Imagine that you have the common cold every month. Now imagine a bottle of cough syrup costing anywhere between $270 to $400. This is the reality that uninsured diabetics face when it comes to purchasing insulin. The cost of medication without insurance can add up very quickly: syringes, blood glucose testing equipment and the cost of the insulin itself can be staggering as a necessary monthly expense. Some diabetics are paying more for Lantus insulin than they are for food each month. Doctors regularly report low levels of medication adherence due to the actual cost of the drug, even though it can help people with diabetes live a comfortable life.
What is diabetes?
Diabetes is a chronic condition that can be inherited or developed later in life. It impairs the body’s ability to produce or respond to the hormone insulin, which can result in abnormal metabolism of carbohydrates and elevated levels of glucose in the blood and urine. Basically, the body does not properly process food for use as energy. Because of this, sugars begin to build up in the blood, resulting in serious health complications such as heart disease, blindness, kidney failure and lower-extremity amputations. It is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. Living with diabetes can place an enormous burden on the entire family: “Annually, diabetes costs the American public more than $245 billion (https://www.diabetesresearch.org/what-is-diabetes)”.
What’s the cure?
Technically, there is none. While diabetes can go into remission, most diabetics will need a synthetic form of insulin to combat the condition. Other factors such as exercise and diet can dramatically improve or worsen the condition of the patient as well. In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas no longer produces the insulin your body needs to use blood sugar for energy. This type of diabetes requires insulin injections or the installation of an insulin pump. This disease also requires a watchful eye over blood glucose levels through the use of glucometers or continuous glucose monitoring systems (CGMS). With type 2 diabetes, diet and exercise changes are usually enough to keep the disease under control. If diet and exercise are not enough, insulin and other drugs may be introduced into the patient’s daily regimen.
Why is insulin so expensive?
Essentially, demand for the drug has skyrocketed in the past 30 years, while the cost of production has stayed the same. In the 1970’s, scientists synthesized a new type of insulin through a technique called recombinant DNA technology. This process uses human DNA to create the insulin needed and to reduce complications caused by earlier forms of the drug. Lantus is the most popular form of insulin in the United States and is used to treat both diabetes type 1 and 2. Lantus has no generic equivalent, so users must always pay the premium price for this medication. While there are alternatives, many people with diabetes prefer Lantus over other insulin medications due to individual reasons (how it makes them feel, sometimes Lantus works better for them personally etc.).
Treatment for type 1 and type 2 diabetes
If a patient is uninsured, Lantus can cost hundreds of dollars per month. This is not affordable – or reasonable – for many of the people that live with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Using coupons and prescription assistance programs can dramatically reduce the cost of Lantus insulin, making it a very affordable medication for diabetics in America. The Rx Helper was founded to help solve these types of financial problems caused by the American health care system. We provide prescription assistance for people in need of Lantus and other medications by working with you and various health care providers. We believe that everyone has a right to affordable medication and healthcare, with insulin being no exception.
What is prescription assistance?
If you can’t afford the drugs you need due to a lack of health insurance or your financial situation, you may be eligible for an assistance program like ours. We work with pharmaceutical companies, nonprofit groups and state governments to make sure you get the drugs you need for little to no money. We charge a monthly service fee that is a fraction of the price of uninsured prescription drugs. Patient assistance programs are offered by nonprofit organizations and major drug manufacturers because they recognize the need for Americans to be able to afford needed medications. There are over 700 patient assistance programs due to the fact that each one offers help for a specific prescription.
Do I qualify?
These programs are meant for people who cannot afford medications or health insurance. There are strict qualifications because there have been abuses of the system in the past. Eligibility for assistance programs usually require that a patient is a citizen of the United States of America, over the age of 18, and has absolutely no prescription insurance coverage. The patient must also have a prescription written by a physician for each medication received through one of the programs and also be living under the annual federal poverty income rate. If you think you qualify for assistance, contact us today!