Discussion Forums > Thalassemia Major

thalassemia patients in US

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pmeet:
I am currently based out of india, but if need be i can start looking job in US.
I think if i move with family insurance should cover us .
If it doesnt then is blood and its transfusion done subsidised/free in US ?

Can someone from US tell me financial scene for thal patients in US ?

nwalsh528:
A person's medical insurance would need to cover the transfusions/blood.
Nicole

Bostonian_04:
without insurance, transfusion is very expensive in US. just the bloodwork and transfusion is billed for 4K/month for my daughter. This does not include the doctor's fees. depending on the insurance, you can expect to pay as little as $10 (co-pay) to 20% of the total expense till you reach the maximum out of pocket expense for your plan. AFter that amount, insurance covers at 100%.

nwalsh528:
And Exjade is expensive without medical insurance prescription coverage (or sometimes, even with).
Some of us have $20 copays for a month supply, or $40 copays, or $60 copays.
I was recently told by the pharmacy it would have been $3000 for a one month supply without insurance.
Nicole

Andy Battaglia:
The cost for Exjade from Novartis that is charged to insurance companies is anywhere from $3000-5000/month in the US, depending on the patient's weight and required quantity. I do not think it would be this high without insurance, as Novartis does have a program to help people who cannot afford necessary meds. It is interesting that in India, Asunra, which is produced by Novartis India and equivalent to Exjade costs about $300-400/month in India.

I also find it interesting that the Exjade donated to me is worth well over $10,000 in theory, but there is no one on earth that would pay the same price that is charged to insurance companies. When I send it on to someplace like Bangladesh, the value in US dollars is less than 10% of the supposed value in the US. It's no wonder that the pharmaceutical industry is the most profitable of all industries.

If you were to get a job in the US, you would have to find one that offers health insurance benefits. Even then, there may be a waiting period before coverage begins. Fortunately, thanks to the Affordable Health Care Act, insurance companies can no longer refuse insurance based on pre-existing conditions, so this is no longer an issue in the US. Or at least it won't be if we manage to keep the law in place.

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