[Wendy Beltrami]

Hello Everyone,
You may recall me posting many months ago that our insurance company had approved us getting Exjade for Grant's iron overload. Only to discover that we were expected to pay a 50% copay to the tune of $2,114.95 per month!

I started this process almost a year ago, trying to find out how to get Blue Cross to allow us to get this medication for Grant. When the "approval" was granted, it was such a blow to find that because it was not on their formulary, the copay was going to be prohibitive. Due to the kindness and compassion of fellow AA patients, we were able to get some of the drug from other patients who had a supply they were no longer able to use while we kept working away at the "system".

Finally, on Thursday last week, we got the call that we have finally been approved to get the medication for a 3% copay instead of 50%. I think our monthly cost will be around $130 or so. YAHOOOOOOOOO!

I have to thank fellow patients again- you know who you are- who helped us get through this and enabled Grant to get the drug and begin chelating while we waded through this process.

So, those of you out there... don't give up! We were turned down repeatedly by the drug company and by the insurance company saying that our income was too high. It was the drug company that finally came through. I don't know exactly how it was finally worked out, but when it was finally spelled out for them, our actual out of pocket medical costs, our income, and our basic living expenses, before laying out any money for Exjade, I guess they finally could see that 2,114.95 per month wasn't affordable. DUH! As if that would be affordable for anybody! I filled out many forms, made kazillions of phone calls (keep a log!) and told them I'd be happy to provide my tax return if they needed it. I think the final clincher was that one of our fellow Marrowforums members was asked to participate in a patient panel for the drug company (Novartis). She told them her experiences with the medication and then told them in so many words that there was a child in California who needed this med and was hitting many roadblocks trying to obtain it.
THANK YOU NEECE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wendy B. mom to Grant
age 15 1/2
dx AA 12/4/98