Current Events > A diabetic (USA) has to pay $400 for a 10 day supply of insulin w/o insurance

(+) Yeah! (+)

I worked next to a diabetic last night who has an insulin injector and a tube inserted into her. I asked her how much it cost, and she said it was $400 dollars without insurance. Even worse, it's only for a 10 day dose.

That's $1200 a month for something that is required for you to live in the US.

Medicine being a business is a disease of its own.

Vyrulisse posted...

Medicine being a business is a disease of its own.

You goddamn right. And it's always the ones that are REQUIRED to live.

Epipen-about $300, if you into anaphylaxis, you are fucked unless you got one. I don't know how long it takes, but I would off hand believe you have less than 10 minutes.

Insulin-You know why I don't trust the US pharma industry? You can get OTC stuff to cure ills yes, and they helped us greatly. But when it's life-threating, it costs an arm, a leg, and 2 kidneys. The inventor of synthesized insulin did not patent it so everyone who need it could. But guess what happened to that?

The inventor of the polio vaccine lost out on billions because he did not sell it. But he saved a lot of lives.

Vyrulisse posted...

Medicine being a business is a disease of its own.

I have no problem paying for my medicine if it's affordable and not when it goes far beyond highway robbery. This is almost literal hostage taking.

Here in Mexico it's about $10 for a 1 month supply of insulin.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]


Can't afford it. Only the company gives it out, and it's a massive corporation, and they are scummy at the highest level. The medical wing are corporate stooges, not doctors.

I have kidney failure(just got my transplant and doing well though). Since without working kidneys, your body cannot process and expell phosphorus (among other things) you have to take phosphorus binders every time you eat something. I switched to a rather effective one called Velphoro. It costs $4000 for a bottle without insurance. With 80% medical coverage it costs $800. I left my job in October and started a new job in December, thankfully my pills lasted until January and my new insurance kicked in. Also, dialysis is several thousand dollars PER WEEK without coverage. That's why at least everyone who needs it qualifies for Medicare.

Fony posted...

I have kidney failure(just got my transplant and doing well though). Since without working kidneys, your body cannot process and expell phosphorus (among other things) you have to take phosphorus binders every time you eat something. I switched to a rather effective one called Velphoro. It costs $4000 for a bottle without insurance. With 80% medical coverage it costs $800. I left my job in October and started a new job in December, thankfully my pills lasted until January and my new insurance kicked in. Also, dialysis is several thousand dollars PER WEEK without coverage. That's why at least everyone who needs it qualifies for Medicare.

Only reason my parents qualifed for medicare is because they are fucking old. Nothing else.

Also, I shit you not, immigrants qualify for Social Security above US citizens who have lived here their entire lives. My mother did not qualify, even after having a fucking heart attack which killed half her heart, and my dads 30 y/o retirement fund went dry because he did not have medicare at the time. The pacemaker was fucking 5 figures. The replacement battery also the same.

Sorry, heart attack was early 2000s, medicare was much later.

Big Pharma is some bullshit

thats just the price you pay for FREEDOM

Chicken posted...

thats just the price you pay for FREEDOM

what freedom? there exists no freedom under capitalism unless you have the capital

BlackOmnimon posted...

Here in Mexico it's about $10 for a 1 month supply of insulin.

That is amazing

I pay $700 for a 3 month supply of insulin, and I get 3 types of insulin so $2100.

Once I hit my deductible, 90% is paid for but it's still a huge pain at the start of every year to fork over $2k within the first few weeks.

NightMarishPie posted...

I pay $700 for a 3 month supply of insulin, and I get 3 types of insulin so $2100.

Once I hit my deductible, 90% is paid for but it's still a huge pain at the start of every year to fork over $2k within the first few weeks.

How much is your insurance monthly though?

I would factor that into the cost as well. You are forced to have it because you could not afford this medicine without it so it is part of the cost of that medicine.

WingsOfGood posted...

That is amazing

Might actually be closer to like $30

MI4 REAL posted...

Only reason my parents qualifed for medicare is because they are fucking old. Nothing else.

Also, I shit you not, immigrants qualify for Social Security above US citizens who have lived here their entire lives. My mother did not qualify, even after having a fucking heart attack which killed half her heart, and my dads 30 y/o retirement fund went dry because he did not have medicare at the time. The pacemaker was fucking 5 figures. The replacement battery also the same.

Sorry, heart attack was early 2000s, medicare was much later.

That is crazy.

Murika f*** yeah!

Coulda had free insulin but liberals said Bernie bros are too mean on twitter.

QueenCarly posted...

what freedom? there exists no freedom under capitalism unless you have the capital

FREE

DOM

WingsOfGood posted...

How much is your insurance monthly though?

I would factor that into the cost as well. You are forced to have it because you could not afford this medicine without it so it is part of the cost of that medicine.

Sorry, fell asleep. Yes I would agree. The cost per month is like ~$150 USD or so.

MI4 REAL posted...

Can't afford it. Only the company gives it out, and it's a massive corporation, and they are scummy at the highest level. The medical wing are corporate stooges, not doctors.

Man... America is messed up

safemoon posted...

Man... America is messed up

Yes it is.

Profit should never be a factor when it comes to peoples health

This is why I started taking my prediabetes and family history of type 2 seriously, if I had to go on insulin Id die within two months.

Insulin is 25 euro for a months supply and gets paid back here.

What happens when you can't afford it? Do they just tell you good luck, fuck off?

evilpresident posted...

Insulin is 25 euro for a months supply and gets paid back here.

What happens when you can't afford it? Do they just tell you good luck, fuck off?

they just tell you a coffin isnt much cheaper

I agree that's fucked but she could drop the pump and go get generic brand insulin and syringes at Walmart for like $70 and it'd prob last like the whole month.

Plant-based diet can help stop and start to reverse type 2 diabetes. Just eat healthy foods like whole grains, fruit, vegetables, nuts, legumes and seeds.

Much cheaper and tastier than having to pay $400 a month.

Type 1 can also be managed in such a way, even with a lot of fruit.

Trust the science guys

MI4 REAL posted...

Only reason my parents qualifed for medicare is because they are fucking old. Nothing else.

Also, I shit you not, immigrants qualify for Social Security above US citizens who have lived here their entire lives. My mother did not qualify, even after having a fucking heart attack which killed half her heart, and my dads 30 y/o retirement fund went dry because he did not have medicare at the time. The pacemaker was fucking 5 figures. The replacement battery also the same.

Sorry, heart attack was early 2000s, medicare was much later.

It's almost as if we should have a system like Medicare, but for everyone.

I think I'll call it.... Medicare for All!

Xenozoa425 posted...

Plant-based diet can help stop and start to reverse type 2 diabetes. Just eat healthy foods like whole grains, fruit, vegetables, nuts, legumes and seeds.

Much cheaper and tastier than having to pay $400 a month.

Type 1 can also be managed in such a way, even with a lot of fruit.

"Can" followed by, like, a hundred asterisks.

Our healthcare system is a fucking joke

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]


Xavier_On_High posted...

"Can" followed by, like, a hundred asterisks.

That person is a avowed vegan zealot. Genuinely posting shit like that in a topic centered on medicine should be modded for trolling.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

If it's caught early enough, yes you can stop the pancreas beta cells from being attacked by the immune system altogether.

https://youtu.be/jaQJrNyUClw

Xavier_On_High posted...

"Can" followed by, like, a hundred asterisks.

https://doi.org/10.22230/ijdrp.2019v1n1a23

Can, because not too many people either don't know the science exists, or they don't want to make the lifestyle changes for themselves.

1337eye4n00bguy posted...

That person is a avowed vegan zealot. Genuinely posting shit like that in a topic centered on medicine should be modded for trolling.

Food is medicine. As an example, a plant-based diet is the only diet clinically proven to reverse the progression of cardiovascular disease and prostate cancer.

Thats not reversing type 1 diabetes. Thats just managing it.

Is there really a guy in here talking about eating plants as a cure all like some new age medicine salesman. Lol wtf

You don't even want to know how much transplant immunosuppressanta cost

BuIIyMaguire posted...

Thats not reversing type 1 diabetes. Thats just managing it.

If you catch it at an early enough age you can reverse the diagnosis before permanent damage is done. Otherwise yes, you are managing the symptoms, as I already said in my first post. It's easier and cheaper to manage it with proper diet and exercise than it is without.

evilpresident posted...

Insulin is 25 euro for a months supply and gets paid back here.

What happens when you can't afford it? Do they just tell you good luck, fuck off?

That is correct

hockeybub89 posted...

That is correct

Want to know the story when my doctor fucked up my dosage for a month on controlled substances?

I'm just glad people are taking this seriously. I don't usually make these kinds of topics.

I hate pharma more than anyone because my patients can never get anything they need, but the "insulin costs $X" argument is straight up bullshit.

If you're getting name-brand designer insulin like Tresiba, Levemir or Lantus, sure. It's stupidly expensive.

Wal-Mart's Novolin ReliOn insulin is $25/vial without insurance, and $4 with insurance.

The problem is that the pharmaceutical industry has done a bang-up job hiding it.

They even have Lantus/Levemir analogues, though those are more expensive (but last longer)

https://www.walmart.com/cp/relion-diabetic-care/3769564

DarkRoast posted...

I hate pharma more than anyone because my patients can never get anything they need, but the "insulin costs $X" argument is straight up bullshit.

If you're getting name-brand designer insulin like Tresiba, Levemir or Lantus, sure. It's stupidly expensive.

Wal-Mart's Novolin ReliOn insulin is $25/vial without insurance, and $4 with insurance.

The problem is that the pharmaceutical industry has done a bang-up job hiding it.

How much do their vials last?

MI4 REAL posted...

How much do their vials last?

Depends on how bad the diabetic's insulin resistance is.

There's a big difference from someone who uses 10 units at night vs someone who uses 50 units twice daily.

A vial contains 10mL at 100 units/mL, or 1000 units total.

The average Type I diabetic has significantly lower insulin resistance (usually on about 30-50 total units per day, give or take) so a vial would last a month or so. Type II runs the gamut of not needing insulin (honestly, the majority of type IIs) to needing U-500 and 400+ units per day.