I was diagnosed with acid reflux in 1997. In addition to that, I also suffer from high cholesterol. I have been on Nexium for a number of years for my acid reflux, but I recently found out that my insurance company won’t cover it anymore. I thought it would be no problem and I could just pay for it myself because some years ago, it was $126 a month without insurance. I was surprised to find it is now $700 a month. Nexium is the only thing that controls my symptoms, but I can’t afford the $700 price tag. And Nexium is not the only medication I have had trouble affording. My doctor prescribed me Repatha for high cholesterol, and there was no option but to go without it due to the price.
I am a lupus patient. I am on a number of expensive medications that vary depending on what my doctor feels is the best to use at any given time. Some of the more expensive ones I’ve taken include Xeljanz, Rituxan, and an extended release version of prednisone called Rayos. High drug prices have made it so my doctors have to completely change the plan of action, more often than not. When I was on my commercial insurance plan through work, the copays were so high I had to choose which medications were most important to take. Going without medications or substituting a different one has negatively affected my whole life. I’m sicker and far less functional than I would be if I had affordable access to the proper medications.
I have lived with type 1 diabetes since the age of 5. Even with insurance, a 30-day supply of my insulin runs me $1,000. It’s a cost I simply can’t cover on my own. Managing my diabetes on my own while I was in college was such a challenge. I began to eat less to make my insulin last longer, and my sister and I began to share insulin in order to cut costs. But last May, my sister rationed a dose and went into diabetic ketoacidosis. She almost went into a diabetic coma and had to be hospitalized for four days. Things turned bad so fast. To see my sister fighting for her life made me feel like it was all my fault. To know people at Eli Lilly who control prices were headquartered less than 20 minutes away from us, as we sat by her hospital bed, enraged me. I almost lost my baby sister.
I have an incurable blood cancer called multiple myeloma. Myeloma patients on Medicare are paying as much as $3,000 out-of-pocket per month for Revlimid and other drugs. There are grants available for some, but not all qualify. I don’t know if I will qualify or if the grant money will be there when I need it. What I do know is that I won’t be able to afford this monthly cost without selling my home and using every penny I’ve managed to save –– and even that will only last so long.
I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia years ago, and I also live with neuropathic pain. When I found out it would cost me $550 out of pocket each month to get the Lyrica I was prescribed, even with the discount card, I was stunned. I could only afford to take a third of the dose my doctor wanted me to take. How much would a full, effective dose cost? Pfizer holds a monopoly on Lyrica that is a detriment to the public. These price hikes and exorbitant costs have affected me terribly and are most certainly harming thousands of other Americans.
I have type 2 diabetes. I am self-employed, so money is often tight. Despite having insurance, it is difficult to pay for my insulin. At the beginning of the year, we have to pay full price for our medications. It costs me up to $450 for a single vial of insulin during that time. I have had to skip paying certain bills, such as the electric bill and my mortgage, in order to get my insulin. Patients deserve better.
I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in 2013 and lupus in 2019. When I was a new graduate in 2016, I had a lapse in insurance for about two months. I was working for a small music therapy practice that didn’t provide benefits. I saved up a couple hundred dollars to get my Asacol prescription thinking that would be enough, but when I got to the pharmacy, the cost was over $1,000 for the monthly refill. Not having enough money for both Asacol and rent, I decided to go without my medication –– which resulted in the worst flare-up of my life. After I was diagnosed with lupus, I moved back to my childhood home because I was out of money and exhausted by the state of health care.
I have a lot of health issues that impact my daily life, including diabetes, a previous stroke, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. I take a number of medications to ameliorate the difficulties and pain I face every day. I’m on a fixed income, and the costs are piling up for me. I don’t think I would be alive if I weren’t able to afford my medications. If Big Pharma keeps raising prices, I will be faced with a harsh reality.