34.20 per month. There are cheaper premiums, but I use Walgreen's because their specialty pharmacy (the regular pharmacies don't stock this medicine) will ship my medicine to the local Walgreen's store and then they call me to go pick it up - much better than having UPS deliver to your house because you don't know when it's going to arrive and you worry all day long about $$$$$ of medicine sitting on your front porch. Also, if I'm away from home and need my Rx, they will ship it to a different Walgreen's store if I want.
The Medicare Rx coverage is phased - deductible, then co-pay, then "donut hole", then catastrophic. On 50 mg Sprycel you will hit catastrophic in month 2. My total annual out of pocket Tasigna costs this year will be $4,515 plus annual premium of $410, so right about $5,000. If I was on full dose, out of pocket drug cost would be $11,175 plus annual premium of $410, so close to $12,000. Not cheap by any means and a lot more then the $1,200 you are paying now. The website calculates all this for you and lets you compare plans, so it is pretty nifty in that regard.
Hello,are you taking just 150 mg,that too only one time per day.how your doctor allowed this.im taking 400 mg nilotinib twice a day.how you get there.
Hi, I haven’t posted in awhile trying to get on with life but I do read posts now and then. This has been a big issue for me and I have had real help from Bristol Myers with the patient assistance foundation. It is related to income. You do have to send in a lot of documents but well worth it if you qualify!! Best of luck!! Please reach out to me if you have any more questions. Dawn
Tom,
Attached is one site that describes Bristol-Meyer-Squibb's assistance program. My wife had assistance from the cancer center to apply for hers. But after you read the information provided on the site, you may see that the assistance depends on if you have private insurance or a Medicare drug plan. If you haven't retired yet, it may be to your benefit to apply while you have private insurance before going on Medicare and the associated Part D drug plan. A lot of the assistance depends on whether you have private insurance and providing proof of income. There is an application to fill out and you will probably be asked to provide a copy of your latest tax return.
Please contact the SHIP office in your state for Medicare assistance. We are trained volunteers who can help you navigate the muddy waters of Medicare. Medicare Part D is NOT free (as stated in a previous post), it is provided by independent insurance companies - different in every state. The cost depends on the drugs you are taking, the pharmacy you are using and the plan (provider) chosen. You can find a SHIP counselor in your state through the website below. I am a SHIIP counselor in Iowa.
Yes I have the Sprycel Co Pay card. I pay nothing per month. It would be $50.00 a month but the copay card makes it so I pay nothing and they send it right to my house. My wife works for McLaren Hospital and I'm suprised I get it for nothing because her insurance is not good and she has the best one McLaren Hospital offers. Look on the Sprycel website and look for the copay card or assistance card .
