Showing posts with label discount. Show all posts
Showing posts with label discount. Show all posts

Friday, November 16, 2012

Remistart -ed

Nothing I had tried with my doctor had worked, so now I am starting Remicade infusions. Hindsight is 20/20, I could have saved thousands if I had just started Remicade a couple years ago. I've spent a ton trying different medicines while being covered by poor health insurance and high premiums.

Remicade is pricey too, the 'bag' for the transfusion costs almost $1,000. Fortunately there is a rebate program called Remistart , check it out if you are having trouble keeping up with all these costs like me. They actually send you a Mastercard debit card that they charge up for you so you can pay the transfusion center.

My first transfusion went quite smoothly. The nurse recommended I take Claritin or the cheaper generic alternative Loratadine an hour before coming in. I ended up not getting itchy but that is good to know. There were basically no side effects worth mentioning. What a relief! I've seen some improvement already in my symptoms and it's only been a few days. A nice change from some of the other meds I have tried. I go back in 2 weeks, then 4 weeks after that for my 3rd transfusion. Then ideally I will be in remission!

Thursday, April 12, 2012

No Wayyyyyyy

So I got another giant medical bill this month. Over $4,000. I called up their office, I simply could not believe it could cost that much. And I have insurance!

I asked why it cost so much. I told them that four grand would be a huge financial burden for me. We went back and forth. More than 5 minutes in to the conversation, the receptionist mentions that if I pay in full this month, the bill would be half off. WHAT. lol. A special only this month, she says. Why on earth did she not tell me this earlier in the conversation?

Why is getting such a discount even possible? It just highlights how flawed the whole medical insurance / billing system is. People that don't call to wonder why they have such a huge bill wouldn't get this magical discount. If I started crying because of the four gees burden and had to end the convo early, I wouldn't have even heard about the discount! Amazing.