The cost of cancer medication has become astronomical. Being unable to afford access to good health coverage used to rest solely on the impoverished populations of our nation. Today, it’s hitting the middle class and affluent just as hard, if not harder. I know that sounds awry, but I believe I’m right.
Taxpayers absorb much of the bill because most cancer patients are covered by government insurance programs such as Medicare. And who normally foots those bills, but the middle-to-upper class in our society? So for them, it’s a double whammy.
But, because cancer is such a non-discriminatory illness, the slate of ease for the financially fit has been wiped clean. Today, there are people trying to decide if they will buy groceries or their medications, and it’s not just the poor anymore.
Isn’t someone scratching their heads wondering why? They should be! How come people who have to deal with the heartache of receiving a cancer diagnosis have the extra pain of figuring out how they will afford the very medications that will help extend their lives? Especially when the treatments of cancer, such as chemo, so tire a person out that they are unable to continue working and earning an income.
Something seems horrifically wrong with that picture, and up until now, I had wondered what the answer could be to such a mind-boggling problem. To illustrate the maniacal heights some of the prices of cancer meds can reach, take a look at this list:
Tarceva, a drug used to treat lung cancer, which happens to be the number one cancer in America that claims the most lives, is priced at $2,400 to $2,700 a month! That’s more than most people’s take home salary in a month’s time!
And what about Gleevec? It’s a cancer medication that is used for those suffering with Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). How much does it cost? It rolls in at a hefty $2,600 a month. Again, out of range for most Americans’ monthly budget.
How about Nexavar? Where does it rank in this stout list of cancer medications? Try $4,300 a month! That’s $51,600 a year! Take this drug for a couple of years, and you’re well over the $100,000 mark!
And who have I found is the grand puba of the group? Weighing in at about $10,000 a month is the cancer medication, heavy weight champion, Erbitux! If you take this medication for ten years, and you have a million dollar cap on your health insurance, you’ve maxed it out with the high cost of this med. Unbelievable, right?
Now, we know that will never happen because if you factor in the cost of care in addition to the cost of the cancer medication, you’d be over your insurance cap a lot faster, which is another fear of cancer patients: outliving their benefits.
It’s no wonder the high cost of cancer medications have some cancer patients down. And it gets even more frustrating when you think that not one of the drugs listed actually cures cancer. Not that it would make it right, but I think most could understand if someone charged that much for “the cure”. If I had cancer, I’d certainly pay it.
But for those who do, and especially those who aren’t in a position to afford their medication costs, what can they do?
Thank God for patient assistance programs because they provide a way to get your expensive cancer medications for free! The very drugs that were listed for thousands of dollars a month can be free to you, if you know where to look. Don’t be discouraged; there are alternatives. The high cost of cancer meds don’t have to have you down any longer, and that’s good news.
